Floor saw with blade guard

A powered saw assembly for cutting a work piece, the assembly comprising:

• a base including
• a planar top surface on which the work piece to be cut is supported and an opposite bottom surface, and
• a slot extending from the top surface to the bottom surface;
• a column fixed to the top surface of the base;
• a guide rail supported above the top surface by the column;
• and
• a saw unit translatable along the guide rail relative to the base, the saw unit including
• a rotating arbor to which a saw blade is attachable for co-rotation therewith,
• a blade guard at least partially surrounding the saw blade and defining an opening through which the saw blade is movable for attaching the saw blade to the arbor and removing the saw blade from the arbor,
• a cover pivotably coupled to the blade guard to selectively close the opening;
• a motor housing;
• and
• an electric motor positioned within the motor housing and operably coupled to the arbor to provide torque thereto, causing the arbor to rotate,
• wherein, with the cover pivoted away from the blade guard to expose the opening, the saw blade is attachable to the arbor through the opening without passing the saw blade through the slot from the bottom surface of the base toward the top surface
• wherein, with the cover pivoted away from the blade guard to expose the opening, the saw blade is removable from the arbor through the opening without passing the saw blade through the slot from the top surface of the base toward the bottom surface,
• wherein the blade guard is slidable relative to the motor housing in a linear diagonal direction away from the top surface of the base, and
• wherein during a cutting operation and without changing an elevation of the arbor relative to the top surface of the base, the blade guard is slidable relative to the motor housing between a lowered position and a raised position relative to the top surface of the base.

A powered saw assembly for cutting a work piece, the assembly comprising:

• a base including
• a planar top surface on which the work piece to be cut is supported and an opposite bottom surface, and
• a slot extending from the top surface to the bottom surface;
• a column fixed to the top surface of the base;
• a guide rail supported above the top surface by the column;
• and
• a saw unit translatable along the guide rail relative to the base, the saw unit including
• a rotating arbor to which a saw blade is attachable for co-rotation therewith,
• a blade guard at least partially surrounding the saw blade and defining an opening through which the saw blade is movable for attaching the saw blade to the arbor and removing the saw blade from the arbor, and
• a cover removably coupled to the blade guard to selectively close the opening;
• wherein, with the cover removed from the blade guard to expose the opening, the saw blade is attachable to the arbor through the opening without passing the saw blade through the slot from the bottom surface of the base toward the top surface,
• wherein, with the cover removed from the blade guard to expose the opening, the saw blade is removable from the arbor through the opening without passing the saw blade through the slot from the top surface of the base toward the bottom surface,
• wherein the blade guard is slidable relative to the motor housing in a linear diagonal direction away from the top surface of the base, and
• wherein during a cutting operation and without changing an elevation of the arbor relative to the top surface of the base, the blade guard is slidable relative to the motor housing between a lowered position and a raised position relative to the top surface of the base.