Doug Miller wrote:
...

If it had a guard, I might take my eyes off it, and forget about the
blade. So the guard might make me more comfortable, and less cautious.

Sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense. You don't need to see the blade
in the first place, so taking your eyes off of it doesn't matter. You don't
(or at least shouldn't) need to be able to see the blade in order to remember
that it's there, and that it's dangerous. You don't need to see it in order to
make a proper cut, because the cut path is determined by the setting of your
rip fence, miter gauge, or whatever you're using to guide the wood past the
blade. So what purpose does it serve to watch the blade?


No kidding. I'd rather not be in the same shop as a person who can
use a tool to cut off a 2 x 4, and yet not realize that it is dangerous
unless he can see the spinning blade!

--

FF