My Riving Knife Too High?

[Gary_S]

Making a cross-cut sled today, the far wall of the sled will have to be very high to accommodate this riving knife. We've looked at youtube videos and it seems that ours is higher than anyone else's.

Any ideas for best solution. Obviously I don't want not to have a knife.

This knife cannot be lowered.

 

[marcros]

the options are to modify the sled somehow or to make a new knife that is shorter. This involves making an alternative means of attaching the guard. The advantage of this is that it will also allow you to make non-through cuts. you need to look at suva style guards, but there are other options, like to incorporate one into your sled, or have a magnetic one.

the quickest method is probably to attach a piece of tall ply just where the saw cuts through the fence on the sled- it is only to hold the two halves together so can be the other side of any reference surface.

For cross cutting, in a domestic workshop (ie not trade), the risk of using no knife are minimal- it is rip cuts against a long fence that have a risk or tension pinching the blade. The bigger danger is using it for cross cutting, and then needing to do a rip cut. Because it is only one quick cut, you don't bother refitting the knife...

 

[MattRoberts]

What saw is it? I had the same problem with my SB10. I took the knife out, and used a metal blade in the jigsaw to extend your the throat in the knife to allow me to lower it

 

[heimlaga]

I can see quite a bit of air between the knife and the blade. It seems like yoy either use a knife intended for another saw or a slightly too small blade.

I am an advocate of installing a big enough blade and cutting down the riving knife so it doesn't protrude above the top of the blade. With this type of setup you will hardly ever have to remove the knife. A safety device is more efficient when it is installed on the machine than when it is laying in a corner.
I don't agree with Marcros...... I have had a few kickbacks and the knife has saved me from many more so I don't want to saw without a riving knife.

 

[Gary_S]

The knife came with the saw, an ex demo from Axminster. The model os AW10BSB2. I don't cut a lot of panels but today for instance made two lengthways cuts down a sheet of 2.4m Ply so I do think I need a knife.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tr ... h-ax884465

 

[MattRoberts]

Yeah, so it's the same as mine (despite me misspelling it earlier!). Just remove the knife, then use a jigsaw to follow the curve cut another inch or so