Man I used my brothers dewalt table saw the other day , I didnt have that little thing installed, lucky the board kicked back to my right side flying through the open doorway crashing into some old tools in the back room, I can laugh now but wow I learned fast about kickback . Gonna make sure its installed next time for sure
When we first talked about table saws in my middle school shop class, Scott, my teacher walked us all the way across the room and showed us a 1” dent in a solid oak door. He pointed back to the old table saw 15 feet away, and said “That tool threw a walnut board this far, and it still had enough force to notch this hardwood. Don’t ever get in the way of a strong kickback…” That was 25 years ago, and I still think about it when I’m feeding a hardwood board into a table saw blade 😅
Man after it happened i thought wow that thing would have tore me up . So glad it didnt hit me . One thing is for sure, Some of the lessons you dont forget is Lessons learned . I learned my lesson and hopefully others will follow your lessons.
My saw don't have one, I'm certainly not buying a new one to have it. I stand to one side and use a lot of caution. 28 years of doing carpentry and I have yet to have a kickback.
I helped my dad for many years in my life and I never seen or heard of kickback until it happened a couple weeks ago to me, beware that I am skilled and fearless , but that table saw scares the hell out of me now . 😱
@@01spaz that’s certainly your choice but I would always use a saw with a knife on it those kick backs are no joke!!! for me I can get complacent very easily I hope you never have a kickback but if you were to get one I think you would change your mind but again that’s always up to the individual
Unbelievable timing. Just took mine off a couple of hours ago because it was lose and I didn’t think it was very important. So glad your video popped up tonight before I had a kickback. Timing is everything. I will definitely reinstall it tomorrow before using my saw again. Thanks for saving me from having a stupid accident!
I was the same for quite a while - I thought all the "pros" didnt seem to use them and I left mine off. Then I decided to research what they were for and boy were my eyes openned.
Sir, for every comment thanking you for reminding them of this awesome safety feature, there are probably 20 people that also were reminded, but just didn't comment. Lots of injuries prevented via this one video!
This was the best explanation of the what and why of the riving knife I've seen. Thank you for taking the time to put together a cogent presentation without a hint of preaching.
My sears table saw that I purchased 50 years ago came with a splitter and guard combo, which was awkward, I wanted so much to follow safety rules, but I had to take it off after about a month. I've never had a problem with kickback. The only thing i have had is a small block of wood vibrating on the table and hitting the blade and thrown at me. Never had an injury with the table saw. I have a lot of respect for them. Actually i like it better when there are no guards in the way... I did buy some plastic push sticks about a year ago mostly to speed up the work and get better control while maintaining safety. Yes, i'm old... 77 years.
So you're saying that you just haven't had an accident...yet. You have been lucky apparently. Folks this is exactly the attitude you do not want to have. "It was awkward." You know what else is awkward? Trying to open jars with your non dominant hand because you couldn't use common sense and realize a blade spinning at 4000 rpm will remove parts of your body before you even realize what happened.
Great video! I lost a finger tip and two months of work by leaving this off when I installed a new zero clearance insert on my table saw. Going to get a SawStop soon, but will never ignore this simple safety device again. Don't learn this the hard way!
Make sure you have run your stock through a joiner/ planer to make sure you don't have twisted board! Running that through a table saw can cause kickback despite a riving knife! Also, make sure you're standing where the enemy ain't shooting!
You are absolutely right about the importance of the seemingly inconvenient part. My father-in-law didn't have one on his saw, and when a board kicked back, he tried to slap it down with his hand. His right thumb was completely severed. He and his thumb were rushed to a hospital, and the thumb was reattached. After months of painful physical therapy, he now has use of the wayward thumb. Riving knife or splitter are absolutely necessary when ripping. They are inconvenient only when bent or misaligned.
For a old timer. That had 2 years in carpenters school. Then two more years in construction. Then moved on to other livelihoods. Now I got more time to work around the house. WOW I got a portable tablesaw that came with that knife what a difference. In the four years. I used a Lotta table-saws back in the 90’s. That was the one thing the instructor always said to look for a board that looked bowed twisted wobbly curved be on guard when you’re ripping it. Always stay off to the left of the work. Even though it feels comfortable to step in behind it to finish the rip cut don’t. I’ve had some close calls. But that tablesaw was not shy of letting you know if you didn’t take a few minutes just to look over the wood before cut. That table saw would let you know within seconds that it’s being rejected and throwing it out. Whether you want it to or not.
