My Bosch circular saw blade guard locked up on a ladder 20 feet up yesterday

I was trimming fascia on a second story gable end in a light rain around 4pm when the guard on my saw jammed mid cut. The blade was exposed and not retracting, which meant I had to climb down one handed while holding that thing away from my leg. I got lucky nothing caught the blade on the way down, but my heart was pounding for ten minutes after. When I looked at it on the ground, a chunk of wet wood pulp had wedged under the guard spring and froze the whole mechanism. I cleaned it out with a screwdriver and some oil, but I'm worried about hidden damage to the spring or pivot pin. Has anyone else had a guard lock up on a job site, and did you replace the saw or just rebuild the guard assembly?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_hill2723d ago

Funny enough I used to be one of those guys who thought saw guards were just a nuisance that got in the way. Figured if you were careful enough you didn't really need them. But reading your story changed my mind completely. That's a solid 20 foot drop with a spinning blade near your leg and that's not something you can be careful enough about. I had a similar thing happen with a cheap circ saw where the guard spring actually snapped off mid cut on a wet day. Sent the saw spinning out of my hand and it hit a bucket of nails on the ground. After that I started treating guards like safety equipment instead of extra weight. A little oil and some cleaning sounds like the right move but I'd keep a close eye on that spring for the next few cuts to make sure it's not getting weak.

dakotawood23d ago

Man, that "wet wood pulp" line hit home because that stuff gets into everything. It's like the universe picks the worst possible moment to show you a flaw in your gear, right when you're already in a sketchy spot. Seems like every time I push a tool a little hard in less than perfect conditions, something minor blows up into a bigger headache. I've noticed this pattern in a lot of stuff, not just saws - cars, appliances, even my phone acts up if I take it near water. That guard spring is probably fine if it wasn't bent, but I'd soak the pivot pin in some WD-40 and work it back and forth a bunch of times to make sure there's no grit left.