Table top band saw including blade guide in work table

A band saw for cutting a workpiece, said band saw comprising:

• a housing having an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, said housing including a back panel and a side panel that are formed of a single molded plastic piece, said housing further including a door panel being a single molded plastic piece, said door panel being pivotally secured to the side panel;
• first and second wheels, said first wheel being rotatably mounted within the upper housing portion and said second wheel being rotatably mounted within the lower housing portion, each of the first and second wheels being a single plastic piece;
• a work table secured to the lower housing portion, said work table being a plastic work table;
• a saw blade positioned around the first and second wheels and extending through the work table so as to be in a position for cutting the workpiece;
• and
• a blade guide positioned in the work table and being removable therefrom, said blade guide including an integral elongated guide portion that extends through and down from the work table such that the length of the guide portion is longer than the thickness of the table, said blade guide further including an elongated surface portion mounted within an opening in the work table so as to be substantially flush with a top surface of the worktable, said elongated guide portion and said elongated surface portion combining to form an L-shaped member, said blade running through the elongated guide portion, said blade guide being a molded plastic piece.

A band saw for cutting a workpiece, said band saw comprising:

• a housing having an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, said housing including a back panel, a side panel and a door panel, said door panel being pivotally secured to the side panel;
• first and second wheels, said first wheel being rotatably mounted within the upper housing portion and said second wheel being rotatably mounted within the lower housing portion;
• a work table secured to the housing and including an opening formed through the table;
• a saw blade positioned around the first and second wheels and extending through the opening in the work table so as to be in a position for cutting the workpiece;
• and
• a blade guide positioned in the opening in the work table, said blade guide including an elongated top surface portion, a wide top surface portion and an extended guide portion that extends down from the wide top surface portion below a bottom surface of the work table, said elongated top surface portion, said wide top surface portion and said extended guide portion being a single piece unit, said elongated top surface portion being positioned within a slot in the work table so that it is substantially flush with a top surface of the work table, said elongated top surface portion and said extended guide portion being substantially perpendicular to each other so as to form an L-shaped member, said blade guide being bolted to the work table by at least one bolt extending through the elongated top surface portion, said blade guide further including a metal insert positioned within an opening in the wide top portion and the extended guide portion, said blade passing through an opening in the insert.