This past Xmas I picked up a Biesemeyer splitter for a delta table saw for my father. Yesterday the spring holding one of the pawls (sp?) broke. This has been used very few times (we have not been doing that much wood work of late). So is this an issue. This devise was not cheep, and to think that the spring would not make one year of very low use seams unreasonable for the amount of money it cost.
I have not contacted Biesemeyer about this yet, but I will. Still even if they fix this it means that I will be out of the use of the devise for as long as it takes to get a replacement spring. Not a good show I must say and very disappointing.
I will let you know what Biesemeyer does.
Doug
Replies
Doug,
Wow... My right pawl on the Biesemeyer splitter just broke about two weeks ago. I had a long board going through it and not enough support on the back end of the outfeed. When the piece went through, the pawl pulled up hard enough to break the little wire spring.
I like the pawls, but I believe that the real value of the splitter is the the splitter itself that keeps the wood from binding on the backside of the blade.
My first table saw had steel anti-kickback pawls. They had a nasty habit of leaving a mark along any material that passed by (kind of like a scratch stock). Does the Biesemeyer splitter not do this, or do you live with it?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Just work with harder wood! Seriously, I don't remember much of the original splitter, I'm not sure if I even mounted it. The Biesy splitter didn't leave a mark and now, since the force from the slpitter is just the weight of the splitter, it definitely doesn't leave a mark.
Just to be clear, I'm talking about the saw-tooth anti-kickback pawls, not the splitter. Boy, the spring on these anti-kickback pawls was strong! Infact, after a month of light use, the table had small divots from the impact of the pawls. You wouldn't want to catch your finger under one of those!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Right... sorry for the lack of clarity. I did specifically mean the spring loaded pawls attached to the splitter. No marks. Again, I believe the splitter itself is where the value is... its almost like a euro style riving knife. (Except the part of being close to the blade at all levels of blade height.)
Yeah I have not noticed anything in any of the hard woods I have used it with so far (Oak, Cherry and Mohogany mostly) or even the clear pine. As for the spring. We did not get in touch with Beisemeyer (good luck to any of you that need to) but the store I bought it from is getting a new spring for it. I guess this is one of the reasons why I bough a whole shop of tools from them a couple years ago, and still pick up the odd new piece (like the splitter) from them. Because I can count on them.
Doug M
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