# Current thoughts on table saw splitters



## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Searched these and other forums and find nothing but ads for the little plastic jobs ( been there, done that, tossed them) or products long obsolete. I have an old Ridgid so the splitter is unuseable. Not buying a new saw just to get a riving knife.

So, one can cut a slot is each of their plates and install an aluminum or plastic fin filed to some magic tolerance, or I saw pictures of an obsolete pin on an eccentric. I like that idea as I can see how to make it adjustable in height. What I was wondering, is there some guidance on clearance, if it should be dead center or an thou to one side or the other? I can see how a tiny offset to hold to the fence might be an advantage. (my fence is better than a thou strait so I can use it on either side. )

So, what are the current thoughts on adding a useable splitter to an old saw? 
Guidance on width
Guidance on offset if any
Guidance on length. I have seen from a pin to a long fin. 
If one did get hung up and it did try to lift, does that imply your plates should be firmly attached? Mine have always been lose.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> I have an old Ridgid so the splitter is unuseable.


Why is it unusable?

Cheers,
Brad


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

i assume your talking about the micro jig splitter (little plastic jobs) ive had those on my saw for several years now and they work great,as long as there set up properly.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Too flexible, to hard to line up, too tall, too far away, one size fits all ( too thin) does not work with my outfeed table. Basically everything wrong including the total garbage guard it came with. I enclosed it totally so virtually no dust and it performs very well. So no upgrade to a full cabinet this year. I have been running with nothing for about 10 years, but as I am fixing up things in my new shop and have a lot of projects saved up ( just retired) , trying to upgrade everything I can.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Yes the micro jig. All I wound up with was holes in several plates in the wrong place. Seems success is about 50-50 from others I have talked to.


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## sansoo22 (May 7, 2019)

Only guidance I can offer is from my DeWalt manual. Riving knife width is 0.087" (2.2 mm) minimum kerf width is 0.094" (2.4 mm) with max blade body width of 0.067" (1.5 mm). You probably don't need the metric but that's verbatim from the manual. Near as I can tell riving knife is dead center behind the blade.


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

After a serious kickback, and almost severing tendons in the back of my hand,,, I went with Shark Guard and splitters on my Steel City saw. I love them and the guard. Should have purchased them years ago. They cost less than what I had to pay for the emergency room visit after my insurance paid….!


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## BattleRidge (Oct 22, 2017)

You might consider creating a zero clearance insert for your table saw with a piece of hardwood glued in place as a splitter. You can also make a couple of different heights to match your most common wood cutting thicknesses. The ZCI will also help limit chipping while cutting. James Hamilton (Stumpy Nubs) has a video that is worth checking out. I've made a couple throat plates using the hot glue method and they turned out great (I used 1/2" Baltic Birch in lieu of 3/4" plywood).


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I removed the splitter 20 years ago and put it back on once until I needed to cut a groove, it came off again and stayed off. It means I have to be more careful and stop if I feel any binding but I've developed strategies to work around it. One way is cut halfway through, flip and cut all the way through. The kerf pinches after the first cut and the second cut widens it. It shouldn't work but it does. Also my saw is 1.5hp which is manageable if a board binds. Lastly never stand behind the board when ripping, always stand to the side, and never put anything inline with the blade you want in one piece.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Systems like the Shark Guard do not work on the Ridgid ( Emerson/Craftsman) type saw. There is no boss to mount it to. I asked them many years ago. Overhead guard only which is not my problem.

Yes, I use zero clearance inserts. A pile of them. I currently have one with a small fin that fits my thin kerf blades in it but was looking to see if there are better ideas.

The Dewalt specs help. Clearly for a thin kerf blade. (.091 or so) If I remember back, the MJ big features were different thickness and different offsets. So by their thinking, centered is not optimal. I could be miss-remembering and it could be for different blades.

Thinking about it, I only use my .124 blade for box and cheek cuts where a splitter would be in the way anyway. Any bevels I cut are usually in a jig, so maybe one insert set up for a thin blade is all I need. I kind of like the pin on an eccentric idea but as it is no longer on the market, makes me wonder. Both the woodworking stores in the area no longer carry the MJ, so that makes me wonder too. Maybe all the old saws already either have something or run without?

I guess not much new.

Of course, even a new Powermatic is cheaper than a trip to the ER.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I would check with the folks at Sharkguard again. They are very helpful and willing to adapt their splitters to work on virtually any TS.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Yea, I will contact them. Not much help on their WEB. All about their guards.

