Abstract: A simplified safety guard for a cloth cutting machine of the vertically oriented circular blade type. The simplified guard includes a fixed section mounted to the machine that permanently guards substantially three-quarters of the blade's periphery, and a movable section pivotally mounted to the fixed section that guards the remainder of the blade's periphery when the blade is not engaged in a cutting operation with a cloth stack. The movable section is pivotally mounted to the fixed section in the 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock quadrant of the blade relative to the machine's right-to-left direction of travel. The movable section is fabricated of a transparent material to permit viewing of the cutting pattern on the cloth stack, is provided with a U-shaped nose adapted to embrace the edge of the blade, and includes a thumb lip disposed adjacent the machine's handle for opening the movable section as desired by the operator, preparatory to cutting the cloth stack, all in a one-piece structural member.