Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 15, 2003 05:36am | #1

   I'd recommend the Beisemeyer splitter if they make one for your saw.  If not, the Merlin by Excalibur is made in a version for the Delta I'm pretty sure.  (I have the Merlin, 'cause the Beis isn't made for my saw)

   I gotta run, like 3 minutes ago, but will check back in in about an hour.  If no one's provided links, I'll find them for ya.

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

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 15, 2003 08:26am | #2

   Here are a few links for you:

   Beisemeyer Site with model list for their splitter

   Map to find distributors by state

   Excalibur Site with info on Merlin splitter

   I got mine on sale at Rockler, and I believe ToolsPlus carries them also.

   The Merlin appear to present a bit of a problem for some models when tilting past 40* or so, but that can be worked around.

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

1. 
   milanuk | Jul 18, 2003 12:58am | #12

   Anybody know of any aftermarket splitters that fit on Sears 10" contractor saws? I don't see any listed on the Bies page, and the Merlin page lists one specific model number (unless I'm reading that wrong) of saw.

   Thanks,

   Monte

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 18, 2003 02:52am | #14

   Milanuk, my model of Jet saw (=old) wasn't listed either but I made it work, ignoring their warning not to use it on a saw for which it wasn't intended.  What you'd need to do is figure out which Merlin model is closest to matching up with your saw, and that might be a bit difficult.  Can you post a pice of the interior, where the blade guard attachment goes through?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   milanuk | Jul 20, 2003 12:28am | #29

   don't have a picture handy... best I can describe the way the factory splitter/guard are supposed to attach is if you lift up the throat plate, there is a ledge in the table casting a short ways down, where some allen head 1/4-20 bolts attach the front 'leg' of the splitter/guard, and then another bolt hole or two back off the edge of the table, down just above the motor mount for the rear 'leg'. Obviously, it has to be taken off, by removing those allen head bolts, any time the blade isn't 90 degrees, or any kind of dado cut, or some kinds of sleds. As I understand it, a lot of guards have to be taken off in similar conditions. But this one makes it such a PITA to set back up and get aligned w/ the blade that, you guessed it, it often doesn't get put back on. I'm less concerned about the lack of a guard; I rarely have the blade extending very much above the top of the wood. But I think a splitter would come in handy quite a bit :(

   Monte

3. 
   Sancho | Jul 15, 2003 05:24pm | #3

   I got the bies for my delta contractors. it works great but did require some tweaking meaning I had to elogate the mounting holes. But in all fairness it was given to me by a freind of mine and he had a rigid 9so if you buy one for a delta you shouldnt have to tweak it.

    

   Darkworks:  No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.

4. 
   BOBABEUI | Jul 15, 2003 09:13pm | #4

   Hello Mikev,

   I have the Beisemeyer installed in my Unisaw. The splitter works great, is easy to remove an reinstall.. Seem a bit pricey.. But I am sure that it has kept kickback from happening more than once or twice, so I guess it was worth the $$..

5. 
   jagwah | Jul 16, 2003 12:14am | #5

   I'd also like to say the beisemeyer splitter is excellent. I've avoided using my guard on my delta saw because of the annoyance of removing it in order to use my dado. The price is a little high, about $35.00, but it's off in 2 seconds and just as easy to put back. I haven't had a kick back since. I'm very glad I spent the money.

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 16, 2003 05:28am | #6

   "The price is a little high, about $35.00."  Yikes!  I'll take 10 at that price (eBay here I come!)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   silver77 | Jul 17, 2003 12:53am | #7

   35 bucks!

   Last time I checked the Merlin was 150. canadian...think I'll check out the bies...thanks to all for the info and feedback

   cheers,

   silver

6. 
   mbtuner | Jul 17, 2003 02:17am | #8

   The splitter from the Delta Uniguard is available from the Delta parts department for about 40.00. It won't come with instructions so download the uniguard owner's manual from the Delta site, they're in there. The Biesemeyer splitter is well over $100.00. I've put the Delta one on a contractor's saw & a left tilt Unisaw. It works great & comes off in seconds.

1. 
   Mach70 | Jul 18, 2003 07:47pm | #21

   I've been unsuccessful finding a picture of this on Delta's website.  Is this the splitter that pushes below the insert when not in use?  If not is that splitter still made?  I always thought the convenience of that design was great, but I wish it had the anti-kickback fingers.

1. 
   watkinsjd | Jul 18, 2003 07:54pm | #22

   Delta makes a splitter that pushes down and has anti-kickback pawls on it.  It cost around $110.

2. 
   mbtuner | Jul 18, 2003 08:04pm | #23

   If you download & print the manual for the "Uniguard" blade guard the splitter with the anti-kickback fingers is a part of it. I'm not at home until after work, if you need more information I'll get it for you later. You'll need the manual anyway for the mounting instructions. I'm pretty sure the part # is in there, too. This is a quickly detachable splitter, you lift out the blade insert & partially unscrew one thumbscrew. It takes seconds. I wasn't using the stock splitter because it was such a pain bit this one isn't bad.

