Splitter/Blade Guard/KickBack pawl

[Ron Taylor]

Do you use them or not?

Having just bought my first TS, I find that these safety devices are troublesome and in the way. However, I do know the value of fingers, hands, and other body parts.

I know Norm removes them, but just for the camera...

What about you?

[Von Bickley]

Ron,

I'm probably the only one that doesn't use these items. Never have and have no plans to start now.

[Dave Avery]

Ron,

I have and use an overarm blade guard with built in dust collection. I find that it defines a comfortable (for me) "safe" zone around the blade. Even with the guard, I NEVER reach across or over the blade while it's spinning. Norm does this ALL THE TIME and it really bothers me.

I use a splitter when ripping 8/4 stock and greater. I don't find that it's usually required on thinnerr stock. When I'm not using the splitter, I pay careful attention to the cut and make sure that there's no binding. At the slightest hint of increase motor load, I'll shut down and place a small wedge in the cut to prevent closure.

All that said, it's all about your comfort level. If you trust yourself to be careful without safety equipment - great. If you don't, better use the safety devices. Dave.

[Howard Ruttan]

Most surveys I have seen list the number one cause of injury on the table saw as kickback rather than some form of contact with the blade. That is not to say that blade contact isn't right up there. Just ask me - I almost lost a thumb to the darn thing. However, using a splitter is just as necessary with thin stock as with thicker material. I believe the splitter is just as important as the guard, if not more so - a belief backed up by the numbers. I use the Delta removable splitter with my saw. At around $30 it is a real deal. I have yet to find a guard that is worth what they charge for them but a guard is just a physical barrier and does not require the level of engineering necessarily that the splitter requires. Thus I am in the process of designing my own. Yes, that means that I am not using a guard at present, but the splittter is on the saw for every operation I can use it with. It is unfortunate that the stock splitter/guard supplied today is such a waste of metal and plastic.

[Jim Becker]

I use an Excalibur Overarm Guard and a Biesemeyer snap-in splitter. Why? Aside from the obvious safety benefit, I use them because they are easy to use, unlike the OEM guard and splitter that comes with most saws. Having them independent also means you can use one or both, depending on what's best for a particular cut.

An overarm guard is also the only way to capture the "splash" that comes up off the top of the blade on a through cut. Rather than having all that sawdust hitting you bodily and also landing on your saw and floor, it just goes up the hose in the nose of the guard. :cool:

[Mark Mazzo]

Originally posted by Howard Ruttan
...However, using a splitter is just as necessary with thin stock as with thicker material. I believe the splitter is just as important as the guard, if not more so - a belief backed up by the numbers...

Howard,

I agree with you. Kickback from thick stock can happen when the stock closes onto the spinning blade and fires straight back, but with thinner stock there is a tendency for the stock to be lifted by the back of the blade and spun around and over the top of the blade (with possibly even greater force). I always use a splitter unless the cut is a non-through cut.

I found the original equipment with my Delta CS to be cumbersome as well (although I still used it and removed it when necessary for non-though cuts :) ). Finally I got the Delta Removable Splitter (definitely a great value and easy to use) and made an overarm blade guard. I took apart the original guard and fabricated an overarm guard from aluminum stock using the original guard to shield the blade. Works pretty well, but it is a little narrow. Someday I may fabricate a better one out of Lexan, but even if I don't I will still always use my bladeguard and splitter.

--Mark

[Howard Ruttan]

Hey Mark,

Do you have a picture of your blade guard? I am very interested to see what you came up with.

[Mark Mazzo]

Originally posted by Howard Ruttan
Hey Mark,

Do you have a picture of your blade guard? I am very interested to see what you came up with.

Howard,

I'll take a couple of shots tonight and post them here. I basically took Gordon Sampson's design from his article on Badger Pond and made modifications to it. I hung it from the ceiling but I fabricated a "hanger" from wood and I used the stock Delta CS clear guard rather than creating one from Lexan, aluminum and screws. As I mentioned, it works opretty well, but the guard is a little narrow. Since it is hung from the ceiling I need to get the saw in just the right position underneath it. I guess that is what mobile bases are for ;)

-- Mark

[Howard Ruttan]

I watch for it. I am trying something similar but using those rare earth magnets in a small stand that I can set on the fence or the edge of the table on the left. That way I don't have to suspend anything from the roof or have one of those enormous arms hanging around. I have more than a few bugs to work out though.

