riving knife

[Keye]

Do you change the riving knife every time you change the TS blade to a different kerf?

I bought a Delta TS in 1994 and the only thing I did not like was the blade cover and riving knife. It has been off every since.

It has taken a while(duh) for me to see the light. I have the same fence locking system but a different fence. It has two slots on top and I have always left a 6" metal scale in a slot. The other day I bumped the scale while the TS was on and knocked the scale into the blade. To say it went past my head before I could blink would be a major understatement.

I need to buy something but can not afford the over priced major brand products. As an example I just saw a 6" and 8" scale by Woodpecker for $200.00.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Henry W]

Keye
Glad it went past your head without impact! Incidents like this are fertile ground for making changes? (Don't ask me how I know).

I do not currently use a riving knife - and I know that this is an improvement I need to make.

I am bit confused about you term scale here. Are you saying that you "...always have a 6"..." RULER (straight measuring device, with increments to measure length)? If that is the case I understand, and I have the same on my TS.

For me the biggest single TS safety improvement I made was to implement an overhead blade gaurd (I made a functional but not pretty box using clear polycarbonate, i.e my available materials; it's mounted from the ceiling, this is not a commercial one). I mostly rip with my TS and this gaurd is always in place when ripping (it does not work so well with crosscuts, as either the miter gage or the crosscut sled bump into it). For me this overhead guard would have likely shielded the moving blade from something falling onto the blade.

Also consider your work practices (these are not things you asked about, but the types of questions I have had to consider in trying to keep my shop a safe place to work):
1. When am I shutting off the saw? Only at the end of a session, or anytime I need to move around? Whilke I am tempted to leave the saw running, I do often find it better to shut it off frequently during a TS work session while I move materials. I definitely TRY to remember to shut off the saw when adjusting the fence - but I do not always do that.
2. Are materials to be cut available in a stack that can easily be fed? Or do I have to move around the shop to get each piece?
3. Is there a spot to neatly stack the output of multiple cuts? Is there outfeed support so that I do not need to 'catch' material?
4. Where are offcuts ending up? Scattered on the floor or is there a bucket or bin to keep these from becoming trip hazards or loose pieces that clutter the TS surface?
... and similar questions.

Hope this helps - yes preventive safety measures ARE VERY IMPORTANT - but there is no one-size works for all.
Rhetorically - would a SawStop stop the blade fast enough to have prevented the projectile? I do not know.

 

[Tarhead]

Check out Sharkguard. A ~pre-2010 table saw may not be able to be updated to a riving knife, only a splitter.

 

[Darl Bundren]

If you're looking for rules/rulers, maybe check taytools.com. Their house brand is pretty good, Shinwa and PEC are steps up. They also sell factory seconds that are fully functional but have the manufacturer's name ground off. If I misunderstood the initial post, sorry.

 

[bob vaughan]

As an example I just saw a 6" and 8" scale by Woodpecker for $200.00.

A Starrett 1604R-6 6" rule is $50 - $60.00. The 12" is about a C-note at retail. That Woodpecker stuff has to be something really special and not aluminum.

 

[Keye]

Keye
Glad it went past your head without impact! Incidents like this are fertile ground for making changes? (Don't ask me how I know).

I do not currently use a riving knife - and I know that this is an improvement I need to make.

I am bit confused about you term scale here. Are you saying that you "...always have a 6"..." RULER (straight measuring device, with increments to measure length)? If that is the case I understand, and I have the same on my TS.

For me the biggest single TS safety improvement I made was to implement an overhead blade gaurd (I made a functional but not pretty box using clear polycarbonate, i.e my available materials; it's mounted from the ceiling, this is not a commercial one). I mostly rip with my TS and this gaurd is always in place when ripping (it does not work so well with crosscuts, as either the miter gage or the crosscut sled bump into it). For me this overhead guard would have likely shielded the moving blade from something falling onto the blade.

