Saw guard
The sawing of material, especially wood material, is carried out on a large scale in connection with substantially any operation in which wood forms a working material. 
     It is, of course, absolutely essential that sawing operations of the nature referred to be carried out in the minimum length of time. This is dictated by economy but, as a practical matter, it has been found that the reduction of wood material to sawdust requires about the same expenditure of energy whether the sawing is accomplished rapidly or more slowly. The general tendency, thus, is to push wood work members through a sawing operation as rapidly as is consistent with getting a clean cut while avoiding stalling of the saw motor. 
     The increased speed of sawing, however, introduces the possibility that splinters and the like will fly off from the saw and create hazards for workers in the region of the saw. 
     The present invention has as a primary objective the provision of a saw guard which will permit a saw to be operated at full capacity while sawing wood while, at the same time, preventing splinters and the like from flying off from the sawing station and while, at the same time, maintaining the sawing station sufficiently open to permit free movement of air therethrough for conveying sawdust and the like away from the sawing region. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, a sawing station which may consist of a saw blade extending through a table is provided with wood work members being advanced across the table into operative engagement with the saw which is driven in rotation. 
     The sawing station comprises a downwardly opening guard frame above the saw and spaced upwardly from the table to permit ready movement of work members over the table and into engagement with the saw. 
     According to the present invention, there is connected to the downwardly opening frame or housing flexible shielding in the form of strips of tough, wear resistant material, such as strips of power transmission belting, which extend from the bottom of the frame or housing downwardly to or near the table. The flexibility of the strips permits wood work members to move freely over the table into the sawing station while the strong, tough belting material will stop any splinters thrown off from the saw, even if of substantial size and weight. 
     The strips forming the shields in front of the saw are arranged in side by side relation while the strips forming the shield along the side of the saw are in aligned parallel spaced relation. The last mentioned shielding strips can be arranged along one or both sides of the saw as may be necessary, although in the normal course of events, shielding along one side of the saw is adequate because the housing can extend down the other side of the saw. 
     Support means are provided for supporting the strips making up the shielding about the saw, and it has been found that such shielding, when the strips are in the form of material referred to, namely, strips of power transmission belting or the like, are highly efficient for stopping splinters and the like which might be thrown off from the sawing station. 
     In general, the material employed for the shielding strips would consist either of textile reinforced elastomeric or rubber-like material or it could, presumably, consist of suitably strong, flexible plastic material. The strips must have sufficient weight not to be deflected by high velocity splinters and power transmission belting suggests itself because this material is inherently heavy, tough and strong while still possessing a degree of flexibility sufficient for purposes of the present invention. 
    
    
     The exact nature of the present invention will become more clearly apparent upon reference to the following detailed specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which is a perspective view of the saw guard according to the present invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the drawing, reference numeral 10 designates a table on which workpieces 12 are placed for being advanced through a sawing station which includes a rotary saw 14. The sawing table may be provided with belts 16 for conveying the workpiece through the sawing station if so desired. 
     The sawing station is enclosed from above by a guard housing 18 which opens downwardly and which may be supported as by bracket means 20 which extends downwardly and is connected to table 10 or to a support frame which supports table 10 if it is desired for the latter to be movable independently. 
     The housing 18 has a lower edge spaced upwardly from the table to permit work members 12 to be advanced along the table and through the sawing station. It might be mentioned that during the movement of the work members over the table, the work members can be guided by a fence member 22 adjustably connected to table 10. 
     The shield or splinter guard means according to the present invention comprises a plurality of like strips 24 of tough, flexible and relatively heavy material which, as mentioned, may conveniently be formed of commercial power transmission belting or the like. The strips 24, at their lower ends, are immediately adjacent or only slightly spaced upwardly from the upper surface of table 10 so that there is no gap between the lower ends of the strips and the surface of the work member 12 being sawed. 
     The strips 24 at the forward end of the housing 18 will be seen to be arranged in side by side relation. The upper ends of the strips, at the front end of the housing, are clamped between a rail 26 on the front end of the housing at the lower edge and a clamp strip 28 with screws 30 extending through the clamp strip and the upper ends of the guard strips 24 and into rail 26. 
     Along the side of housing 18, the strips 24 are arranged in aligned parallel, longitudinally spaced relation. For holding the strips in the position described and illustrated in the drawings, there is provided a plurality of block elements 32 each having a tongue 34 on one side and a groove 36 on the other side with the upper ends of the strips 24 positioned in the grooves and clamped in place therein by the aforementioned tongues. A stack of blocks of the length necessary to shield the saw from the side are arranged in stacked relation and a through bolt 38 extends therethrough which bolt has a head 40 on one end and a nut 42 on the other end. 
     A pair of spaced ones of the blocks, as indicated at 44 and 46, extend upwardly and are adapted for receiving studs 48 on the housing on which are mounted clamp nuts 50. Blocks 44 and 46 and the studs and clamp nuts provide means for holding the shield arrangement in vertical adjustability on the side of the housing at any desired level and which, in most cases, will be at the same level as the guard at the front of the housing. 
     The guard at the front of the housing may be adjustable together with the one at the side of the housing although, in most cases, the splinters flying off from the sawing region will fly off toward the side and will be intercepted by the strips 24 along the side of the housing 18. 
     The splinter shield according to the present invention is relatively simple and inexpensive but has proved to be highly effective in respect of eliminating flying splinters from even the heaviest sawing operations. 
     Modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.