Table Saw Riving Knife / Splitter Set-up and Alignment. Prevent Table Saw Kickback. 

Pretty ingenious! I always thought of centering the splitter, providing equal kickback protection for both sides of the blade against throwing wood. However as you say, this alignment to the blade flange removes the need for shimming, because thick blade or thin, that side of whatever blade will always be up against the blade flange, so aligning the surface which the splitter screws to with the blade flange takes care of all blades. As for the other side of the blade having its splitter surface slightly inset toward center, it's still a lot of kickback protection, because it's a wide splitter back to front, so even if the wood leaves the fence and turns in toward the blade, it's likely to rub against even an inset splitter before hooking a tooth (and no splitter is exactly the width of the kerf, yet they all provide some kickback protection). So, great work! I like it!

I watched the previous video about safety. I have often watched people using table saws on You Tube. Many of them get their fingers far closer to the blade than I ever normally do. To tell the truth I have always been a little scared or the thing as I know people with missing thumbs or finger tips. I felt my caution kept me safe. However just before Christmas I managed to cut three fingers. One surface cut, tendon to middle finger and mangled forefinger. I thought that I would lose the forefinger but the surgeon set to work set to work re-attached everything and sewed it all together. I can’t believe the job he did and I am now well into my hand physio’. I did not understand how it happened. I thought I had finished the job and the shock struck the final moments from my memory. This week I got back to the saw. Inspected it closely found nothing wrong and set to work to construct a new sled I had promised myself, but now with an added perspex guard over the blade. First time I stopped the machine I was surprised that the blade was still spinning as it normally brakes when the motor stops. The blade was loose! It was clear now what had happened. I had assumed the machine was safe when I had stopped it and dropped my guard placing my hand on the table. I do not normally use the guard as it is such a lousy fit I consider it more of a danger than a friend, but it turns out it would have saved me from my accident. So I shall, after watching your video, be trying to improve it.

Oh wow, excellent point on how natural woods can shift/pinch the blade when the tension is released. I'm just starting to mill my own lumber from small logs and never considered that on the table saw (or band saw for that matter,) great lesson learned!

Thank you!! I was looking for explanation about this issue.

I don't have a riving knife for my saw, but I think in addition to lining up the knife behind the blade there should be a blunt bevel to the edge of it as well to prevent it from stopping the wood. I have made zero clearance inserts and put in a small piece of aluminum flat bar with that beveled edge. It just made sense to me. Love the videos Colin, keep them coming.

If you’re going to use a thin kerf blade, make sure it’s not thinner than the riving knife! I was in for a shock when I installed a thin kerf 7-1/4” blade in my table saw. The wood wouldn’t go any further than the tip of the riving knife. I almost panicked for fear of kickback. But I remained calm, held the workpiece securely to the table and shut the saw off.

Well done, Colin. Thanks for sharing.

To complete the story, you should have stated/demonstrated that once the port side is properly registered, all you'll need to do going forward is to be sure to use a riving knife that's the same thickness as the kerf of the blade you're using; since my inventory of blades encompasses three kerf sizes, I have three riving knives [0.091, 0.098, and 0.125]. On another subject, we all have gone thru the labor of making sure we lay down the tape precisely when installing a new fence rail. But on systems where the arbor nut faces the fence, we know that when using a kerf different from the initial calibration, we can introduce as much as 0.035" error. You might consider making a video where you explain how to compensate. One of the reasons my fence has been on the 'wrong' side for 55 years.

Perfect timing. Im making a riving knife for my Cosmas Bauer table saw right now.

Would gluing the right amount of shims to the splitter work as well? BTW, I'm restoring my Grand Dad's old Craftsman's table saw.It was completely dis-assembled to where I could clean and lubercate the rransmission and moving parts with lithiam grease and sillicon spray solvent. The threads were cleaned using anold hacksaw blade to clean out 70 years of caked on saw dust. It was a great learning experience! Guys like you are a true inspiration for guys like me to keep on keepin on!