Looking at the MJ instructions, seems they suggest a bias to hold against the fence, so their clearance in the slot is to the outside, tight inside with about 10 thou clearance.

I was looking at my old Leecraft throat plate. Seems over the years it has "migrated" a bit wider, Might fill it with some JB Weld and start over. Ordered a HDP cutting board to see if it makes a better insert material. Cheaper than even decent 5-ply.

I can envision making a sturdier lower throat plate rigidly mounted with a steel block where I can mount a splitter and use shims to get perfect offset. Snugness of fit would be critical. Kind of like the eccentric pin idea, but like many things, intuitive does not always work out in practice. One could use drill bits to get a very precise diameter.

Yes, I overthink things. My other hobby is rebuilding little British cars where second guessing and solving a lot of small problems is SOP.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I insert splitters into my throat plates. I make them them slightly narrower than the width of the blade and align them with the fence side of the kerf. I have an insert for each size blade. My splitters are just pieces of hardwood. Basically the same as the micro jig but with a wood splitter instead of plastic.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

All the years I have been doing woodworking (about 50), I have never used a splitter. In all that time, I can only recall experiencing one or maybe 2 kickbacks. I don't stand directly in line with the rip alley and I use positive pressure on the work. As long as I keep the work pressed firmly down to the table and making sure the fence is properly aligned, I don't fear what I am doing. I think most kickbacks happen because the person is not keeping firm pressure on the work. Instead they apply light pressure to the work being fed into the blade.

Try feeding a piece of wood into the blade and stop feeding when half way through and remove your hand from the work and see what happens. Kickback will happen.

One of the most dangerous cuts you can make is ripping a 2×4. As the cut is progressing, internal stresses in the board are released and bad things can happen. That is the only time I wish I had a splitter. I do have an anti kickback device on my RAS and I have ripped 2×4's and other dimensional lumber without a kickback.


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

> After a serious kickback, and almost severing tendons in the back of my hand,,, I went with Shark Guard and splitters on my Steel City saw. I love them and the guard. Should have purchased them years ago. They cost less than what I had to pay for the emergency room visit after my insurance paid….!
> 
> - PaulDoug


Big fan of the SharkGuard


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> One of the most dangerous cuts you can make is ripping a 2×4. As the cut is progressing, internal stresses in the board are released and bad things can happen.
> - MrRon


I can remember when I first got into woodworking, I had an old $80 Ohio Forge POS portable saw that I used and abused. For ripping 2x's, I would sit it on the floor of the garage and start feeding the 2x into it from the opposite end. About half way through, I would basically be chasing the saw around the garage trying to keep it cutting. No guard, no splitter, just me and the machine in a one on one death match 

That was over 30 years ago, so I guess I won!

Cheers,
Brad


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Agree about 2×4s, that's one of the situations where I would rip halfway or so then flip and cut full depth.


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## BigPapaPorsche1 (Feb 7, 2020)

I want to suggest that the name of this topic also include the word *SAFETY*. The reason Splitters became *MANDATORY* in the USA, is that they help prevent Kickback, which is the leading cause of Tablesaw injuries! There were over 60.000 Tablesaw injuries in the USA last year alone. Why anyone would operate a TS without a Splitter is beyond my understanding. Additionally, the use of other devices that help prevent both Kickbacks and other injuries should be discussed at every opportunity. 
Basically, the name of the game is to "Maintaining Control" of the piece of wood going through the saw. Items like Infeed/Outfeed Tables, Jesseum's Clear Cut Stock Guide, well maintained TS, good practices, use of Splitters, etc. 
In addition to all of these items, the best way to improve SAFETY is to get a SawStop TS. How much would you pay to keep your FINGERS?


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## TDSpade (Oct 14, 2011)

If the grain looks twisty or just iffy in general, I rip on my 18" bandsaw and clean up on the tablesaw.

No kickback, no burning, no pinching. And if I need to stop in the middle of a cut for any reason I can do so safely.

I also have a set of JessEm Clear-Cut Tablesaw Stock Guides on my table saw. They are spendy but worth it. They keep the wood tight to the table and fence. love them.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Well, I did post in the safety forum. 
I was looking at the Saw Stop machines. At least they have them in stores to look at. First, I just do not have the budget. Second, though they are pretty nice, they are not great. I have seen too many comments on them not holding their setup. I am leaning to a 3 HP Grizzly, but I really want to see one before I buy.

We operate without them because we have old saws that either don't have them, or as mine, was such garbage as to be unusable. I have had a couple of kickbacks in the 20 or so years I have had it, so I do understand the safety issue. Once was with the full splitter, pawls, and guard in place. This is why I want to retrofit something to my existing saw that is effective. I was looking t see if any ideas had progressed in the last decade. Not much.

