The grinder guard comment that made me reconsider my setup

At a demo in Portland last spring, a retired farrier watched me grind a tenon and said, 'You'd have more fingers if you took that guard off and jigged it right.' I laughed it off at first, but he walked me through how a simple tool rest and a slower wheel speed beat fighting the guard for control. I spent a weekend rebuilding my bench grinder setup with a $14 jig from the hardware store, and now I get cleaner cuts with less spark spray. Has anyone else found that ditching factory guards actually improved their safety record over time?

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jordang3217d ago

Took the guard off my 6 inch Delta about two years ago after a buddy in a machine shop set me straight. Honestly, I built a wooden jig that holds the work piece at a fixed angle and it made a huge difference for my knife bevels. The factory guard always blocked my view of the contact point and I kept fighting it to get the right angle. Since then I've had zero close calls, but I also slowed the wheel down with a cheap router speed controller. The key is a solid rest and not being lazy about resetting the jig for every pass. I still keep the guard off but I treat the wheel with way more respect now.