Jason White
05-09-2009, 8:34 PM
Well, I ordered a set of Shark splitters from Lee Styron (www.leestyron.com) a month ago and they finally arrived today. Just in time for a little sawdust-making!
I have to admit that I was getting a bit annoyed at how long it took to get them, but Lee makes them all to order and tells me he just got over the flu which slowed things down a bit. I guess I can't be too annoyed, then. ;)
My set came with 3 different-sized splitters. All are heavy-duty steel and beautifully machined and powder-coated with no rough edges. You'd think they came from a big, professional factory (I mean that in a good way).
I tried the two tallest splitters on my Grizzly 1023 (not the "shorty," which is probably only good for cutting plywood). At first, I found it hard to align the splitters to the blade, but quickly found that one of the thinnest shims from my dado stack mounted on the "flange" side of the arbor pushed the blade to the right just enough to line things up perfectly. A little "Slip It" lubricant on the splitters also helped things as well. The splitters also work like a featherboard, keeping the stock tight to the fence behind the blade -- a real plus in my opinion. These splitters are also easy to remove and install thanks to the ratcheting type bolt, which fits in there perfectly. The job would be easier, however, if the throat plate opening was a little larger (or if my hands were a bit smaller).
I'm sure this setup is not as great as a real riving knife (I'm guessing), but it's a hell of a lot better than the stock guard/splitter that came with my saw!
For the money, you really can't go wrong with this set. Highly recommended! Nice job, Lee!!!
Jason
I have to admit that I was getting a bit annoyed at how long it took to get them, but Lee makes them all to order and tells me he just got over the flu which slowed things down a bit. I guess I can't be too annoyed, then. ;)
My set came with 3 different-sized splitters. All are heavy-duty steel and beautifully machined and powder-coated with no rough edges. You'd think they came from a big, professional factory (I mean that in a good way).
I tried the two tallest splitters on my Grizzly 1023 (not the "shorty," which is probably only good for cutting plywood). At first, I found it hard to align the splitters to the blade, but quickly found that one of the thinnest shims from my dado stack mounted on the "flange" side of the arbor pushed the blade to the right just enough to line things up perfectly. A little "Slip It" lubricant on the splitters also helped things as well. The splitters also work like a featherboard, keeping the stock tight to the fence behind the blade -- a real plus in my opinion. These splitters are also easy to remove and install thanks to the ratcheting type bolt, which fits in there perfectly. The job would be easier, however, if the throat plate opening was a little larger (or if my hands were a bit smaller).
I'm sure this setup is not as great as a real riving knife (I'm guessing), but it's a hell of a lot better than the stock guard/splitter that came with my saw!
For the money, you really can't go wrong with this set. Highly recommended! Nice job, Lee!!!
Jason