Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Riving Knife Choice for Thin Kerf Blade on old Grizzly Table Saw

  1. #1

    Riving Knife Choice for Thin Kerf Blade on old Grizzly Table Saw

    EDIT: After further research, this model apparently didn't come standard with a riving knife, so I'll be going with something like THIS. If anyone has any further advice though i'd be very welcome to it.

    I inherited an old Grizzly 10" table saw Model G1023Z and it doesn't have a riving knife. It does have the mounting for one.

    I bought the following thin kerf blade, thinking it would be a good universal blade to start with.

    FREUD 10" 50T Thin Tooth Combo Blade


    Grizzly makes a Thin Kerf Riving knife that seems to be the correct specs for the blade, but i wanted to get a second opinion before ordering it.

    RIVING KNIFE

    Would this be the recommended route or should I look into MICROJIG's zero clearance peg system? Something else? It feels pretty sketchy doing any fence cuts without something there.


    Thanks for the assistance,
    Last edited by Eric Splittgerber; 10-28-2019 at 2:52 PM.

  2. #2
    What's the horsepower of that particular saw? If it's a 3HP saw you don't need to use a thin kerf blade - you can easily use a standard thickness blade.

    If you want to use a thin kerf blade for some other reason - or if the saw is very underpowered - you can make a riving knife from some proper thickness sheet steel. I made one for my SawStop for a special very thin blade that I occasionally use.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  3. #3
    It does look like it's 3HP, the thin kerf was, i guess, not necessary. However i just called Grizzly and they say that this model doesn't actually have the mounting hardware for a riving knife. so the empty bolt slot an inch or two past the blade must be something else.
    I'm going to go with the microjig splitter kit, and I guess just live with the thin-kerf blade until it needs replacing.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Posts
    968
    I've had good experiences mounting newer G1023 parts onto my venerable G1023 from the 90s.

    One other option is just to make your own. It's essentially a piece of metal with a couple of holes in it. You can get the metal from the hw store, shape it using a angle grinder, and drill a couple of holes.

  5. #5
    Mike, at this point it looks like i'd be investing in a new zero-clearance insert as well as the splitter kit. Both would need to be 'Thin Kerf' specific.
    Should i just ditch the new thin kerf blade i bought and start from scratch with a regular blade since i'm going to be getting these other addons anyway?

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Splittgerber View Post
    Mike, at this point it looks like i'd be investing in a new zero-clearance insert as well as the splitter kit. Both would need to be 'Thin Kerf' specific.
    Should i just ditch the new thin kerf blade i bought and start from scratch with a regular blade since i'm going to be getting these other addons anyway?
    I would use a regular thickness blade on the saw if it's 3HP. While a thin kerf can work fine, they can flex in cutting and that's why you have standard thickness blades.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  7. #7
    Thanks for the suggestion. I think i'll get a good quality standard combo blade then.

    So regarding the "lack of riving knife mounting hardware" that grizzly mentioned. I just took another look and what else can this be? It doesn't rise up or down with the depth of blade, but it does go side to side with the angle setting.

    https://imgur.com/gallery/LmTjuI5
    Last edited by Eric Splittgerber; 10-28-2019 at 3:32 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Ingleside, IL
    Posts
    1,417
    I used the microjig splitter for several years on an old Grizzly saw. Worked fine.
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Waterford, PA
    Posts
    1,225
    The mounting area you see is for the stock blade guard/splitter/anti-kickback pawls.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,280
    Go to Grizzly's site and do a search for your saw. Under documents it'll show a parts list. Make sure you scroll down and you'll see the splitter / blade guard and how it attaches.

    https://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g1023z_pl.pdf

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Lisa Starr View Post
    The mounting area you see is for the stock blade guard/splitter/anti-kickback pawls.
    Oh, perfect, thank you!

    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    Go to Grizzly's site and do a search for your saw. Under documents it'll show a parts list. Make sure you scroll down and you'll see the splitter / blade guard and how it attaches.

    https://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g1023z_pl.pdf
    That's really helpful! Do you think a riving knife could be safely attached to just the closer bolt? I don't have the splitter/guard.



    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Carey View Post
    I used the microjig splitter for several years on an old Grizzly saw. Worked fine.
    Ever run into any times where you didn't feel you could make an angled cut safely?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,280
    I'm in the middle of restoring a Powermatic 66 table saw that also has the splitter. It came from a counter top company and like most companies they didn't take care of it as well as they should have. On the powermatic saws that bolt shown in your second picture is adjustable (side to side) to line up the splitter with the blade. There's a second adjuster bolt on a block that mounts to the shaft that comes out the back of the saw. Because they didn't adjust it and it didn't line up they bent both of the tabs on the bottom part of the splitter. I think I can straighten it and make it correct again since you can no longer buy the part from Powermatic.

    Hopefully I didn't bore you too much but hopefully I gave you enough information so you can understand why I think the way I do. The riving knife stays close to the blade since it moves up and down with it so I think it can get away with being short. Since the splitter just tilts (always up) it's not very close when the blade is not raised very high so being a lot longer I think helps it be safer than trying to put a riving knife on a saw that was designed for a splitter. Also I have to believe that a saw designed for a riving knife must have a groove that it fits into so it can't tip forward and hit the blade. The splitter has two mounting points so even if the blts holding it in place come loose it shouldn't be able to hit the blade.

    For me, I'm going to look into seeing if I can mount the Grizzly splitter (since I can get it) on my Powermatic or just using mine as a template to make one. I know Biesemeyer made a splitter that looked like a riving knife that was easy to remove. I think it's been discontinued but you may be able to find a used one. The version for the Powermatic used the mounting bolt near the blade plus a second bolt (that you had to drill a hole for) so there was no way the knife could hit the blade. There may be other aftermarket options lik the shark guard (that has overhead dust extraction) that may work in your saw. It's different enough from mine.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •