TS Pawls be gone

[Matt Lentzner]

I want to get the anti-kickback pawls off my splitter/guard. I have fitted a UHMW plastic zero-clearance insert to my saw, but now the pawls dig into the insert when I try to lower the blade. I won't miss them although I won't use my saw without a splitter, and I prefer to have the guard on there too.

Problem is they are attached with some sort of fitting that has no obvious way to get it off. I'd like to get off gracefully if possible. I was thinking I could drill it out although I don't have a drill press. the caveman option would be to use my Sawzall with a hacksaw blade.

My saw is a Bosch 4000 benchtop.

Thanks for your ideas,

Matt

[Norman Hitt]

Matt, that shaft that goes through appears to be made by having a hole drilled into the end of the pin and then pressed against a fitting tool to curl the ends over like what I call Spin/Press Rivets. If so, it is a one time use only pin. The easiest way to remove it with a hand drill is to use a bit that is larger than the diameter of the pin and drill straight into the end of that pin until the curled over edges are gone and the pin should slip out, or if it is still too snug, you can use a punch and easily tap it out.

[Tom Jones III]

I would be worried that the pin is harder steel than the drill bit or the drill bit would wander. What about hitting it with a nail set? I think I would try the nail set and then if that didn't work I'd use a hack saw.

[Kyle Kraft]

I've yet to see a "permanent" assembly like the pawl rivet that won't succumb to an angle grinder. Heat treated or soft, they will yield to the almighty aluminum oxide! Grind off the peened portion and drive the rivet out with a pin punch....done.

[Mike Heidrick]

test cut the head of the rivet with a hacksaw - if it is soft just put it in the vice and drill it with a hand drill. Bit will not wander and will follow the rivet. From the looks of it it will not be an issue. Those Dewalt bits work great!!

Other than that grab the grinder.

[Matt Lentzner]

Matt, that shaft that goes through appears to be made by having a hole drilled into the end of the pin and then pressed against a fitting tool to curl the ends over like what I call Spin/Press Rivets. If so, it is a one time use only pin. The easiest way to remove it with a hand drill is to use a bit that is larger than the diameter of the pin and drill straight into the end of that pin until the curled over edges are gone and the pin should slip out, or if it is still too snug, you can use a punch and easily tap it out.

Norman,

It went just like you said. I drilled the end of the pin with an oversized bit until the lip was gone and knocked it out with a nail.

Thanks for the great advice, and thanks to all the others that chimed in. I appreciate the time and effort.

Regards,

Matt

[Norman Hitt]

Norman,

It went just like you said. I drilled the end of the pin with an oversized bit until the lip was gone and knocked it out with a nail.

Thanks for the great advice, and thanks to all the others that chimed in. I appreciate the time and effort.

Regards,

Matt

Glad it worked well for you Matt. The first thing I did before I ever installed my Biese splitter was to remove those palls, because they get in my way, and they had a history of reports of leaving scratches/grooves in many types of wood. You might want to do what I did though, (just in case I, or someone else might feel a need to use them later), I put all the parts I removed in a ziplock Bag with a lable written on the bag, and also on a slip of paper inside the bag with a sketch of the way the parts fit and stored it in a box with other unused parts from other tools.

Note: If you haven't already thrown the pin away, store it in the bag also so you can use it to get a bolt and nut to slip through there in place of the pin, (but use either a nylon insert self locking nut, or the removable Loctite on the nut to insure that the nut will not come off during use).

[Curt Harms]

Here's a solution I came up with for a Delta removable splitter.
58013
I just use a coarse threaded dry wall screw to hold them out of the way. That way I don't have to mess with a bolt & nut.

Curt