[Bob Lasley]

Ron,

I am a firm believer in splitters for any thickness of material. I too, think OEM splitters, guards and pawls are junk. The cabinet saw I bought last fall has never had them installed. I made a splitter that attaches with one bolt so it is easy to remove and reinstall. Mine does not have pawls on it as I find the pawls cause more problems, including scratched wood, than they prevent. I have been considering building an overarm guard ever since I saw Terry Hatfield's. This would be more for dust collection than keeping my fingers out of the blade. The other piece of safety equipment I wouldn't be without is my push stick. I prefer the type that looks like a shoe as it gives down force as well as push.

Bob

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

Von's not the only one that doesn't use them. I've never used an after-market 'overarm' guard, so I can't speak to them...but I find the OEM stuff to be crap, and in the way at the times when you really need 'protection', which is on 'skinny' rips.

As to splitters and pawls, I don't like anything that hinders my ability to control the workpiece...particularly one that's 'acting up'.

KC

[jack duren]

i dont use any guards due to setup changes. now if i could dedicate a saw for every application i would use the splitters/guards.

for a hobby woodworker time isnt money. you should invest in a good, suitable safety system for all your equipment.....jack

[Steve Clardy]

Originally posted by Von Bickley
Ron,

I'm probably the only one that doesn't use these items. Never have and have no plans to start now.
No Von, you are not the only one. I too don't use anything, as they get in the way. And I bet Norm doesn't put all that stuff on when the TV camera is off. I still have all ten, I just be careful.

[Sam Chambers]

Ron:

The blade guard - or maybe "blade cover" is a better term - is there to decrease the liklihood of an accidental meeting of your flesh and the sharp spinning thing. Zach Ethridge ( terriffic instructor at Highland Hardware in Atlanta) calls this, "voluntary injury". Many of them are poorly designed and are a nuisance to use. But I guarantee you that, in hindsight, my father would gladly out up with a little inconvenience if he could have his left hand in original, unmangled condition.

Kickback is a whole different thing. Ethridge called this "involuntary injury", in that the user didn't have to do anything to cause it to happen. I recently saw a great live demonstration of kickback by author Kelly Mahler. He used a piece of rigid styrofoam insulation instead of wood, ran it through the saw blade with no splitter in place, and let go. ZING!!! Off it flew, in an impressive display of violent kickback. And it didn't go straight back either. It went right where we've all been taught to stand when using a table saw - to the left of the blade.

The splitter/guard assembly on my Delta contractor's saw is a joke. It's a pin to remove & reinstall, and it never wants to line up right. But I'll keep using it until I come up with something else. And I'm going to come up with something else.

[Dennis Peacock]

Nope....don't use them. I tried to use the OEM one that came with my Jet cabinet saw.....I hated it....the wood stuck in the pawls, the wood was scratched and dented and changing in setup seemed to take forever.....I have worked for years without these guards....I still have all fingers, hands, arms and legs as well as all other essential body parts.

Yup.....I have experienced a severe kickback.....BUT....that was because I wasn't making a very smart cut with a very twisted board and I paid the price for it......7 weeks of wearing a very large right chest bruise.......

I still don't use those devices today...even after getting bit with a really hefty kickback. I'm just more careful about material condition and selection for ripping on the TS....when in doubt, rip it on the BS and finish on the TS.

[Ian Barley]

I use 'em - always. Our machine specs over here in UK require that tablesaws are fitted with a riving knife and guard. I'm never quite sure what the difference is between a riving knife and a splitter but I think that they do basically the same job. The guard is removed only for non-through cuts and I make hardly any of those. The riving knife stays in place always.

I always think that safety in the shop is more about the management of energy than the guarding of sharp edges. A razor blade is very sharp but won't cut you unless some energy is put into it. The problem with a table saw isn't that the blade is sharp but the amount of energy that it produces.

A 12" blade spinning at 3500rpm is developing about 125mph of velocity at its edge. When (not if!) a piece of timber you are cutting decides to grab that edge it is going to come back at you at that sort of speed unless you can stop it. Now my reactions are pretty quick but there are not that quick, I doubt that yours are either. So that is what you have to manage.

Now you can do it by being careful where you stand and how you set up the fence etc. Perfectly valid strategies. You can do it by making sure that you have all the engineering safeguards in place. Personally - I do both. You make your own choice.

