Miter saw (DeWalt) scrap catcher thing - is it necessary?

[67carl]

My Dewalt miter saw has this plastic screen screwed to the bottom that catches all the wood scraps. It's a nuisance to remove as some of the screws are blocked by the stand. I'm thinking about leaving it off but not sure of a downside. Like taking a piece of scrap wood in the nards at high speed. Any thought on this (leaving the screen off, not the nards)?

 

[metaldad]

now i'll have to look on mine. i dont think so, but i could be wrong

 

[larry_g]

I would have to ask, how close does that guard come to the blade when the blade is at full drop? If the blade extends through the table just short of the guard then it protects you from the blade, not flying debris.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[The Cobbler]

must be a newer design, never seen that before . I have 3 dewalt miter saws. the base sure looks cheapened up to me, based on my memory . I doubt anything would be harmed by removing it. I can see it being ta total PITA being there.

 

[alinc100]

We have removed them from the two jobsite saws we have. We cut (almost exculsively) 1" and 1-1/4" aluminum angle ,with a lot of miters,trim cuts etc. We have found the scrap builds up catches the blade and flings the scrap/breaks the blade teeth/ or the plastic insert. So yes those get removed in our case. A quick/temporary solution would be to hang a piece of leather,canvas, etc from the tube rail on your saw stand ,it would keep the dust towards the back/shielding your legs and parts from harm .Our saws are equipped on the jobsite with the FastCap Original Saw Hood. We have their mobile stands/wings as well. Dust collection/schrapnel collection is excellent. I just keep a cardboard box at the bottom of the funnel and empty as needed. This might be overkill for a homeowner but on a large jobsite I'll cut 1000's of feet of aluminum ,making this very practical.

 

[bwringer]

We have removed them from the two jobsite saws we have. We cut (almost exculsively) 1" and 1-1/4" aluminum angle ,with a lot of miters,trim cuts etc. We have found the scrap builds up catches the blade and flings the scrap/breaks the blade teeth/ or the plastic insert. So yes those get removed in our case. A quick/temporary solution would be to hang a piece of leather,canvas, etc from the tube rail on your saw stand ,it would keep the dust towards the back/shielding your legs and parts from harm .Our saws are equipped on the jobsite with the FastCap Original Saw Hood. We have their mobile stands/wings as well. Dust collection/schrapnel collection is excellent. I just keep a cardboard box at the bottom of the funnel and empty as needed. This might be overkill for a homeowner but on a large jobsite I'll cut 1000's of feet of aluminum ,making this very practical.

Agreed. I'd definitely remove that guard, but add something to shield the operator a bit. 1/4" thick rubber flooring is perfect for stuff like this. Tough but flexible.

 

[Steve_P]

My DeWalt is older, 10+ years, and doesn't have anything like that. I could see that being a real PITA, and would remove it on mine.