SuperStation : Adding the Exaktor Overarm Guard

	Here, you can get an idea of the assembly. I am inserting the smaller tube in the larger tube. There are black O-rings that allow the small tube to telescope smoothly and still maintain a vacuum. The vacuum hose connects to the left end which is sized for a 4" dust collection hose.
The guard itself goes together quickly.
	With the guard mounted, I move the telescoping column so that the guard is centered over the blade.
It didn't take long to finish the connections and make the first cut. I was eager to find out how much sawdust the guard would pick up.
	Well, both systems work very well. Here I am using the sliding table to handle the large panel for the bar top, and I am happy to report that the dust collector of the overarm guard works very well. I particularly look forward to it when I am cutting chip board and MDF — material that really produces a lot of nasty sawdust.
When ripping narrow pieces with the new guard in place, I realized that the guard keeps you from getting close to the blade area. That is good, but I am used to using the Stots push shoe on the left. It has always given me a good sense of control.    Because the new blade guard prevented my hand from getting close to the blade, I could not use the Stots push shoe. To remedy this, I made the push shoe on the right.
	I made this push shoe so that the block would ride in the slots of the Incra TS-III fence. The inset shows two pins in the bottom plate that ride the fence rail groove. They are wood dowels that have been inserted and then filed flat to fit the groove.    I purposely did not want T-slot hardware here.  The dowel pins drop into the slot making the pushing of long stock easy and uninterrupted.
The push side is made from 1/2" MDF which rides against the fence. I have cut two channels to allow for machine bolts. These allow me to vary the height of the shoe to lay flat on different thicknesses of stock.  The heads of the machine bolts fit in a recess to keep them from coming in contact with the blade.
	This will give you the best view of this push shoe in operation. The handle keeps my hand away from the blade and yet allows me to apply firm pressure on the push pad. I am making a 1" rip, but I have used this down to 5/8". At that point, the MDF is almost touching, but the rip is still safe.    By the way, I have purposely raised the Over Arm Guard so that you can see the shoe in action.
There are many times when you want to lift the guard higher. The counterweight on the Exactor unit is at the rear (far left in picture). This location is so much nicer that in most other units, where it is in the front and can block the view. While there is a locking knob that can be used, it is easy to balance the guard so that it can be raised and lowered with a finger's touch.    Now that the sliding table and overarm guard are installed, let's watch Maureen as she gives her look at the new system.