I got all hyped up about building a European style Riving knife for my saw.
This naturally meant that I would have to do something about the blade
guard. More importantly, dust collection on a table saw seems to be a
fruitless quest, if you don't do something about the saw dust above the
table. I was extremely disappointed when I connected a 2hp collector and
installed a zero tolerance blade insert at the same time, only to discover
that I still got a heaping helping of sawdust when I ripped with a high
blade.

I am combining designs from multiple sources to achieve my own personal
priorities, with extremely good dust collection being at the top of the
list. I'll report progress as I muddle through this.

The biggest unknown to me was the cost and availability of Lexan -- seems
this is a must for blade guard. Today I went to a local plastics supply
house and was pleased to be introduced to their cutoff stock. I had
drawings of the parts I needed and a gentlement in the sawroom helped me
search the cutoffs. He also gave me some advice on cutting and routing the
stuff. Overall it was a good old fashioned top service experience.

For those of you thinking about something like this, Lexan (GE brand of
polycarbonate) sells for roughly 14-15 cents/cubic inch in my area (Houston,
Texas). I got a 1/2 inch x 23 inch x 12 inch piece for $20 and a 1/8 inch x
10 1/2 inch x 23 inch piece for $4.

So what am I going to do with 1/2 thick lexan? Well, in case someone shoots
a bullet through my shop, it might have a chance at stopping it. grin
Otherwise, I figure I'll have one heck of a blade guard.

Bob