The riving knife is a great thing to have, I will admit, but I'm almost 64 years old and in my 40+ years of woodworking experience I have never used one, I could quickly feel and hear my saw binding at the kerf and would immediately shut off the saw and pushed a small wedge into the end of the kerf and finish cutting. I personally have never dealt with a kick back ever, but I've seen it happen plenty to other people in the past and 90% of those people after watching them, really shouldn't have been using the saw in the first place and I have tried to educate some of those people but the no.1 thing I saw with each and every one was the look of fear using a table saw, respecting the machine is important but fearing the machine will get you hurt
Good video Ethan, but it is also worth mentioning that another source of kickback is when the fence is not parallel with the blade and narrower at the outfeed end. 👍❤
if you have an old saw, like a solid 70's contractor saw or something like that, and dont want to use the pawls and riving knife and blade guard combo things that came with them all look into splitters! I got an MJ splitter and let me tell you my confidence when using an insert without one vs one with one now is massively different. Other than the saw itself, one fo the best purchases I made.
I have been a cabinet maker since 1975 , and I'm still working today . The pro saws ( 3 phase machines ) all had them back then and the first thing that would happen would be to take that riving knife OFF !! When all the big box stores started offering table saws and miter saws to all the idiots who shouldn't have one this is when kick backs started to become a thing . If one knows what they are doing kick backs are a very rare occurance . Most of the time the fence is NOT set up properly , CAUSING the kick back . Couple that with gross ignorance of how wood reacts when cut improperly , this is how it has become an issue . And " yes " I can back everything that I say .
Yes! My Dewalt came with a riving knife. I have not had any kickback on this saw. But I am also very careful with how I cut wood. I have watched Steve Ramsey's videos about avoiding kickback. I am determined to keep my fingers attached!
This video explained my table saw problems. I fished the guard from the junk drawer and installed it. Luckily I still had the owners manual which also showed me how to properly align the blade. Thanks.
Thank you for Another very informative video. I do carpentry work with my nephew as a side line to my real job (lol) and I've learnt many very useful tips from you that I bring with me when doing whatever it is we may be working on. I really love your content and just wanted to tell you that I as I'm sure your other viewers really appreciate the effort you put into your videos. Please keep them coming.
Thank you, retired! I appreciate the positive feedback, and really glad to hear you’re working with your nephew. The next generation always learns from the one before it 🙂
Thanks for the reminder. I just have a DeWalt job site saw and I had put on a zero-clearance throat plate to reduce dust and better support the work. After watching your video, I modified by throat plate to add the riving knife. Thanks again
There was a hole on the wall behind the table saw in my schools shop. The teacher told the maintenance guy to leave it in place as a reminder of how hard the board flies back.
I got mine in 08 I believe. It came with one. Didn't really know what it was for back then. Unfortunately it broke when assembling it. I was taught back in 1970 to stand on the side a little in case of kick back. I've had kick back a few times. Now you make me want to fix it and put it on. 😆
Great explanation of riving knives. I appreciate your focus on safety. Another thing to consider with kickback is that it can pull your hand into the blade. So that blade guard is an essential safety component along with the riving knife.
Good call, Birdlab! I’m yet to address pulling from the back of the saw on the show, but I will. Pro rock climber Tommy Caldwell lost a finger that way!
I find I learn something from almost all of these videos. They are appreciated. The kick back pole is the only attatchment I haven't found a need for yet. I believe I now know why. I've been taking the riving knife for granted.
This video explains a lot. In shopping for my first table saw, I looked at some used ones that had no riving knife or blade guard. When asked, the seller would respond, "What's a riving knife?" Usually this involved older table saws dating back 20-40 years and sellers who'd not bought one after the UL mandate. When asked about missing blade guards, the usual answer was, "Oh, those are a pain..." or some such.
I had an older table saw where the riving blade was attached to the back of the table & had to be aligned. I had to rip a 2x6 & the knife was not aligned properly. In an effort to align the wood onto the blade, the wood pinched the blade. That was exciting. I never made that error again The knife did have a flaw in the screw hole preventing it from aligning. They did supply a free replacement
I built my own fence 15 years ago and cut all my own pickets from deck planks. This included dog-earing them and this was long before I owned a miter saw. The fence line was 640 feet with about 1280 dog ears cut. I got popped in the mouth by the triangular corners about three times while cutting those stupid things. A few others missed but flew past my face. That hurt and they were only a couple ounces each. I can only imagine the horrors of real kickback events.
finally someone that actually gets the purpose behind a riving knife!!! there are way too many people that tell you that you don't really need it and that it doesnt really have too much of a point beeing there. Also some table saws have a hood over the blade. that is also there to prevent the wood from rising up on the rear and that way also prevents kickback.