A little fettling always helps👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thanks for the video. I've owned only 2 table saws, both Ridgid. Both had a pair of "set screws" I had to fumble with in order to align the riving knife.

Really a nice fix Colin. After all that time using the ones that were loose I’m sure it’s a lot better not having to fiddle with them. Good job.

Awesome upgrade, great information to know. Thank you and take care my friend

I would love to get my sawsmith 2000 turned up please do more tune up tutorials. This one gave me alot of ideas.

Hi Colin. This is a cool tip. I understand all of your explanation, but now I'm questioning... On the first sight, I think we should align the knife in the side closer to the fence... On the other hand I have seen other videos where the alignment is made to the center of the blade not considering the thickness of the blade teeth. Using this technique, there will be an advantage of a little imperfection being absorbed by the teeth thickness and support those blades with no protruding teeth, when you need to cut some aluminum bars on the table saw for example. 🤔🤔🤔

Nice work Colin! Thanks for sharing the video.😎👍JP

Grazie! Molto interessante

Why not use washers as the shims? That's what I do and it is very fast and easy.

Good thinking 99...👍 It's one of those things that you've just bit the bullet, grinned and bared it for soooooo long. Then one day, you have an ah huh, moment, and think.... Now why didn't I do this sooner? 😂

Many thanks Colin, Is it possible to have the both sides of the blade aligned with the riving knife?

correct me if i'm wrong but isn't kickback from the *cut* side of blade (between the fence and the blade) by far more likely *AND* more dangerous than kickback of the waste piece? if you align the riving knife on the waste side of the blade as instructed, then a blade with a kerf thinner than the riving knife still potentially allows for wood on the cut side to pinch towards the blade and kickback, no? isn't it actually more important to align the knife with the cut side of the blade if you don't have a knife that is the exact thickness of the blade kerf?

Why don't you glue the shims in place so they don't drop on you ? That way you wouldn't need to fish them out everytime ? Just a suggestion not a hate comment. By any stretch of the imagination I enjoy your videos and commentary. Very much to do that

How high should a riving knife be in relationship to the top of the blade?

Great video, my Craftsman Table Saw was built in 1978 and very limited on parts replacement. Good TS, but the riving knife and blade cover is missing. I purchased this used over 25 years ago. Parts are not made nor trying to purchase a Third Party replacement. Leaning towards a new purchase...I am always careful before making cuts, mentally completing all the steps before I make a cut. The depth of the though is very narrow making it difficult to plane something so thin, still using the steel one that came with the system. If anyone has any ideas where I could purchase table saw splitter or riving knife for a Craftsman table saw. Please post. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.

Cool video Col I agree u think the company would of thought of doing that them selves oh well they all can't be as brainy as us Colin's LOL

Nice work. like 450

Great video and thank you. Any particular place where we can order the brass to make are own shims? Or do you recommend a different type of material.

Interesting subject. Why would you want to line up the riving knife with that side of the blade? I would choose the side where (at least most of the time) your fence is and that is the other side.

Actually, I like to see you how you introduce lessons homemade...

Hi Colin! Congratulations for your videos! They are very good and help me so much. I am a DIYer and I have a doubt. My circular saw does not have a riving knife ou a splitter, but I have decided to do one by myself. My doubts are: 1) the thickness of the riving knife ou splitter must to be equal to the thickness of the "plate" (blade) or must to be equal to the thickness of the "cutting teeth"? 2) I am thinking to build a riving knife or splitter with minus 1 mm of the thickness of the "plate" or "cutting teeth" (it depends your answer about my "doubt 1"). Am I right? Thank you very much. I hope you have understand my doubts once my english is not so good. Hugs.

Why couldn't you use thin washers instead of cutting plates?

Yikes - gettting into the inner workings of that table saw will be a challenge, but I'LL DO IT. Well, either that or I'll just remove the riving knife and purchase one of those police protector chests for my safety.

This is bad information. The primary purpose of splitters and riving knives is to keep the workpiece pressed against the fence. Keeping the kerf from closing is a secondary function.