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View Full Version : The future of riving knives in the USA: Feb. 2008?


Bill Bryant
11-24-2007, 2:33 PM
Rumors are floating around that ALL table saws sold in the USA will soon be required to have riving knives. The "soon" in several quarters is February 2008, or so I have read here and there.

Anybody have solid info about this?
Ray Knight
11-24-2007, 2:54 PM
I understand all NEW MODEL saws released after some date in early 2007 must have riving blades, and that all table saws will have to have riving blades by some later date, possibly 2009. Ray Knight
John Ricci
11-24-2007, 5:38 PM
I don't know about new saws and regulations but I'm still using my Shopsmith 510 (1978) which has always had a riving knife...talk about industry catch-up:eek:

J.R.
Jamie Buxton
11-24-2007, 5:58 PM
It is just one of those web-forum rumors. What regulatory agency do you think could make a rule like that?
Tyler Purcell
11-24-2007, 6:06 PM
Jamie, that regulatory agency would most likely be OSHA (http://www.osha.gov/). As far as the riving knife laws go, however... I'm not sure. A search on their site returned no results about riving knifes.
John Lemke
11-24-2007, 6:12 PM
According to Kelly Mehler's article on Euro saws in the August '07 Popular Woodworking, Underwriters Laboratory had standards proposed by one of their Standards Technical Panels (Mehler a member). The proposal would require riving knives on all new designs as of 2008, and would require riving knives on all tablesaws sold in 2014.

Great news, as far as I'm concerned. After ten years with a riving knife on a Ryobi BT3000, I feel kinda naked using my Ridgid 3650 ( a transitional purchase while I wait for the market to shake out as riving knives come into the mainstream). But then the sub-$3000 slider from Grizzly seems worth watching, too.
Jamie Buxton
11-24-2007, 6:18 PM
Jamie, that regulatory agency would most likely be OSHA (http://www.osha.gov/). As far as the riving knife laws go, however... I'm not sure. A search on their site returned no results about riving knifes.

OSHA regulates commercial workplaces, not home shops.
Mike Henderson
11-24-2007, 6:29 PM
OSHA regulates commercial workplaces, not home shops.
I would guess it would be the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) it the rumor is true.

Mike
Steve Rowe
11-24-2007, 6:36 PM
It is my understanding the manufacturers are voluntarily complying with an ANSI/UL standard on this to avoid rulemaking. As part of their newly found commitment to safety, all newly designed TS must have riving knives by the end of Jan 2008. Existing designs have until 2010 to comply.
Phil Thien
11-24-2007, 6:40 PM
John Lemke has it correct above. It is my understanding that compliance w/ UL is optional, but non-compliance can have legal and insurance ramifications.
Dave Falkenstein
11-24-2007, 8:00 PM
Can someone please post a link to an article that tells the story? I tried a quick search at the UL site and found nothing.
Rob Damon
11-24-2007, 8:17 PM
Something here...

"http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=fw-editorsblog&entry=209"

Rob
Randy Klein
11-24-2007, 8:27 PM
Something here...

"http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=fw-editorsblog&entry=209"

Rob

And here:

CPSC (http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/meetings/mtg07/tablesaws.pdf)

And here:

UL (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fifs.ul.com%2Fifr%2Fifr.nsf%2F0%2 F70E8BDA3446C1AEE48256FC6004C7014%2F%24FILE%2FSOR7 0E8BDA3446C1AEE48256FC6004C7014.doc&ei=C9BIR7PwIpaqetvWrZIN&usg=AFQjCNG69Rcx3XpVJmBw0_zDV_zyf5clBg&sig2=xPWeJ2aokBLONmmVnC1X-g)
Greg Peterson
11-24-2007, 9:06 PM
When I purchase a new TS, a riving knife is a must. Not a negotiable item.

Redesigning the TS and retooling the manufacturing process is time consuming and resource intensive. The alternative is to cede the market to companies that recognize the growing demand for the riving knife.

A riving knife isn't the end all, be all, safety item for sure. But it is clearly superior to the splitter, in performance and convenience of use.
Greg Pavlov
11-24-2007, 10:54 PM
.......And here:

CPSC (http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/meetings/mtg07/tablesaws.pdf)

And here:

UL (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fifs.ul.com%2Fifr%2Fifr.nsf%2F0%2 F70E8BDA3446C1AEE48256FC6004C7014%2F%24FILE%2FSOR7 0E8BDA3446C1AEE48256FC6004C7014.doc&ei=C9BIR7PwIpaqetvWrZIN&usg=AFQjCNG69Rcx3XpVJmBw0_zDV_zyf5clBg&sig2=xPWeJ2aokBLONmmVnC1X-g)

If anyone doubted the influence of SawStop on this change of heart, the CPSC document should have ended it.
Dave Lehnert
11-24-2007, 11:25 PM
I don't know about new saws and regulations but I'm still using my Shopsmith 510 (1978) which has always had a riving knife...talk about industry catch-up:eek:

J.R.
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. And people give us heck about our Shop Smiths
Bart Leetch
11-25-2007, 1:15 AM
MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. And people give us heck about our Shop Smiths
Heckle Heckle Heckle Heckle:eek::):D... Oh heck go make something:D its only you that you have to please:D when it comes to the tools you have :D & use :D . Have lots of fun.:D:D:D
Chuck Burns
11-25-2007, 1:19 AM
When I purchase a new TS, a riving knife is a must. Not a negotiable item.

A riving knife isn't the end all, be all, safety item for sure. But it is clearly superior to the splitter, in performance and convenience of use.

Greg,

Gotta agree with you on the riving knife being non-negotiable. After having one on my SS I can't recomend buying any TS without one.
Steve Rowe
11-25-2007, 10:37 AM
I don't know about new saws and regulations but I'm still using my Shopsmith 510 (1978) which has always had a riving knife...talk about industry catch-up:eek:

J.R.


MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. And people give us heck about our Shop Smiths
Given that I have previously owned a 1980 vintage Shopsmith I disagree with these claims. The Shopsmith has a splitter just like most saws. The Shopsmith does not, nor has it ever had a riving knife.
Bill Bryant
11-25-2007, 11:06 AM
Given that I have previously owned a 1980 vintage Shopsmith I disagree with these claims. The Shopsmith has a splitter just like most saws. The Shopsmith does not, nor has it ever had a riving knife.

From the Shopsmith website:

"A European-style riving knife prevents the kerf from closing on the blade while twin cam-style pawls keep both halves of the cut from kicking-back."
John Ricci
11-25-2007, 11:08 AM
Given that I have previously owned a 1980 vintage Shopsmith I disagree with these claims. The Shopsmith has a splitter just like most saws. The Shopsmith does not, nor has it ever had a riving knife.

You must have had a model 500 which uses a splitter. My machine is a model 510 which uses a riving knife. Don't make me scan the parts diagram to prove it:D.

J.R.
John Thompson
11-25-2007, 12:04 PM
Third that Jamie Buxton is correct...

All new saws designed after January 2008 will have to have a riving knife. Any existing design carries the grand-father clause till I believe 2014 (?) as Jamie mentioned...

My source is Scott Box, vice president of Steel City Toolworks as I ask the specific question while he was helping me install a new fence on my SC jointer at my shop.

And no... I don't work for or have any affilliation with SC other than I know them.. am very familar with their line of tools and I was asked to do some field testing strickly as a non paid consumer which I am!

Sarge..