G0691 Tech Tip and question

[Nick Lazz]

Probably not an epiphany but thought I would share...

I was cleaning my TS because it was getting hard to raise and lower the blade and it seemed like the more I cleaned the harder it got to move. I mean two hands losing grip trying to get this thing to move..and that was after I tried to clean it and lube it! It seemed I was making it worse.
So I started over and cleaned all the gears and it still wouldn't move hardly at all. Anyway, since the gears were as clean as I could get them I started moving down the high shaft figuring I would disassemble it, because this just didn't make sense. I loosened the two set screws on the locking collar and VOILA! I guess by doing so it allowed the collar to move ever so slightly to release the bind. I re-tightened the set screws and everything works great.

I have no idea how or why the high shaft started to bind as it was accentuated the more I cleaned. Its possible more grit got between the locking collar and the stop when I was cleaning etc. but it works like butter now.
Anyway, if you run into a similar problem, maybe this will help.

Nick

Question for G0691 owners: How do you set up your riving knife? I use a saw gauge and try to make it so the leading edge is even with the outside teeth and taper it towards the fence about .003-.005", so my stock doesn't drift away from the fence or at least that is the idea. But it is almost impossible to get perfectly square with table top to bottom... I've adjusted it several times and am still not completely happy with the results.
Thanks.

[Jeff Miller]

Nick

Question for G0691 owners: How do you set up your riving knife? I use a saw gauge and try to make it so the leading edge is even with the outside teeth and taper it towards the fence about .003-.005", so my stock doesn't drift away from the fence or at least that is the idea. But it is almost impossible to get perfectly square with table top to bottom... I've adjusted it several times and am still not completely happy with the results.
Thanks.



The riving knife can be adjusted so it's perfectly in line with the blade, I wouldn't want mine tapered either way.

Took me about all afternoon one day but I am glad I took the time.


PS. Make sure you are using a full kerf blade.

[Don Sundberg]

Riving knifes need to be centered. The teeth of your blade will be slightly to the outside of the riving knife typically. The riving knife on my Bosch saw is about the same width as the plate of the blade. It's job is not to prevent the teeth form ever touching the kerf on the backside but to keep them from making enough contact that they can through the work piece back at you. Typically the riving knife is a few thousandths skinnier than the kerf of the blade. Trying to use the riving knife to guide things I think would be a bad idea. In a perfect cut the riving knife (or splitter for that matter) never touches the material being cut.

Getting them set up is a pain at least on my Bosch. It has adjustment screws but the adjustments affect each other (tilt and position) since the adjustment axis are below the table. It has taken me a few rounds of adjustments to get it right.

Just keep working on it. You'll get it.

Don.

[Nick Lazz]

Thanks guys...glad I'm not the only one. I do use full kerf blades, it's just like Don says though each screw affects the next and getting it right top to bottom and front to back is or can be a pain. The saw gauge I have was well worth the $. I'm not sure how else you would do it.

[Don Sundberg]

Thanks guys...glad I'm not the only one. I do use full kerf blades, it's just like Don says though each screw affects the next and getting it right top to bottom and front to back is or can be a pain. The saw gauge I have was well worth the $. I'm not sure how else you would do it.

I use a straightedge rule off of a combination square setup to align the riving knife with the plate of the saw blade. Go from side to side to be sure you have the same alignment on each side.

[Jeff Miller]

I use a straightedge rule off of a combination square setup to align the riving knife with the plate of the saw blade. Go from side to side to be sure you have the same alignment on each side.



That's how I did it too.




JEFF:D

[Rob Holcomb]

I have the G0691 saw and have put the riving knife on and off a hundred times or more. When I first got the saw when they came out, I checked the riving knife to blade setting but it was right on. Since then, I haven't bothered. I just put the knife back on and start cutting. Never had any issue at all. The knife is close to the blade and just slightly thinner than the blade itself so if a board comes together on the knife and that close to the blade, that board probably has too much stress in it to be of any worth in the first place. I have had wood come back together 2-3 feet past the blade but the riving knife did its job keeping the board from binding against the saw blade and had no problem. As long as the knife is in relatively close proximity to where it's supposed to be, you won't have any problems and I don't think its meant to be a guide to keep boards against the fence. If your boards are drifting away from the fence after the cut, its more likely technique pushing the board through or possibly your fence isn't perfectly parallel to the saw blade and miter slot? I would check those two things and see if your cuts are any better.

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, I remember the better part of 2 afternoons doing mine. Got too frustrated the first day. Came back a week later and got it done. I also used a straight edge, probably a rafting square, to make sure it was centered in the blade both sides. Haven't had to adjust it since. Do wish they had a thin kerf knife, just so I could use the WWII 30 tooth TK blade that I've probably run about 10 feet of pine through on the contractor saw. Jim.

[Arek Kosinski]

Can someone tell me the screw size/threads on these adjustment screws? I somehow lost mine since I was not using the riving knife for a long time but only a homemade zero clearance throat plates.
Thank you

[julian abram]

Nick, I'm glad you posted this. I've had the same problem with my 690, almost need to use both hands to adjust the blade depth wheel. As you did, I spent some time cleaning the gears but it did not help. I'll check the shaft collars. Thanks!