Regarding Norm. Now that I make my living this way and work alone I am more conscious than ever of my own safety. There are times where I have turned an NYW episode off because I just can't bear the tension of all the risky practices that I see him undertake. I still like the show but hope that nobody ever thinks of him as a beacon of safety advice.

[Phil Phelps]

And, the only reason I use it is because I saw MDF. It's great for the dust removal but, a bit cumbersome on small stuff. Pro shops rarely have any guards on table saws because of interference. Focus is a great start to safety.

[Ron Taylor]

I'm really glad I posted it.

Having used a RAS for over 20 years, not knowing that it was the "most dangerous tool in the shop" ;) , I've gotten used to standing in the right place, holding the wood properly, and above all, as someone said above, FOCUS on what I'm doing.

To me, those are practices that trim the safety margin tremendously.

As far as the guards, yes I've always used them on the RAS whenever possible, but don't hesitate to take them off when they get in the way of my project or tend to damage the work piece. However, with the placement and quality of the OEM parts on the Grizzly, I don't see them staying on the saw long. Perhaps the blade cover and splitter, but those kickbacks have got to go.

Thanks for all of the responses, they have been great and informative. More are welcomed

Thanks
Ron

[Ken Salisbury]

I have been at it for a long time. I don't use a splitter or blade guard on my Jet Cabinet Saw. As a matter of fact the first thing I did when unpacking and setting up the saw was to throw the guard/splitter in the trash -- as I had also done many years ago on the saw the Jet was replacing (Craftsman). I don't want anything inteferring with my view or my control over the workpiece.

[scott bonder]

I haven't had much time to participate on this or Woodcentral since the Pond closed. But, one thing is sure to drag me out of the woodwork (pun intended) and that is safety.

It is, in my opinion, crazy to not use a splitter. I hate the ones that come with the saw and I do not care for the pawls. In fact, it was this issue that first led me to look at Euro saws, but that is a whole other story.

At the very least folks should use a zero clearance insert and a wooden splitter glued into the kerf. This costs next to nothing, gets the splitter up close to the back of the blade (assuming you set it correctly) and will save you from easily preventable kickback.

Seeing the blade is not a defense to kickback. Human beings, not just me or you, but all human beings are incapable of reacting at the speed of kickback, which makes your reflexes a useless defense. Making it even worse, what accident experts call describe "human factors" in numerous finger loss accidents cases pretty much mean that if you are holding the wood when kickback begins, you will be at the end (well, except that your grip will be loosened by the loss of fingers).

Guards are for preventing your hand from going into the blade. They too can help in kickback situations, but are less certain to do so. I just have never met anybody who lost a finger who didn't regret their failure to use safety devices. Seems like a no brainer to me.

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

In 30 years of teaching high school wood shop, I've seen a bunch of kickbacks.
The other instructors and myself had placed a picture of a piece of wood coming off the saw blade with the formula for tip speed of a 10 inch blade. The speed that we stressed was 121 miles per hour. That seemed to impress the students that a kick back was a bad thing to experience.
Alas, I looked at allot of welts on studends midsections and dents in the steel doors behind the saw, about 15 feet away.
We used the orginal saw blade guard and later a Bret Guard. The Bret Guard helped to guide the flying wood like an airplane wing or boomerange as it came out from beneath the guard and the tip of the saw blade.
I've seen other things too! but you don't want to hear about those stories.
Yes! the guards were in the the way and, of course, you couldn't accomplish a dado with them on and in place.
But you must RESPECT the blade and what it can do to harm you.

[Tom Gattiker]

is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. You may be able to see better and chances are you will not have an accident, but if you do have an accident the outcome can be tragic.

Here is a photo of my blade cover (I hesitate to use the term guard). I also use a homemade splitter.

http://www.sba.muohio.edu/gattiktf/blade_cover_front.jpg

[Sam Chambers]

Ian:

The differences between a riving knife and a splitter are:

1. The riving knife is curved to follow the curve of the saw blade, where a splitter is typically not.

2. A riving knife is positioned close to the rear edge of the saw blade, whereas a splitter is usually isn't.

3. The biggest difference is that a riving knife moves along with the saw arbor as the blade is raised or lowered, maintaining a constant distance from the blade, where a splitter remains stationary. As a blade is lowered, the distance between the splitter and the blade increases, which increases the chance of kickback.

4. The height of a riving knife is set to be lower than the top of the blade, allowing it to be used for non-through cuts. Most OEM splitters are taller than the blade and must be removed for non-through cuts.

