Splinterguard

[JP]

Does anyone have any experience with the splinter guard getting chewed up after only a couple of uses?  Mine looks as though it has been gouged in a couple of places such that alignment for cutting is getting compromised.  I know John Lucas over at woodshopdemos.com has used razor blades for alignment, but this option may not always be practical.

Jason

 

[Brice Burrell]

Does anyone have any experience with the splinter guard getting chewed up after only a couple of uses?......

Jason I have not had this issue, maybe some one else has and they can offer some insight.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Which saw blade have you been using? My fine blades erode the splinter guard very slowly. My Panther blade chews it (the splinter guard, and the wood too) up so badly that it is functionally useless in just a couple of cuts. I just bought a Universal blade to rip with and if it rips satisfactorily without destroying the splinter guard I'll retire the Panther.

Razor blades registered against an eroded splinter guard won't help unless they are really thick blades. 
When the rubber is really worn down the only way to get accurate placement of the guide rails register to the back side of the rail, nowhere near as useful as the rubber strip. I've said it before but IMO the rubber strip defining the kerf and reducing splinters is the most brilliant idea in the Festool line.

When the splinter guard is too eroded to be useful in aligning the guide rail I move it out a half mm. I use a hot air gun to warm up the rail side first and then warm up the rubber strip enough to pull several inches up from the adhesive strip and set it back down a little farther out. Be careful not to disturb the adhesive strip, keep it flat and smooth so it doesn't make a bump under the rubber strip. Work fast or reheat the guide rail so the adhesive is still tacky, and clamp some sticks on the rubber strip when you are done.

 

[JP]

Michael,

Thanks for that great response. It was in fact after using the Panther blade that I noticed it, so it looks like I'll have to live with the fact that the Panther shreds the guard, or do as you suggested and get a different rip blade.

Thanks again
Jason