There can never be enough warnings on this. I wonder how many fingers this video will save. Oh wow, we have the same table saw, except I have the EU version. Ok, so I do not use the blade guard, but I would never make a cut without a riving knife. Also that table saw is really excellent, the fence system is the best I've ever experienced.
My table saw is older and doesn't have a riving knife. I need to get one bc kickback has bothered me almost as much as getting cut by the blade. I hope the person that invented this is well compensated monetarily as well as gratitude for making us safer.
Me too, Ollie! On saws without r knives, the moment the blade gets dull you start getting all sorts of kickback. I remember it terrifying me when I was younger!
@@bud8194 I was wondering the same thing, older table saw i got at a yard sale for $40 still works well. I've also been looking for an inexpensive push stick.
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ru-vid.comUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
Much useful. Never thought that so little piece of metal does so much work. I still don't have table saw but today I was watching many in one big tools shop and I was wondering why that piece of metal is there. Many thanks for the information
All of the newer cheap table saws today are all garbage and the riving knife is just a cheap easy way to compensate for the lack of a good quality trunion adjustment. If the blade didn't heel, I never had it bind on my wood. I own a 1973 and 1978 Craftsman table saw. Both have given me great service and neither have given me any grief since I got them after a good proper trunion adjustment to make the blade exactly parallel with the miter gauge slot and the rip fence. I've been using those saws for the past 50 years and I only had to do it once on each saw. A few years ago, I bought a Rockwell 7241 with a "riving knife." The trunion is off and their customer support told me if the saw heels less than 1/16", that is acceptable and they put a LASER on this thing. Might as well start putting lasers on shotguns too. Well, thats less than .062" and makes that saw a safety hazard with a riving knife. Its sitting in my shop collecting dust because customer support also told me there is no trunion adjustment. Adjusting the trunion takes a while but its good time well spent. When I got my heeling to down to .0005" I was happy. Yep, one half of one thousanth of an inch. Takes patience but its well worth the time. Two other safety things I adhere to; 1. I NEVER stand in the kickback path of wood during a rip (although my saws have not given me a reason to practice this). 2. I ALWAYS use two push sticks when I rip. If I am ripping a large piece, then I always have one handy in my back pocket. I made my own. I also made an accessory hanger for the front of my saw which keeps them easily available anytime during a rip without putting my body in harms way. I don't have a need for another saw but if I did, it would definitely have an adjustable trunion. I told my wife when I go to the great beyond, please bury me in sawdust with those table saws by my side.
A can attest to the truth of this assertion. I lost my marbles one day and didn't put the riving knife back after raising the blade into a middle cut. Started to break down a piece of plywood. Dislocated the second knuckle on the index finger of my left hand. Just getting back to playing the banjo after 18 months.
The table saw I bought right after college in 1996 came with a splitter and I never had a kick-back in the 25 years of using it. These things are mandatory here in the EU and for a good reason!
A second safety protocol is to never stand in line with the material between the fence and the blade. That's where the most common kickback will go. Straight back. With a 10 inch blade on most table saws that will be at 120 mph. Question: I have a professional grade Jet left tilt shop table saw. Is there a retrofit for a riving knife that has height adjustment ?
That's what I'm curious about as well. I have an older ish Ryobi left tilt and I'm curious if I can get one mounted on mine as well. I always stand to the side but now I kind of want one
Here in the uk 🇬🇧 if you work in joiners workshop you have to have the riving knife by law and now we have been told the crown Guard has to be just a little higher than the wood you are cutting so you can’t have your fingers pulled in But in my own workshop and it’s only me that works in my workshop I have used tenanting jig a Factory made one too do my tenants but I take great care when using this jig you can still have the riving knife in just set low but as with all workshop machinery you need to know what you are doing and read or get taught how to use your machine’s stay safe 👏👏👍
Thank you, I really mean it. Just purchased a small ryobi 8 in portable with a perfectly aligned riving knife out of the box, but I honestly did not know what it was until this video clarified the poorly illustrated owners manual.
This is the one to keep, Annette! I see folks take them off in the field, but that just seems crazy to me. If anything, they’re like another type of guide tracking your cut for you. They simply have no downside!
@@TheHonestCarpenter The only "downside" is that it prevents you from making clean straight cut somewhere in the middle of the material piece. Making such vent cuts in baseboards/cabinet toekicks instead of puting registers are popular nowadays and i know two people who messed up hands doing that, one of them being me. I was lucky with a few stitches on a thumb, other guy had his hand built back together and was out of work for more than a year. Having such stats says that it "prevents" from doing this for reason, the tool is not sutable for task, but people still do that.