Riving knives are certainly a safer solution, but until/unless the U.S. manufacturers are required (by Government regulation) to design them into their saws, we won't see them here.

Interestingly, one of the very few things I miss about my Shopsmith Mark V is the riving knife. The guard is integrated, and it all sits higher than the blade, so it isn't a "true" riving knife, but it does sit close to the blade and maintains a constant distance as the depth of cut changes. That's due in large part to the design of the Shopsmith, with its moving table vs. a moving arbor in a conventional saw.

[scott bonder]

OSHA actually requires saws to have pawls on them right now. So, riving knives could be available if we just got rid of the reg requiring the type of splitters we are stuck with now. I would guess that demand would be high enough for manufacturers to offer them without a reg requiring them.

[Jim Young]

I used the blade guard that come with the saw once. I was really uncomfortable with the fact that I couldn't see the blade the whole time. Removed it and never tried again.


Two things keep coming up in the replies, splitter and dust control.

Splitter - I would like to have a splitter and eventually will get one of the aftermarket ones, the wood closing together behind the blade does give me the weeby jeebies sometimes.


Dust - As long as you wear safety glasses that shouldn't be an issue. i would rather see the blade at all times than not have dust.

One of my personal rules is that I don't make any cut on the TS that requires my hand or arm to cross into the line of view of the blade.

[Paul Geer]

This could have been poll, No I don't use guards riving knives splitters or even board buddies on a TS. After 15 years, why start now?

[Dave Anderson]

Talk about a pain in the arse guard... I have a PM66. The guard is aluminum and each side works independently. It is bulky and heavy and the Lexan "window" on the front is so small you really can't see the blade <b>AT ALL</b> with the <i>safety</i> devise in place.

Years ago I took the whole thing off and worked without the guard, splitter, pawls.

A couple of years ago, when Tommy Skaggs had is well-documented kickback, I disassembled the guard and put the splitter/pawls back on without the guard itself.

From all that I have studied on this subject, the most common kickback is caused by the wood pinching at the back of the blade. A splitter <u>reduces</u> the chance of this happening. Now I can see the blade and get a certain comfort level of safety by having the splitter mounted.

I've always hated those stupid pawls and now, I think I'll go home and remove them from the splitter as well.

[Tom Sweeney]

I was doing some rearranging & found the original guard & splitter from my Jet Contractor Saw. I bought the saw used from a cabinet maker & he had made a hardwood zero clearence insert with a piece of a drill bit behind the blade for a splitter.

He said he thought it was safer than the original. I'm not sure. I did try the originals once & didn't like them - maybe I'll try the Delta splitter - I think Mark G or someone on the Pond said it would work on a Jet.

I've already had 2 minor "kickbacks" both were when the thin piece of wood I was using to push the wood through (thin strips) contacted the blade & took off. Luckily I thought to keep the blade as low as possible for the cut & the push sticks were long & thin so they flew right out of my hand. They do move fast too! Needless to say I revised the way I make these cuts.

[scott bonder]

Unless I am woefully misinformed, the wood pinching the rear of the blade is only one danger significantly reduced by the splitter (or a riving knife). Also, just user error that result in the wood catching the rear teeth of the blade would be prevented. Also, any internal wood stress that causes the wood to bend away from the fence and toward the rear teeth could cause kickback and is prevented.

I've done a lot fo talking to folks in the industry and who are pros when it comes to table saws. Overall, every single one I have ever spoken to agees that the single most important piece of safety equipment is a splitter or riving knife. I have also read through a few depositions of folks who sue saw manufacturers for defective gaurds (which results in the dope removing the guard, using it for ten years and then in under one second losing a finder or hand). Each would have been prevented by safety devices.

[Scott Coffelt]

I have the 1023S and surprisingly it is accurate and easy to take off and on, unlike many mfr supplied units. Whether it is on or off, I use the scare factor when using the saw. If I am scared that the blade will eat me, then I am more likely to pay attention. In the event I ever have a close call (one time), the machines get shut off and I leave the shop.

The DC on the standard units sucks (or should I say doesn't suck), therefore I plan on making an over the arm type. I will then need to buy some removable splitters.