Not doing any ripping on my 10 inch Delta band saw. Looking at a good 14 inch. Hard decision between several. Ricon, Jet, Laguna, Baleigh… I also need to upgrade my drill press. I think the JDP-17 is the winner there. One can only do so much on a retirement negative income.



> I want to suggest that the name of this topic also include the word *SAFETY*. The reason Splitters became *MANDATORY* in the USA, is that they help prevent Kickback, which is the leading cause of Tablesaw injuries! There were over 60.000 Tablesaw injuries in the USA last year alone. Why anyone would operate a TS without a Splitter is beyond my understanding. Additionally, the use of other devices that help prevent both Kickbacks and other injuries should be discussed at every opportunity.
> Basically, the name of the game is to "Maintaining Control" of the piece of wood going through the saw. Items like Infeed/Outfeed Tables, Jesseum s Clear Cut Stock Guide, well maintained TS, good practices, use of Splitters, etc.
> In addition to all of these items, the best way to improve SAFETY is to get a SawStop TS. How much would you pay to keep your FINGERS?
> 
> - sailorboy


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Oh, I did find in the MJ splitter doc, they do bias to the fence side.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

> I want to suggest that the name of this topic also include the word *SAFETY*. The reason Splitters became *MANDATORY* in the USA, is that they help prevent Kickback, which is the leading cause of Tablesaw injuries! There were over 60.000 Tablesaw injuries in the USA last year alone. Why anyone would operate a TS without a Splitter is beyond my understanding. Additionally, the use of other devices that help prevent both Kickbacks and other injuries should be discussed at every opportunity.
> Basically, the name of the game is to "Maintaining Control" of the piece of wood going through the saw. Items like Infeed/Outfeed Tables, Jesseum s Clear Cut Stock Guide, well maintained TS, good practices, use of Splitters, etc.
> In addition to all of these items, the best way to improve SAFETY is to get a SawStop TS. How much would you pay to keep your FINGERS?
> 
> - sailorboy


Please, I would like to see these statistics that show kickbacks are leading cause of accidents. Can you provide the source for this information?


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

> Question: Why anyone would operate a TS without a Splitter is beyond my understanding?
> 
> Answer: Basically, the name of the game is to "Maintaining Control" of the piece of wood going through the saw.
> 
> - sailorboy


You answered your own question…


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

> Question: Why anyone would operate a TS without a Splitter is beyond my understanding?
> 
> Answer: Basically, the name of the game is to "Maintaining Control" of the piece of wood going through the saw.
> 
> ...


To get paid.

In the professional world tooling is usually in production and not going to change. I didn't see a riving knife on a tablesaw till 2014…..


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

Remember blind dados,etc still done the hard way….


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Yes, many cuts you can't use knives or splitters, let along guards. But I think about the times I was trimming about a 14 inch square bit of thin ply and it drifted and flew, A few times ripping crap wood like a 2×4 where it was binding and a splitter or knife would buy me enough space to put in a wedge. I think of the other day when trying a taper jig and it scared the daylights out of me. So, not a lot of times where they help, but it only takes once.

FWIW, U.L. required riving knives for all saws from 2009 on. Not a new invention then but did require changes to the trunnion design. I can only guess when patents run out that blade brakes will become mandatory.

My biggest safety issue is still clean air. Halfway there I think. A recent spec I saw suggested we want enough CFM to swap the air every minute. More than I guessed and a lot more than the ceiling mounted commercial boxes. DIY! Enclosed my table saw and have hoses to everything but my drill press to my modified Jet dust collector that how had the HEPA filter. MERV 11 filters on the HVAC. I HATE dust masks.


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## Joel_B (Aug 14, 2014)

> Agree about 2×4s, that s one of the situations where I would rip halfway or so then flip and cut full depth.
> 
> - Woodknack


That is exactly what got me in a trouble a few weeks ago. Was ripping a 2×4 vertically about 2/3 through.
The kerf closed down and it kicked back hitting me in the wrist. Luckily no serious damage, but cost me $225 going to urgent care and could have been much worse. So cutting part way through is no substitute for safety devices.
Rather than adding a splitter to my old Craftsman saw I decided to get a new TS with a riving knife.