I always take mine off. I install flooring for a living and make a lot plunge cuts from the back of the flooring for floor vents and other obstacles. I can cut a rectangle in the middle of a board using only the table saw, this can't be done if the riving knife is installed. I obviously wouldn't recommend it for someone who has little or no experience with a table saw. I've been installing for over 30 years and have had only a few kickbacks, nothing serious. The main thing is to make sure your rip fence is straight and square the material you are cutting. Never try to force a board through! If I feel a board start to bind up I usually will back off the cut slightly and tilt the board upward upward off the blade.
Yes, a riving knife is important...and it forces the issue about "cheap" and/or "inexpensive" and/or "entry level" tools. I have a Ryobi portable/worksite table saw that I bought on line (big mistake) because the riving knife/guard is a combination gadget that is difficult to see through and the "little teeth" can cause boards to bind....and best of all....there's no riving knife replacement that fits the Ryobi model that I have. So the lesson seems to be "Go Big (and expensive) or Stay On the Porch". The moral of the story is....less expensive isn't always the best path.
I have a 93 Delta 10 inch contractors saw. It came with the claws but no RKnife and I have never been injured but I remember being shocked the first time I was a little to the side because the board was binding and it shot back like a rocket and hit the door from my garage to the house. It's a steel door so it took it better than I thought, but it was not the last time it would be hit. I really need to dump that thing and get a modern saw.
I must say I am totally terrified when it comes to table saws. I worked in a boat yard where they had a very powerful saw and boy, once in a while someone inexperienced would have a problem. I purchased a Ryobi saw not too long ago. It has the riving knife. I am totally impressed how simple of a part can make a world of difference. Ripping long boards does sometimes need a wedge inserted behind the knife (keeps the boards from pinching) I feel much better when cutting. I play guitar and know how precious all of my digits are. Keep them on your body folks!
Keep all safety equipment on the table saw, have a healthy respect for the machine you are working with ,and never stand behind the lumber you are cutting...
Don't fear it, respect it. You are in control. Keep pressure against the table and fence when ripping and you will be ok. Also, don't be afraid to raise the blade up a little more. It will help by cutting on a downward motion against the table. Just stay mindful that the blade is more exposed. I've never had any major kickback but I've had wood pinch my blade several times. I also never use riving knife, or any other safety feature, to be honest. I've had the blade stop during an attempted kickback because I had good control of the stock. Never just push material through without keeping it locked in the corner of the fence and table.
I wish I had seen this video 2 yrs ago! Would have saved me (and my hand) from the single most hellish event of my life. I did not have the riving knife on and foolishly put my hand behind the blade. The wood bound and kicked back...with it in my hand. Throwing my hand into the blade. Lost 3 fingers and almost bled to death due to an arterial bleed. Everyone new to woodworking equipment NEEDS to educate themselves BEFORE that 1st cut so it's doesn't cost your life.
Interesting. Using a Delta unisaw built in the 40's. Never had a riving knife. Been doing wood working for over 50 years and never used a riving knife. Never had an accident. If you know what you are doing, you don't need it. But the vast majority of woodworkers should us one because they do provide a safer table saw experience. If I had one, I would use it.
i also would like to say if you have a small portable saw the riving knife is probably much more important also if you use one way feather boards they help also.
My saw came with a splitter. I took it off the day that I got it. I do way too many plunge cuts to use one. After 25 years I haven’t missed it one bit.
sorry to say many people have lost fingers as well as had lumber projectiles launched at them causing injuries from not using a splitter and anti kick claws and a simple blade guard.. You my friend have lucky so far...
@@intsccents yeah, people that are careless. I have two friends that are carpenters, like me, that completely severed fingers. Both were not paying attention to what they were doing. Luckily, they had them sewn back on and still have use of them.
I got my table saw in 2009 actually for fathers day. Barely missed this upgrade. Mine has 2 spring loaded one-way teeth. I take them off when I'm ripping plywood. But thats it.
