Table saw splitters question to Mark…
Joseph_BOnaventura | Posted in General Discussion on
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I want to know information that can help me decide which splitter to buy for my table saw which is a 10 inch Unisaw. I saw an advertisement for a splitter that had a half moon shape–it caught my eye and I wnder if this is a good one, and who makes it and where I can buy it. Do you have experience with this type and do you recommend it? If you would, please call me COLLECT at 619-443-0475
Replies
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Joseph,
I know I'm not Mark but, there are a couple of recent discussions in the "Tools for woodworking" folder on splitters. Here's one of them: < Obsolete Link > Click here
Dano
*Joseph,I don't know if Mark looks at this message board, but I can assure you that you'll receive good info from the members here.If you're anxious to talk to Mark himself, go to his web site at:http://www.woodworkingfasttrak.com/Good luck,Tim
*Just a guess, but if it was a half-moon shape, it sounds like a riving knife, not your typical splitter. I don't know the unisaw design, but I've not heard of a riving knive being fitted to one, since it would require some additional engineering to attach to the trunion. I corresponded with a guy on the Oak forum who designed his own riving knife for his Grizzly cabinet saw, though, so if you're inventive enough I suppose it could be done.Here's a riving knife.View Image
*Can somebody please explain the difference between a riving knife and a splitter with out anti kick back pawls.
*Riving knife. European term, usually related to the description of a scimitar shaped anti-kickback device behind the saw blade which, along with a crown guard on top for additional protection- but nothing is absolutely guaranteed- works by preventing the cut piece of timber pinching on the rear rising teeth of said sawblade, and importantly is easily attached to the saw, and effective.Splitter. US version of a riving knife made of the cheapest and thinnest sheet metal, narrower than the saw kerf, that incorporates anti-kickback pawls designed to be both ineffective and to trap timber so as to encourage kickbacks. Difficult to install and adjust, and approved by lame brains at OSHA that more than likely have never used a woodworking machine, never will, and wouldn't recognise a danger if a piece of timber got trapped between the saw blade, their approved splitter, and the long rip fence, which could easily result in a smack right in the middle of the forehead with the pointy end of a spear like projectile. Both of the active brain cells of highly qualified experts with four or five years of study up to degree level could be involved with coming up with such dumb 'suggestions' or 'guidances'. ;-) Slainte, RJ.
*Right on, Sgian!
*Well then, Sgian, is a European riving knife THICKER than the USA style "splitter?" Is the European Riving Knife the same thickness as the saw's blade?ThanksWilliamFlorida
*William*Yes.*No, slightly thinner normally than the kerf.Slainte, RJ.
*how many on this board use either a riving knife or splitter regularly? jack (an accident prone but very lucky non-user.)
*Joseph, Beismeyer (now a division of Delta) makes a very good splitter ($125) for the Unisaws as well as my Jet and Generals. It plugs in and releases quickly without tools. By Sgian's definition it's also a riving knife as it's a full 1/8" thick. It includes anti-kickback pawls that make it very difficult to rip anything under 3/4" wide with a push stick, so I cut mine off.
*So in reality, a splitter is a riving knife and a riving knife is a splitter with OSHA standards being the only difference. I think I will switch to the riving knife concept since the primary reason that I remove my splitter is because the kick back pawls don't allow ripping anything thicker than about 2". The also get fouled by small cutoffs that seem to just sit there are wait for me to reach for the off switch.Thanks for the explanations !Steve
*>>a splitter is a riving knife and a riving knife is a splitter with OSHA standards being the only differenceNo. A riving knife has several other distinct advantages over the splitter. A splitter remains basically fixed and unmoving (at least for height), and is usually attached farther behind the blade. This means the splitter's leading edge can be near the blade only when the blade is raised to full height. When the blade is lowered for thinner stock, a substantial "danger zone" thus exists between the blade's trailing edge and splitter's leading edge (see drawing below).In contrast, the riving knife is installed on the trunion assembly in such a way that it rises and falls (and tilts) with the blade, so it can be designed as a curve to follow the contour of the blade, and to remain in a fixed relationship (about 1/8" from the blade's trailing edge all around the contour). This design assures that any wood piece has extremely little chance of pinching on or rotating into the blade after it passes the trailing edge of the blade, no matter how high/low the blade is raised.Another advantage of the riving knife, as visible in the photo in message #3 above, is that the riving knife's top edge can be cut down to just below the top edge of the blade, thus allowing you to leave the riving knife installed when performing non-through cuts (dadoes/rabbets) with the standard blade (obviously, it has to be changed out if a smaller-diameter dado or other blade is installed). The riving knife thus saves time in unnecessary removals.View Image
*Jack, I have no use for a saw unless the riving knife and crown guard are fitted and set up correctly. I also use the European style adjustable rip fence, and don't use a dado blade. Slainte, RJ.
*O.K. I have the idea behind the riving knife. I'll turn this over to my Metal Fabricator friend and see what he can come up with in the way of a easy change out setup that can be mounted on the arbor lift and tilt assembly.ThanksSteve
*Since I've gone to the trouble of making it up, here's a diagram of a riving knife, it's a companion pic to the one above of the splitter:View Image
*I have a Delta Tilting Arbor Saw. Is there anyway to put a riving knife of it? A friend is a blacksmith so I can get some help with metalwork.ThanksFrank
*Frank, In principle, it should be possible, but since I know nothing about the Unisaw, I don't have any specifics; in order to mount a true riving knife on any saw for which it isn't designed, you'd have to do some minor engineering work to design one (fairly simple, I think) and find a way to attach it to the rise-and-tilt mechanism (the trunion assembly). I have communicated with a man on another forum who says he has mounted one on his Grizzly 1023 cabinet saw, though, so it should be possible. Obviously, you'll have to drill some additional holes, etc.
*Norm and Sgian,Just wanted to say thanks for your discussion on the relative merits of a "splitter" vs. a "riving knife" for use on a tablesaw. This is something I've never heard and found extremely interesting. Whenever I get a pointer on how to keep all ten fingers I pay attention. This is the kind of information thats really invaluable to some of us isolated part-time wooodworkers. Thanks again.
*Double thanks to Sgian and Norm for providing excellent technical information on splitter vs. riving knife. Very well done, gentlemen!
*I made a "splitter" (since it is at a fixed height) for my Delta Contractor's Saw. It is basically the scimitar shape previously mentioned and is clamped in the bracket which the original blade guard was mounted. It is made from a piece of 1/8 in aluminum. I bevelled the leading edge to prevent the wood catching on it. In my opinion, it works very well. Granted it doesn't have a guard, but I have never had a kickback when using it. It does prevent wood from pinching on the blade but not from pinching on the splitter itself. The advantage, in my opinion, is that it keeps the wood from wandering into blade, which caused both of the kickbacks that I have experienced.
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