[Ed Falis]

I've got a Brett-Guard, and like its approach. The splitter is a small piece of metal that you would have to unbolt from the internal guard mount in the throat of the saw, but that's not too bad for the frequency of needing to remove it (often non-through cuts are deep enough to just need to drop it a bit). The equivalent of the pawls is a metal set of teeth that are inside the overhead blade guard part, so basically they're out of the way and can be used for non-through cuts as well as normal through cuts. I think a riving knife that follows the movement of the blade in conjunction with the overhead guard would be ideal.

- Ed

[Sam Chambers]

Thanks for the OSHA reference. The thing is, OSHA regs don't apply to hobbyists, or am I wrong?

Also, you're absolutely correct about wood pinching the blade. Violent kickback can be caused by the kerf closing up behind the blade, but it can also be caused by poor technique. Kelly Mahler's demonstration used styrofoam, which doesn't close up like wood can. All he did was let go of the piece, and WHAM.

For those of you who think you can react fast enough, think again. Assume the blade is moving at about 120 mph. Let's be conservative and say that a hunk of wood hurled back at you by the blade would be half that speed, or 60 mph. Anyone want to calculate the time it would take an object to travel less than 3 feet at 60 mph? It's 88 feet per second, so it travels the 3 feet (or less) to your body in about 0.034 seconds. Can you move that fast?

[Mike Brewster]

I use a splitter, but I removed the kick back pawls. I found them to br to much of a pain. I've seen to many kerfs close behind a blade to go without the splitter though.

I'm still not doing a lot of woodworking, but when I start in earnest I will be strongly considering a blade guard. I don't have one now.

Mike

[Bill Esposito]

I use a guard and splitter whenever practical but IMO before you spend any money of an upgrade to your OEM guard/splitter you should make an outfeed table. I cant tell you howe many times I did something stupid and dangerous because my work was either about to fall off the back of my saw or it got hung up in the pawls. Adding the outfeed table eliminated all those problems.
That being said, I decided to upgrade my Jet contractor saw's splitter with the Biesemeyer (http://cerealport.net/woodworking/biespliter.html). Shortly after adding the splitter I got worried about not having a guard so I modified the original one and mounted it on the splitter. Now I have a complete, easily installed/removed guard-splitter combo.
http://cereal.mv.com/woodworking/bladeguard1.jpg

[Jim Amundson]

Well, that was an impressive display of flimsy excuses, particularly from those already injured. I lost the tip of my left index finger AFTER I shut off the saw - turned around and swung my hand across the still spinning blade. I now use a Brett gaurd and a splitter I modified from the original that came with my Jet contractors saw. I can remove the splitter in a few seconds by loosening two bolt heads. The Brett gaurd can be removed entirely in 30 seconds . Not too much trouble considering we're talking about the potential loss of significant body parts. Brett gaurds are made by HTC, 1-800-624-2027. Badger Pond archives have info on modifying different splitters.

[scott bonder]

You are correct, OSHA only applies to commercial shops. But, the manufacturers only make their cabinet saws, etc with one set of parts. So, a Unisaw for a commercial shop is the same one a hobbyist would buy. It wouldn't make sense financially for them to make saws that did not comply with OSHA. Plus, they may have some liability if a hobbyist goes pro and then gets hurt with a non-OSHA compliant saw.

[Steven Wilson]

I use an Exaktor overarm guard and a Beis splitter on my Powermatic 66 the vast majority of the time. If I want the pawls out of the way I just pull them back and stick a pencil between them (good when ripping thin stock). The guard is great for collecting dust and to remind me where the blade is.

[John Wadsworth]

The guard and splitter that came with my PM66 were klunky and only semi-functional; I can see why people are tempted not to use them. There is no US-style TS I know of that does any better, either.

After a lot of research and help from guys on the Pond. I settled on the Biesmeyer splitter and overarm saw guard with dust pickup. The splitter goes in for ALL ripping operations as well as any sheet goods cutting where the cut is longer than a few inches. The guard is down for anything that fits underneath--you can adjust its position laterally to handle narrow stock safely. (Like many Bies guard owners I've talked to, I removed the screw-and-crank lateral adjuster and just do it by sliding the arm back and forth).

Delta owners have the Delta pop-out splitter as another option.

I also looked at the Brett guard, the design of which I really liked, but the Brett splitter doesn't do it for me and the Bies splitter doesn't work with the Brett guard unless you modify it by drilling new holes and mounting further forward--the splitter blade may need trimming as well. This exposes a bit of the saw blade at the rear. Probably OK, but the idea made me a bit nervous.

I don't think the Bies guard dust hose sucks up very much, by the way, but every little bit helps.