Replies

1. 
   alexlisa | May 09, 2002 07:52pm | #1

   Biesemeyer makes a snap-in riving knife for Delta, Jet, and Powermatic saws for about $120.00. They recently came out with a model that will fit Jet contractors saws. It's a big improvement over the OEM splitters, but no comparison to the Inca and other European style riving knives. If you have an Inca, you already have about the best tablesaw available, IMHO.

1. 
   NormInFujino | May 09, 2002 08:12pm | #2

   >>Biesemeyer makes a snap-in riving knife . . . What? I thought the Biesemeyer was a splitter, not a riving knife. Which is to say, a riving knife (as I've heard them defined) is something that rises and falls with the blade, while a splitter is one that remains at fixed height. Anyway, the only other N.A. consumer-level saw I'm aware of with a good-quality riving knife is the Ryobi BT3000 (which is apparently about to be replaced with a new model). It comes with a standard blade-guard/riving knife attachment which can be removed and replaced with a home-made Inca-style riving knife cut from aluminum or steel plate, allowing it to be used during non-through-cut operations. Works very well. Why U.S. manufacturers haven't caught on with this kind of simple kickback stopper is a mystery.

   View Image

   View Image

1. 
   sschefer | May 09, 2002 08:14pm | #4

   Norm, where ya been... Does this discussion sound familiar.

   Steve - in Northern California

1. 
   NormInFujino | May 10, 2002 01:24am | #6

   Hi Steve. This discussion is certainly a perennial, and I think about it every time I hear of somebody's having a serious case of kickback. It would be such an easy thing to eliminate with an Inca-style riving knife, if only NA saws were capable of being retrofitted (vide Dave's comments).

2. 
   sschefer | May 09, 2002 08:12pm | #3

   Dave you are correct, it is a splitter and anti kickback device. It does not rise and fall with the blade. That would require attachment to the arbor and it does not attach that way.

   Steve - in Northern California

3. 
   NormInFujino | May 10, 2002 01:17am | #5

   In an earlier discussion along these lines I noted that someone on the Oak mentioned they had retrofitted a riving knife onto their Grizzly 1023, but they never explained exactly how they did it.

   Dave, I guess what I should've said is, it would seem it's about time NA manufacturers start putting a bit more effort into R&D and redo their 19th c. (well, at least early 20th c.) designs for the modern world. The R&D expense would no doubt cause an initial rise in saws' prices, but the elimination of things like 98% of kickback should make it worthwhile.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/9/2002 6:25:00 PM ET by Norm in Fujino

4. 
   forestgirl | May 10, 2002 04:10am | #7

   Here's is information from a happy Beis. splitter user, along with some pictures. I have put these on a web page with his permission:

   http://islandpastimes.com/Wood/Splitter.htm

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

5. 
   Denis364 | May 10, 2002 05:20am | #8

   Hi all:

   Well it looks like you won't be able Inca type splitter much longer, not even from Inca.  According to the Garrett Wade cantalog I just got, Inca will be stopping production on their 2200 table saw and Garrett Wade (their only outlet) is going to discontinue Inca.

   I'am truely sorry to see them go.  I have an older Inca and it is a joy to use.  Once you have used the european style splitter, overhead blade guard, and micro adjusting fence, other saws seem crude in comparison.

    Dennis

1. 
   DonC | May 10, 2002 05:19pm | #10

   I'm very disappointed to hear it will no longer be available. I chose this saw because it really is the BEST value. By the time you outfit other table saws with similar aftermarket options, you will have a saw that costs the same or more yet STILL won't perform as well.

   1.) The fence is the best I've ever seen. You can mount it to the left or right by sliding the 50" rails thru their dovetail mounts in about 4 minutes without loss of accuracy.  You can also recalibrate the scale for opposite side reading in a snap. 2.) The blade rises in a vertical plane. 3.)The table inserts are perfect fits in all planes. 4.) T-slots miter gauges 5.) A gauge to read blade height above the table. 6.) The most user friendly saw guard I've ever seen. 7). An integral dust collection system that is so effective you seldom have to clean gibs/trunions 8.) Tilting the blade to desired angle is read from the saws indicator, no sliding T-beverl against the blade is required. I saw/rip perfect octagons from direct reading of the scale. 9.) Comes equipped with a Power Take Off for a mortising attachment. 10.) 12" blade instead of 10" 11.) No need for blade stabilizers on the sides of a saw blade. 12.) I purchased their most expensive tendon cutting jig. A true work of art. They thought of everything. Repeatability is incredible. 13.) I bought their extension table for router mounting and with the flexible fence is a joy to switch from saw to router mode.

   I am so surprised to hear that they will no longer be available. I missed my chance to buy their radial arm saw (also discontinued) but I've used it several times and it was the most accurate I've ever used. Comparable with the 1950's Dewalts.

   Don

1. 
   alexlisa | May 10, 2002 07:26pm | #12

   I am bumming bigtime! I have been drooling on my Garrett Wade catalog for several years, hoping to someday come up with the scratch to buy an Inca. Something tells me these will be extremely hard to find on the used market. I can't believe they are discontinuing it. Maybe that kind of quality is a little rich for the average weekend woodworker. Hopefully something comparable will be on the market by the time I've saved enough to buy it.

6. 
   DonC | May 10, 2002 04:58pm | #9

   Hi Dave,

   I never cut any material on the INCA table saw that is not perfectly square and flat so kickback is never a problem from these common mistakes. I HAVE experienced kickback from cutting case hardened (improperly kiln dried) lumber.  As the lumber exist the blade, it closes and pinches the rising blade teeth. You probably already know this. I only am posting this to let you know that case hardening is the main reason experienced woodworkers need a good rifing knife and/or splitter. It's the amateur/novice that get hurt from sawing lumber that is not dimensioned properly before cutting.

   Don

7. 
   alexlisa | May 10, 2002 07:14pm | #11

   Thanks for the correction, I thought they were two names for the same thing.