7. 
   Manchild | Jul 17, 2003 05:48am | #9

   Are you interested in just the splitter? My tablesaw splitter comes up just behind the blade. It wasn't too hard to make one. I found some steel stock that was just as wide or wider than my blade kerf drilled and a hole in it to mount it. Mine is just thinner than the kerf so the left side doesn't touch the material as it passes by and the right side is beveled in the front so the material doesn't catch as it first goes by it. Towards the back it pushes the material over to the fence. It's pretty easy to make. Like I said it is just the splitter, not the guard and anti-kickback pawls that come on some. All I wanted was the splitter so my ripping would be more stable.

1. 
   bsutton12 | Jul 17, 2003 07:39pm | #10

   Second that.  I made one out of a piece of 1/8 in. aluminum plate from a salvage yard.  Shaped like a curved knife blade.  I has to be no thicker than the saw kerf (slightly thinner is probably better).  I have had two kickbacks, but never when using the splitter.  On the Delta saw, you can align the splitter with the right side of the blade teeth so that it hold the stock against the fence.

1. 
   Manchild | Jul 17, 2003 10:04pm | #11

   I made mine out of the body of a saw blade. It wasn't thick enough so I doubled it up with a couple of rivets and some J B weld in between. Man is it strong. I spent way too much time making it though.

2. 
   Mach70 | Jul 18, 2003 02:40am | #13

   I also made my own--using an old road sign for material (now you know what to do with that stolen sign you've kept since your teens!). I just couldn't bring myself to "ruin" the original guard so I used it as a template for the new one & transferred the fingers & spring. Only difference is no clear guard and new one doesn't extend past rear of table--so I don't have to cut big clearance holes in my extension table. Works great, cost nothing. Oh and I sanded the reflective paint off so the workpiece will slide by easier :-)

8. 
   DBishop | Jul 18, 2003 04:11pm | #15

   Is a "Riving knife" the type of splitter that is "linked" to the blade so it only goes as high as the blade and is therefore usable on all cuts?

   If so do they make an aftermarket one?  If not, do they make aftermarket whatevers they are called?

1. 
   NormInFujino | Jul 18, 2003 04:56pm | #16

   A riving knife is linked to the blade elevation, yes, but whether it's usable on all cuts depends on the specific design. Unfortunately, due to the parabolic path of the blade lift on most U.S. tablesaws, aftermarket riving knives pretty much aren't available for them.

   ". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."

   Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

1. 
   DBishop | Jul 18, 2003 05:52pm | #17

   Pooh!

   I find it very inconvientent to use my splitter on crosscuts and of course it's impossible on any grooving or dadoing..

   Blah!

1. 
   NormInFujino | Jul 18, 2003 06:09pm | #18

   That's why a riving knife is better.

   ". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."

   Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 18, 2003 06:36pm | #19

   Derek, what inconvenience do you experience with the splitter when crosscutting?  That one's hard to understand.

   As far as the non-through operations go, the Beisemeyer and Merlin splitters are the next best thing to a true riving knife.  They push below or detach (respectively) very quickly.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   DBishop | Jul 18, 2003 06:58pm | #20

   To support both sides of the cut (without using my hands) I use either a sled or a long board attached to my miter gauge.  THe splitter being attached to the blade guard won't allow that setup to work.

   Am I doing something stupid that will get me mangled?

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 18, 2003 08:10pm | #24

   You're right, if you're using a sled, the splitter interferes.  Hopefully, your sled has built-in protection to keep your hand away from the blade.

   The splitter per se shouldn't give you problems with an auxiliary fence on your miter gauge.  The guard may be a bit of a pain (mine doesn't move up smoothly as the taller wood fence approaches it) but if you tighten the pivot point a bit, you should be able to lift the guard up a bit before starting the cut and get it to stay there.  The aux. fence wouldn't have any reason to go up to the splitter, right?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   DBishop | Jul 18, 2003 08:24pm | #25

   I built my sled with a leftover 2x4 at the back.  My hands dont come within a foot of the blade...

   I guess I could just raise the guard out of the way too, although it's integral to the splitter and kinda hard to use them separately.,

4. 
   forestgirl | Jul 18, 2003 08:45pm | #26

   Derek, I don't want to beat this thing to death, but if your guard is like most of the ones I've seen, it lifts upward, with a pivot point toward the back of the splitter, right?  Like for blade changes, measuring the  height, etc.?  If you're not using the sled, but are using the auxiliary fence on your miter gauge, what problem are you having?  Maybe your saw has a different design than I'm envisioning.

   Glad you have such a good design on your sled.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

5. 
   DBishop | Jul 18, 2003 09:50pm | #27

   Thanks FG...I like my fingers right where they are...

   I've been using an auxillary fence that hasn't cleared the top of the splitter...but there is really no reason to have the design work that way I guess.

6. 
   forestgirl | Jul 19, 2003 06:28am | #28

   I'm so confused.  Oh well.  Have a good weekend.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

7. 
   johnnyinbda | Jul 21, 2003 03:46am | #31

   Anyone know what splitter is on the delta 36-844 unisaw, I will be assembling mine this Christmas, I like the idea of quick release like the excalibur, is it like that?Johnnyinbda

9. 
   Jfrostjr | Jul 20, 2003 04:15pm | #30

   As an added thought:

   I bought a new zero-clearance insert, took an old 1/8" drill bit and drilled it into the insert about 1/2" behind the longest kerf. Then I epoxed the bit into the insert sticking up about 1/2" and broke off the excess under the table. Works great. Easy to change.