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## WoodSkills (Sep 27, 2018)

A topic I have researched for years and I have the utmost respect of the power of tablesaws. So I have recently developed an anti-kickback system for tablesaws. It is active and does not rely on splitters, riving knives, etc….although these should *always* be installed. The AKS system is electronic and actively mitigates kickback in multiple scenarios. The beauty is that it can easily be added to an existing finger-sensing system because it relies on dynamically braking the blade and/or retracting it. So struggling to find a manufacturer(s) interested in this system. I'm a woodworker and marketing is not my forte. A link to a video demonstrates the system. I'm wearing gloves and stand to the side only for this demo. Any ideas are welcome. Thanks, Norman


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Darn, as I talk myself out of that, as my Ridgid (ne. Emerson/Craftsman) works so well, you make yet another good argument. I figure a significant upgrade is a 3 HP cabinet, but it gets in the way with how I have all my tools surrounding my saw.



> Agree about 2×4s, that s one of the situations where I would rip halfway or so then flip and cut full depth.
> 
> - Woodknack
> 
> ...


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> A topic I have researched for years and I have the utmost respect of the power of tablesaws. So I have recently developed an anti-kickback system for tablesaws. It is active and does not rely on splitters, riving knives, etc….although these should *always* be installed. The AKS system is electronic and actively mitigates kickback in multiple scenarios. The beauty is that it can easily be added to an existing finger-sensing system because it relies on dynamically braking the blade and/or retracting it. So struggling to find a manufacturer(s) interested in this system. I m a woodworker and marketing is not my forte. A link to a video demonstrates the system. I m wearing gloves and stand to the side only for this demo. Any ideas are welcome. Thanks, Norman
> 
> - WoodSkills


interesting system that could help avoid a lot of injuries but as you probably know from gass's long journey getting his saw stop to market,it's not cheap or easy.i wish you luck with it.


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## AlanWS (Aug 28, 2008)

Making a splitter from the plate of an old sawblade using an angle grinder is pretty easy. Attaching it to the saw depends on having a good spot for that, but my old Delta 34-444 contractor saw was easy. It had a bracket behind the blade to bolt it to that tilted with the blade. I did not use the rod that stuck out the back as well (that was responsible for the original splitter being a pain to remove and replace). Check inside the Ridgid-it might be easier than you think to attach. It took less that 15 seconds to swap the splitter in or out, including hanging up the wrench, so I never rigged up the originally planned tool free attachment.



> ... I have recently developed an anti-kickback system for tablesaws. ...video
> - WoodSkills


That looks interesting, and I wish you well.

Shortly after the Sawstop appeared, I emailed Gass and asked him about using an accelerometer to detect kickback, and have that trigger the Sawstop as does flesh contact. He replied that the problem was distinguishing kickback from someone just pushing stock briskly through the saw, perhaps with a dull blade. I don't recall whether he said they tried it or not.

Here is another implementation of such an anti-kickback device, used in this case on a circular saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdW7vhYYSdM


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

> After a serious kickback, and almost severing tendons in the back of my hand,,, I went with Shark Guard and splitters on my Steel City saw. I love them and the guard. Should have purchased them years ago. They cost less than what I had to pay for the emergency room visit after my insurance paid….!
> 
> - PaulDoug
> 
> ...


I currently have 2 table saws, and I have 2 Sharks. Awesome equipment. When Lee passed Jan 2019 I feared they would cease to be. I didn't know his step Son Ron, was into the biz, and he is apparently doing well. I agree they should be recalled. Every passing day they do new things for TS safety.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I love the idea of a riving knife on my fifteen year old left tilt Unisaw, but . . . .

HOWEVER, IF you can get your hands on a Merlin Splitter it's a great investment (I paid $200.00). Between it and a religious use of push blocks/shoes, life has been good since I bought the spliter.

I love it because I can remove it with just the push of a button (via a long handled screw driver dedicated to that). Installation or removal takes seconds.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

I did look at the trunion in my Ridgid. If I were to totally disassemble it and had use of a milling machine, it would be possible to put a close in splitter. Too much effort, so I am using ZCI with various width splitters and occasionally the original rear mounted POS. As I need to split a bunch of 2×4's for my screen porch. I will be using my spiffy new Harvey band saw. Just got some more poly runners so I can make a bigger crosscut sled.

As far as the circ-saw technology, it looks like a good idea. Some of their concepts may apply to a table saw. Of course, braking a brush motor is much easier than a single phase induction motor. A motor brake is something I believe needs to be on table saws as a large number of injuries are from clearing stock before it has spun down. Yes, operator error, but common. In the video, or with any abrupt brake, one must provide a way for the blade inertia to not spin off the arbor.


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