The Hand Guard is baaaaaack!

I’ve got one of those stashed away somewhere.
Now I’m feeling nostalgic and need to dig it out.

The ONLY way to push wood past a blade.

I’m to cheap to go this route, so I make my own. I have them in various thicknesses by making them from scrap Masonite and plywood. Too, they have different sole depths, so pushing a pieces of Formica or other laminate through the blade is no big deal.

I believe in these so much, this is my storage area for them.

I’ve been looking at the Micro Jig GRR-Ripper. The Hand Guard is much less expensive. Maybe not quite as versatile.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

I think the Hand Guard has superior visibility over the Grrr-ripper.

-- The hump with the stump and the pump!

I think I’ll stick with my 1/2” BB hand cut version that has done me well for the last 25+ years.
And the best part, I can cut a new one from scrap whenever I want.

If I were going to buy something, it would be the Gripper by far. Why go half way?

Ones you make yourself don’t push both sides of the blade without getting cut up.

The Hand Guard straddles the blade with positive push from the heel. No rubber pads to slip.

It gives Grrr-ripper a run for a fraction of the cost.

-- The hump with the stump and the pump!

Ones you make yourself don t push both sides of the blade without getting cut up.

The Hand Guard straddles the blade with positive push from the heel. No rubber pads to slip.

It gives Grrr-ripper a run for a fraction of the cost.

- Madmark2

When it gets cut up, the middle is missing, just like Hand Guard.

-- Joe | Spartanburg, SC | "To give anything less than your best is to sacrafice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

Ones you make yourself don t push both sides of the blade without getting cut up.

- Madmark2

I can’t think of a time I have ever needed to push both sides.
As far as the heel, I never have seen the need to make it adjustable. 1/4” is plenty for everything.

Come on, you aren’t saying we retired pros, decades in, were doing it all wrong, for decades, are you?

If I showed you the back of some of my wide pieces, they’d show you right. But, as another says, what of it? I make new ones as I please. Too, I make them and give them away, in hopes others will use them.

It is because I use a 3/4” pieces of ply to push through a cut out of the bottom right (to make 1/8” x 1/8” strips, for example) that I can do that all day long, with only a couple launches (another part of experience is, knowing not to stand behind the projectile).

No need to defend your toy. We agree, it’s a fine one.

Finally, there is that our cheap and less purty ones may be thought of as being, somewhat, akin to running the blade through a sled for a bandsaw or tablesaw.

Just keep in mind, the new kid or the broke one is better off with the disposable one rather than going without. Then, for me, while I like yours, it would only be a matter of time before I ate up one side or the other of it, then I’d be pissed or disappointed.

Ones you make yourself don t push both sides of the blade without getting cut up.

The Hand Guard straddles the blade with positive push from the heel. No rubber pads to slip.

It gives Grrr-ripper a run for a fraction of the cost.

- Madmark2

Depending on which version you get (or if you purchase the gravity heel add-on), the Gripper does not have to depend on rubber pads gripping either.

But it would be much more aggravating if you cut a Gripper up on your saw, than a tried and true, shop-built-from-scrap one.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

You never cut lexan or formica? They rattle like hell but downward pressure on both sides of the kerf stop the chattering.

-- The hump with the stump and the pump!

That’s why I mentioned the shallow heel for laminate, above. For narrow laminate and plastic cuts.

Those cuts are the rare exception. Usually, yours, mine and the Gripper are impractical for most the laminate pieces I cut. There is no reasonable way to manage the push shoes and a large sheet, which requires both hands and, usually, keeping the laminate bent (curved) a couple feet off the table top and dropping it down at the last of the cut.

Hello Back to the world of wood working Thank you for putting your eyes an words out their for
us all to learn from, as the inventor of the Hand Guard Aid safety tool ,no one tool is a do all ,how
i have made the Hand Guard is its not just for Table saws try with any other store bought push
stick / push block , or home made splintering-wood cut out wanaB push stick , just ask your
self where have you seen a push stick / push block that can go from ripping , and then with a
flick of the wrist it now has 3 points of 100% Aid holding power, Hand Guard is seen here with
the back Heel in the Ripp, only up an down positions,you can see by setting the blade height so
to keep the cutting teeth so they never protrude more then 1/4 inch above the wood stock to
be cut, by having both legs of the Heel pushing from both sides of the saw blade ,this can Aid in
almost, eliminating un-wanted kickback. By revolving the Heel in to the Shape only position,Yes
now you have 3 way holding your wood stock #1 pushing inward, #2 pushing down-word and

1. 3 pushing forward , if you need another Heel they pop in ,with a flick or twist of the wrist
   Hand Guard is refreshed, People using Hand Guard on your Belt Sander, on your Router Table,
   on your Jointer , even the Ban Saw Please take a look at Hand Guard in action, go to my YouTube Channel
   now its a 22 year old trade show Video, you can see how Hand Guard is out in front Please type in these words:
   A+ Best Push Stick not just for table saws after 22 years you can, find us at ,
   JarmsTools.com

Looks interesting enough to watch the video! To OP, thanks for alerting us!

You never cut lexan or formica? They rattle like hell but downward pressure on both sides of the kerf stop the chattering.

- Madmark2

I’ve probably cut 100 times more of it than you. I have a laminate slitter for plastic laminate.
(look it up so you know what I’m talking about)
You only need to hold it down on 1 side anyway. You’re mistaken the fact that experienced woodworkers know how to do this kind of stuff.

The plastic “hand guard” is good for the hobbyist. It’s definitely better than nothing. My argument is that it doesn’t do any better than a ”home made splintering-wood cut out wanaB push stick”
Although, once you make a mistake and cut through one of the sides of the “Hand Guard”, it is basically garbage after that. I sure don’t want to spend 25 bucks every time I need a new one.

To pushstickforall, I understand you’re trying to sell your product, (kuddos)
But, I don’t appreciate you’re coming on here with your advertisement and slamming others methods with phrases like “home made splintering-wood cut out wanaB push stick” in order to do it.