Can you add a riving knife to an older table saw?

But if your table saw doesn’t come with one, fret not — with a little wherewithal you can add a riving knife to almost any table saw. Riving knives mitigate such catastrophes by preventing the stock from touching the blade as it rotates up out of the table.

What is a push stick used for?

Push sticks or push blocks should be used when operating standard woodworking machinery, including table saws, band saws, radial arm saws, jointer/planers and shapers. These sticks protect the hand while allowing good hand control of the stock as it is pushed through the cutting head or blade.

How do you keep a wooden fence tight on a table saw?

Use featherboards to hold wood against the fence for a straight cut. When it’s tough to keep a board aligned with the fence, pull out a featherboard for smooth, straight cuts. Featherboards have a series of wooden “fingers” that hold wood tightly against the saw fence.

Should riving knife be thicker than blade?

Richard Jones: The same thickness, or a tad more, as the blade plate, which is just a hair less than the saw kerf. Carol Reed: Riving knives are often tapered from front to back. The thickest part is slightly less than the thickness of your saw blade. In America, sheet metal splitters are the norm.

Is it safe to use a table saw to cut a fence?

The fence can also be pulled back behind the blade and used as a stop when crosscutting. The British Health and Safety Executive has some interesting publications regarding the safe use of table saws and other woodworking equipment.

Can you put an aftermarket fence on a craftsman table saw?

You can always put the aftermarket fence on another saw if/when you replace the Craftsman. To check how true the arbor is, you need a feeler gauge. Mount it to the table and measure to the saw blade. The more consistent the measurement around the blade, the more true the arbor. (The blade must be true as well.)

How much is an old craftsman table saw worth?

I had an old Craftsman saw with the cast iron table. It was worth about $100. The fence did not self-align to parallel with the blade and had to be measured at both ends before tightening the clamp. It was worth an extra $35 to add a cheap self-aligning fence.

What attachments do I need for a table saw fence?

If you use longer bolts you will run into the underlying rip fence and cause the auxiliary fence to warp or distort. So the first thing I recommend as an attachment to the ultimate table saw fence are feather boards.