Ifyou have ever used a mini cutoff wheel with a high speed rotary tool, you just might know what it’s like to have tiny pieces of a cutoff disk thrown at you when it breaks. To ensure a safer user experience with just about any rotary tool on the market, the GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield offers protection, visibility and performance for rotary tool users. This unique blade guard does not impede visibility, yet offers complete coverage of the cutting wheel or blade. Thanks to an ingenious spring loaded design, and an easy to operate thumb stud that makes opening the guard easy, you can access and cut the material that you are working on. Along with the GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield, Gyros Precision Tools offers a complete line of rotary tool accessories and miniature tools.
The GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield, model 50-12510, arrived in a clamshell style plastic package along with a 1/8″ mandrel and a fiber disk cut off wheel. The GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield is constructed of a shatter resistant clear plastic. The guard is constructed in two half circle parts, where the inner shield can slip into the outer shield which allows for up to 180 degrees of the blade or cut off disk to be exposed. To make sure that the guard protects the user, the guard halves are spring-loaded so that in its natural state the guards fully enclose the cutting wheel or blade. By utilizing the thumb stud on the guard, the lower half can easily opened to exposed the blade. With this model of Rotary Tool Safety Shield, you can use blades and accessories that are up to 1-1/2″ in diameter and 5/8″ of an inch wide. If you have larger accessories or blades, there is a 2-1/2″ diameter capacity kit available (model 50-25010) for about the same price.
Just for fun, the guys at Gyros Precision Tools also sent along a really nice 7-piece Accessory ProPak, model 61-11817, which is available separately from the Blade Guard and costs about $30. The included selection of circular saw blades and fiber disks represent some of the most popular varieties of blades that Gyros Precision Tools offers. Included in this set are the following:
- 7/8″ Ripsaw (general purpose cutting of wood & plastic)
- 1″ Coarse Tooth Circular Saw (fast cutting of wood, plastic & wax)
- 1-1/4″ Fine Tooth Circular Saw (precise cutting of wood, plastic and soft metals)
- 1-1/2″ LT Low Tensile Fiber Disk (glass, plastic, store, ceramic, soft metals)
- 1-1/2″ HT High Tensile Fiber Disk (steel, steel alloys and hard bronze)
- 1-1/2″ ST Super Tensile Fiber Disk (stainless, titanium, nickle, carbon & chrome alloys)
- 1/8 x 1/8 Screw Mandrel
Upon closer examination of the circular saw blades in particular, it is evident that these are not simply stamped sheet metal but rather precision machined and ground tools. The teeth are sharp and the grinding marks are clearly visible, giving the flat sides a sun-ray effect. The fiber disks are fiberglass reinforced and are clearly marked with the type of disk and the maximum allowable RPM on each. Click here to purchase the 7-piece Accessory ProPak.
Testing and Use
To test our the GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield, we used a Milwaukee M12 rotary tool. Since most rotary tools are equipped with a threaded cap just behind the spindle, installation is essentially the same for any brand of compatible rotary tool. Start by unscrewing and removing the cap, then thread on the safety shield on the end of the rotary tool. When the safety shield is fully installed, the spindle lock button should be on the top and the thumb lever should be on the right side of the tool. Next insert your accessory or the mandrel into the chuck and tighten it up. Thanks to the opening in the top center of the guard, using a screwdriver to tighten the mandrel screw is a cinch if you are using a circular saw blade or a fiber disk.
One of the first things that immediately stood out to us is that this guard seemed to fit and work on our tool as if it came from the factory pre-installed. We proceeded to try out one of the HT fiber disk cutting wheels on a piece of heavy 3/16″ steel chain. The reason that we chose the HT fiber disk was because this material is best suited for cutting hardened and alloy steels. Right away, we noticed that the guard not only contained the sparks and debris from the cutting, but it also allowed us to have a clear view of the progress of the cut. We appreciated the functionally of the spring loaded guard since it allowed us to open it initially to start the cut and then let the spring action close up against the metal as we made the cut. This better contained the debris and protected us from any red hot shrapnel. As far as the other accessories, cutting disks and saw blades – well, we tried them as well on a few different applications. With the saw blades we had great success cutting, PVC pipe, oak trim and pine. Of course we used these blades in conjunction with the new-found convenience of the safety shield.
Conclusion
With the every increasing popularity of of rotary tools, it is critical that there are quality made safety accessories available. Gyros Precision Tools offers a great product with their GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield. This should be among the first accessories that anyone purchases for their rotary tool. Along with the safety shield, the 7-piece Accessory ProPak offers an excellent selection of bits and blades that can transform your rotatory tool into a top performer. The reality is that you can have the best power tool on the market, but if you don’t have quality accessories, you will forever be disappointed with it. For this reason we gave the GyrosGuard products a nearly perfect Performance rating of 9/10 since they really stepped up the level of performance of our tool. For our Value rating we gave these tools a 7/10 since they offer made in the USA quality, great features, and fair prices that any serious hobbyist or pro will look for.
