Pete Brown
01-19-2007, 11:00 AM
Later last year I had a run in with some kickback. It was nasty and left a really nice colorful (and very painful) welt and cut just clear of the goods but still below the belt - but it could have been much worse.
I was ripping a rough edge off of some maple. The edge tapered towards the back so it was a sharp point heading into the blade and then about 3/4" wide at the end near me. This offcut was to the left of the blade. Had I arranged the board the other way around, I may have ended up in the hospital impaled with a tapered board.
I always stand to the left of the blade because I've always understod that kickback typically happens between the fence and the blade, and my fence is on the right. This time, the kickback happened with the offcut to the left. As best as I could tell, the fat end somehow twisted into the back of the blade as I finished the cut. The splitter had been bent at the pins from previous use and I bent it back, but likely didn't get it 100% aligned) so that may have contributed.
The force was significant. It broke the MD splitter clear off and launched the offcut at me twice. There were two loud bangs as the offcut hit me and the blade. The force was enough to move my whole cabinet saw about 6" away from me - it is not on wheels, has two router tables and an Incra fence on it, so it isn't light.
Besides some technique changes, a riving knife would have prevented this as there would have been no real room between the blade and the splitter.
So, my takeway on the MJ Splitter, if you use one:
If the pins bend, toss it and get a new one, otherwise the bending stress creates weak points in the pins.
The pins do bend. It is not indestructable, it is just plastic. Rather than use a single insert for working both with and without the splitter, it is likely better to keep two inserts, and just leave the splitter in one of them all the time. That's the only way I can think that the pins became bent, unless it was the force of some reaction wood.
Leave more stock at the tapered end next time :)I keep this piece as a reminder. There are two huge gouges in it from the blade
55478 55479
Pete
I was ripping a rough edge off of some maple. The edge tapered towards the back so it was a sharp point heading into the blade and then about 3/4" wide at the end near me. This offcut was to the left of the blade. Had I arranged the board the other way around, I may have ended up in the hospital impaled with a tapered board.
I always stand to the left of the blade because I've always understod that kickback typically happens between the fence and the blade, and my fence is on the right. This time, the kickback happened with the offcut to the left. As best as I could tell, the fat end somehow twisted into the back of the blade as I finished the cut. The splitter had been bent at the pins from previous use and I bent it back, but likely didn't get it 100% aligned) so that may have contributed.
The force was significant. It broke the MD splitter clear off and launched the offcut at me twice. There were two loud bangs as the offcut hit me and the blade. The force was enough to move my whole cabinet saw about 6" away from me - it is not on wheels, has two router tables and an Incra fence on it, so it isn't light.
Besides some technique changes, a riving knife would have prevented this as there would have been no real room between the blade and the splitter.
So, my takeway on the MJ Splitter, if you use one:
If the pins bend, toss it and get a new one, otherwise the bending stress creates weak points in the pins.
The pins do bend. It is not indestructable, it is just plastic. Rather than use a single insert for working both with and without the splitter, it is likely better to keep two inserts, and just leave the splitter in one of them all the time. That's the only way I can think that the pins became bent, unless it was the force of some reaction wood.
Leave more stock at the tapered end next time :)I keep this piece as a reminder. There are two huge gouges in it from the blade
55478 55479
Pete