Sawstop Riving Knife

[John F. Gates]

Would it be wrong to position the RK to the "inside" of the blade (toward the fence) by a few thousanths? My thinking is that it would help keep the outfeed stock tight against the fence - increase cut quality and reduce upcut marks on piece.

On my former saw (Delta Unisaw) I had a "splitter that was greater than the 1/8" blade kerf...thus it would literally "split" the wood toward the fence - and away from the outside of the blade! It left no marks and kept the stock tight against the fence.

Thanks!

John

[Patrick McCarthy]

I am sure others, much smarter than me, will chime in, but I would be hesitant to make any adjustment that would introduce any tension, especially since it would want to pivot -however slightly- the tail or last part of the piece going thru thru the cut.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi John, yes it would be a bad idea.

The correct setup for ripping solid wood is to have the fence end just past the start of the blade, as the only thing a longer fence can contribute is a problem if the wood moves due to internal tension.

Your riving knife should be centered in the kerf, and be the correct width for the saw plate.

You can make a short fence for your bies type fence by simply clamping a piece of MDF or ply to it, ending just past the start of the blade.

Regards, Rod.

[lowell holmes]

http://www.wordsnwood.com/2002/split...w-splitter.jpg

This what I use. It is cheap and very effective.

[J.R. Rutter]

Easy experiment with the SS...

[Simon MacGowen]

Would it be wrong to position the RK to the "inside" of the blade (toward the fence) by a few thousanths? My thinking is that it would help keep the outfeed stock tight against the fence - increase cut quality and reduce upcut marks on piece.

On my former saw (Delta Unisaw) I had a "splitter that was greater than the 1/8" blade kerf...thus it would literally "split" the wood toward the fence - and away from the outside of the blade! It left no marks and kept the stock tight against the fence.

Thanks!

John

Great question.

I am very qualified to answer your question because I have had experience with the SS RK under three settings: 1) aligned with the left side of the blade as recommended in the SS manual (the setting used at my own shop when SS was bought 10 yrs or so), 2) aligned with the right side (i.e. towards the fence) (my current setup for about 3 or 4 yrs), and 3) a few thous (2 or 3?) more towards the fence (shop at work).

Quick answer: #3 can cause a stock to rub against the RK and the fence after the stock passes through the rear teeth, meaning pushing the stock is less smooth and harder.

#2 is my choice of setup because it "appears" to give cleaner cuts. Remember the RK is not a flat piece of steel from front to back, The front is narrow than the body. So the stock does not catch the RK under #2 as it might under #3 sometimes.

Simon

[Dan Rude]

I have been using Jessums clear-cut table saw guides, http://www.jessemdirect.com/product_p/04301.htm to accomplish this. I may experiment with #2 above, though. Dan

[jack duren]

Would it be wrong to position the RK to the "inside" of the blade (toward the fence) by a few thousanths? My thinking is that it would help keep the outfeed stock tight against the fence - increase cut quality and reduce upcut marks on piece.

On my former saw (Delta Unisaw) I had a "splitter that was greater than the 1/8" blade kerf...thus it would literally "split" the wood toward the fence - and away from the outside of the blade! It left no marks and kept the stock tight against the fence.

Thanks!

John

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[Simon MacGowen]

I have been using Jessums clear-cut table saw guides, http://www.jessemdirect.com/product_p/04301.htm to accomplish this. I may experiment with #2 above, though. Dan

The J guide is indeed very effective saving the need for featherboards, but its main drawback is with handling narrower stock. You also can't use it for resawing.

It is best for cutting large sheet stock. In the old days, it was quite a task to cut a long, wide sheet, trying to hold it tight against the fence.

Simon

[Johnny Barr]

The J guide is indeed very effective saving the need for featherboards, but its main drawback is with handling narrower stock. You also can't use it for resawing.

It is best for cutting large sheet stock. In the old days, it was quite a task to cut a long, wide sheet, trying to hold it tight against the fence.

Simon

Don't quite agree with that. I use the J S guides for nearly every rip. When it gets narrower than about 2-1/2" I use a magswitch featherboard on the infeed but still use a single J guide for the outfeed provided its inside the kerf. Once that happens I use a Grripper. They are one of the best safety devices I've got because all you have to think about is pushing, not holding down. With the use of a long thin push stick my hands and body are no where near the blade. You are right about resawing.

Back to the topic, I just checked my Sawstop PCS and the left of the RK is aligned with the blade but the cuts are good so as it says above "don't fix it"

[Simon MacGowen]

Don't quite agree with that. I use the J S guides for nearly every rip. When it gets narrower than about 2-1/2" I use a magswitch featherboard on the infeed but still use a single J guide for the outfeed provided its inside the kerf. Once that happens I use a Grripper. They are one of the best safety devices I've got because all you have to think about is pushing, not holding down. With the use of a long thin push stick my hands and body are no where near the blade. You are right about resawing.

Back to the topic, I just checked my Sawstop PCS and the left of the RK is aligned with the blade but the cuts are good so as it says above "don't fix it"

Your point about using a magswitch feather and a Grripper in your response affirms my observation that the J-guide indeed has its weaknesses in handling narrow strips, e.g. as narrow as 1/8". The rollers, one or two, get in the way especially when used with the SS dust blade guard, say, for stock down to 1" wide.

I am not saying the J-guide is not a helpful guide in both safety and ripping, which actually shines in ripping larger sheets. But its limitations in handling certain rip cuts do exist.

As for the RK alignments on the sawstop, it is NOT really about fixing, but about making adjustments that work best for the type of cuts or lumber you deal with. For example, when you use different RKs (black one (2.3mm?) vs the chrome one), you need to finetune ("fix") your RK.

One more thing, some people set the rear teeth of their sawblade a few thous (3 or 4) away from the fence side to prevent burn marks on the workpiece. In such circumstances, setting the RK in alignment with the left side of the blade is in effect reducing the effectiveness of the RK. I would definitely align the RK with the right side of the blade.

If you find your RK set-up good with the cuts you make, there is no fix -- whatever it is -- on the horizon.

Simon