Also consider your work practices (these are not things you asked about, but the types of questions I have had to consider in trying to keep my shop a safe place to work):
1. When am I shutting off the saw? Only at the end of a session, or anytime I need to move around? Whilke I am tempted to leave the saw running, I do often find it better to shut it off frequently during a TS work session while I move materials. I definitely TRY to remember to shut off the saw when adjusting the fence - but I do not always do that.
2. Are materials to be cut available in a stack that can easily be fed? Or do I have to move around the shop to get each piece?
3. Is there a spot to neatly stack the output of multiple cuts? Is there outfeed support so that I do not need to 'catch' material?
4. Where are offcuts ending up? Scattered on the floor or is there a bucket or bin to keep these from becoming trip hazards or loose pieces that clutter the TS surface?
... and similar questions.

Hope this helps - yes preventive safety measures ARE VERY IMPORTANT - but there is no one-size works for all.
Rhetorically - would a SawStop stop the blade fast enough to have prevented the projectile? I do not know.

I was taught in engineering drafting 101 it is a scale and not a ruler, when I started college we used slide rules, maybe things have changed

Check out Sharkguard. A ~pre-2010 table saw may not be able to be updated to a riving knife, only a splitter.

I should have typed splitter

 

[Henry W]

I was taught in engineering drafting 101 it is a scale and not a ruler, when I started college we used slide rules, maybe things have changed

I should have typed splitter

Keye
The fact that we use different terms for the same item does not make you wrong! Just asking if this was 'what I call a 'ruler'. In fact I don't know the definition of a ruler, although a scale seems like it ought to be a measurement device.
Not a critique, I was trying to ask a clarifying question. I used caps to signify that this was the word I wondered about.

I also gather - now with more clarity - that your question actually related to replaceing the former projectile - scale, ruler, or whatever the term of choice is.

 

[JNCarr]

I'd suggest that a TS without a riving knife is an accident waiting to happen. Serious accident.

 

[tvrgeek]

I'd suggest that a TS without a riving knife is an accident waiting to happen. Serious accident.

100% agree. True riving knife, not a splitter. I had TWO and both times the OEM splitter/guard was in place. First the splitter was too far behind the blade and in the other case above the table.

As I mostly use full kerf blades, I leave my full kerf in there. I also use an overhead ( Saw Stop big tube) whenever I can. I did pay the bucks for a thinner knife for the rare occasion I use a thin kerf blade.
The OEM blade guard and integral knife sit on the shelf. Too clumsy.

Many aftermarket overarm, like the Shark, do not have sufficient airflow for decent dust extraction . Safety , yes.

For rulers, I use cheap Amazon Chinese scales. Actually my leave-on-the-shelf above the TS is a Bates desk 12 inch. In the old days, they started at zero. No reason for esoteric scales when a a fist full costs $10 and they are more accurate than the width of the 1/64 line. Actually I hate 1/64 scales. Can't see or count them. I do better interpolating on a 1/16. Second choice are PEC blems from Taylor.

My definition of a scale is the triangular scales marked in decimal, or ratios of 12, etc. used for drafting in engineering or architecture. I too went to school with a slip-stick. My fathers actually. Freshman year was when the SR-10 dropped from $135 to $99 and everyone lined up for them but several profs did not allow them. I remember we all huddles around when a "rich kid", very nice guy actually, came in with an HP-35.

PS: I have a self suspended above and to the right of the saw so all my push blocks, spacers, clamps, rules are within reach.

 

[Keye]

Keye
The fact that we use different terms for the same item does not make you wrong! Just asking if this was 'what I call a 'ruler'. In fact I don't know the definition of a ruler, although a scale seems like it ought to be a measurement device.
Not a critique, I was trying to ask a clarifying question. I used caps to signify that this was the word I wondered about.

I also gather - now with more clarity - that your question actually related to replaceing the former projectile - scale, ruler, or whatever the term of choice is.

No worries, in no way, shape or form did I take offense with what you said

 

[Henry W]

PS: I have a self suspended above and to the right of the saw so all my push blocks, spacers, clamps, rules are within reach.

Presumably you meant you have a shelf, and that you personally are not suspended there . If you are suspended with your push blocks and clamps, at least you hace interenet access and do not need help!