My jet table saw came with a roving knife along with other safety devices-which were promptly removed as they did interfere with my cuts-so I guess I’ll have to find it and put it back on.
the riving knife can help a lot of people, but the type of kickback it prevents can be heard by the seasoned user (motor loads up and slows down) before a kick. The feature that makes my table saws way safer is the zero clearance throat plate, which you can't run with a riving knife. 99% of cuts are going to be made with the blade at a 90 to the table and closing up that hole to prevent thin pieces from getting stuck in there will stop most kicks. Being sure that your reference edge is straight and rides true against the fence and that your fence is parallel to the blade is key, as is not trying to cross cut using the fence. If you think for a second "this piece might be to small to cut," you are right, every time. I'd wager that 99% of kick backs are caused by too small of a piece and or cross cutting using the fence. Also, how good is your riving knife when you're using a dado stack? There is a reason why dewalt made a quick release lever on their newer jobsite saws and that is that the riving knife is not always practical to have in place. Only the Sith speak in absolutes.
"won't happen to me because I'm experienced" said a lot of thumbless people glad you're so confident. there are only 2 types of table saw users: folks who have experienced a kickback and folks who will. obviously you haven't because it's the scariest shit in the world and you would never take this issue so flippantly if you had seen how stunningly fast even a very large piece of wood can exit a saw. hopefully it doesn't cost you a digit before you figure out how truly dangerous these things are. good luck out there
Oh I've had my share of kickbacks and I've seen a sheet of 3/4 mdf sent across a shop off a 3 phase 5hp powermatic. I just don't like seeing people preach absolutes ie NEVER EVER DO THIS ONE THING BECAUSE YOU WILL DIE!!! mostly because it gives people the false sense of security that if they stick to that one guideline, they will get to keep their thumbs. Want to hear something horrifying? Sometimes I use dado stacks and other times I don't use a fence or a miter gauge. If you ever think, even for a second, that a piece of wood is too small for a machine, you are right...every time.@@adamcoe
If you are trimming a wider board down to a thinner one you can't always use the knife because the first couple of saw blade passes are shorter then the height of the knife. Otherwise keep it in place.
I wish I could make that one Hasan! Unfortunately I was moving too fast through the rest of the shop build to document that one. 😕 I’ll see if I can at least describe it a little bit in a later video…
Automatic feed attachments may have more to do with less kick-back accidents than the splitter. In fulltime woodworking establishments, those pesky things are almost always removed. Professional woodworkers will almost always choose profit over safety (unfortunately.) Any repetitive saw work being done today, is done with automatic feeders. Get one, you won't be sorry. They are now readily available for home-shops too. And yes, you can use both.
Would be nice if you could make a video on the various blades that are out there - number of teeth, thickness of blade, for which material, and for which saw (circular, miter, table).
While I like the idea of a riving knife, or at the very least a splitter, neither one would work with my particular table saw, a circa 1980's Rockwell model 9 contractor saw. Its blade when raised fully only leaves about a half inch of space at the back of the throat plate. If they made a splitter that I could attach to the backside of the table itself, I'd get that but I haven't seen any. Perhaps I'll try making one some day that I can clamp on with a small C-clamp. Some day I'll replace the saw with a vintage Uni-saw and then have the room to add a riving knife but until then I'll just use it the way we always have and hope for the best :)
I know two people injuring themselves not just by kickbacks but with hand in front of blade at the moment of event. One of them happen to be me and i just cut a tip of left hand thumb. Another case ended up with thumb and pointer hanging on strip of the flesh, and it is a miracle that doctors are able to put this back together nowadays. Artifival nerves, titanium plates, bone transplants etc. This peace of metal is so low tech and dime cost feature that it makes me wonder why it wasnt implemented long ago. Also, if your piece of material is so warped that it stuck on it, but you absolutely have to cut it - put a flathead screwdriver inside the cut behind it, furher from the blade. It will take some pressure of the knife and will help to push it through.
Had mine taken off because it was hitching on the cut. Found out later i just had it installed wrong so it wasn't perfectly in line with the blade. Was making some cuts on mdf and was, luckily, standing off to the side. Blade grabbed it and spun it so fast and hard. It was like a giant wooden ninja star. It broke skin just from impact, not even an edge or point. Only hit my arm but I have a permanent scar and the bruise went down to the bone. If I had been standing proper behind my saw I would have gone to the hospital for sure.
I had to use this guys table saw and I had to rip a few pieces for the windows. The wood was binding up about the middle of the cut. I had to stand off to the side and push on the waste side of the board. When the board got at the end it would shoot the wood back and hit the cinder block in the basement. After the fourth or fifth cut we cracked the cinder block. The table saw was a Harbor Freight piece of crap. I'm not sure if the board was binding because was bowing while cutting or the fact the table saw fence would only lock at the handle part and not the end of the table saw, which I pointed it out to the owner of the saw that the fence not worth a crap.
