Table saw riving knife suggestions

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EricRN

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May 16, 2019
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Does anyone have any good suggestions for a riving knife that will fit the Dewalt dwe7491 and be thick enough for a full kerf blade? I'm switching over to a higher need blade and the stock riving knife is too thin (the blade that came on the saw appears to be 3/32 kerf) for a full kerf blade.

maybe I shouldnt be running a full kerf blade on a job site saw. But 1.75 horses ought to be able to handle it (after all, didn't folks run full kerf blades on 1 hp saws back in the day?) and I'd rather have the rigidity without the need for stabilizers.

but I can't find a riving knife that will fit the full kerf saw and I don't feel comfortable using the saw without one.
 
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Curly

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You'll probably have to pull off the original and make a pattern of it in thicker steel and make your own. If you have access to CNC lasers, plasma cutters, wateriest or milling machines you could make yourself several otherwise it is grinder, drill, and file work.
 

lorbay

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Try Micro Jig brand splitters...they have different sizes (thin to full kerf) that might do what you need.
I have a set of these and they work great, as my old table saw never came with a riving knife.
Lin
 

jttheclockman

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The riving knife matches the thickness of the body of the blade and not the teeth. If the blade is the same thickness in the body then the riving knife you have is sufficient. measure the plate of each blade and not the teeth. Tablesaw knowledge is valuable. Just a point of view not all manufacturers measure HP the same way. That HP rating may not be correct. THESE ARE MY OWN KNOWLEDGABLE points. So take it for what it is worth. If you need stabilizers on that saw then you may have runout in the arbor. Sharp teeth will compensate for thinness. If you are pushing large stock through I suggest a better suited thin kerf blade. It will be less work and less wear on that saw. Possible you are using the wrong type blade and not wrong thickness.
 
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jttheclockman

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Not sure if that saw has an induction motor or a universal motor. If it has brushes than it is a universal motor and the HP is less because it requires more amps than an induction motor which is a more truer HP rating. Can get into all the heat losses and specs of both but that is the jist when I say all motors HP ratings are not the same. Also within the universal motor world companies lie to boast their ratings. Not sure any of this helps but I would look again at the blades being used and for what duty.
 

EricRN

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Thanks. IT definitely has a universal motor so maybe the 1.75 hp aren't as advertised. Either way, I'm thinking that the easier and best bet here is to simply get a 3/32 kerf blade that will fit the riving knife that I have.

I know I"m not using the right blade now. It's the 24-tooth blade that came with the saw when I bought it--a dewalt saw designed for contracting, not fine woodworking. I've been getting a lot of tear out on crosscuts and had a hell of a time ripping some 2 inch hard maple. It cut it--just very slow.

I've been eyeing a nice hi-ATB combo blade to handle crosscuts and rips 3/4 or less, and was going to get a dedicated ripping blade to handle the thicker rips.

I would like to go full kerf, thinking that the blade would last me a lifetime and I could slap it on a new saw. (If I can ever find the space and the money, I'd like to get a 3 HP cabinet saw.) But I don't know when (or if) that new saw will ever materialize and I suppose if I can find the money for a 3 HP cabinet saw, I can find the money to buy some full kerf blades to go with it.

So, all that's to say, I guess I'll stay with the thin kerf set-up I have and get an upgraded thin kerf blade. Seems to be what folks and the manufacturer recommend for the saw, and saves me the hassle of having to find a riving knife to match. (The microjig set up looks pretty nifty. Thanks for the recs on those. I might get them anyway. But they have the downside of only handling 90-degree cuts. If I tilt the blade at all, I'm without any protection from kickback, which makes me nervous.)
 

howsitwork

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Sounds lame you need a choice of blades as the one you have maybe blunt or clogged with resin?
I made a low level splitter for mine and made sure the splitter was the SAME thickness as the body of the blade as per John's advice above. Only use it occasionally as I prefer the blade guard over the blade ( which attaches to the splitter at the back) for safety.

To get resin off the blade, oven cleaner works or even soaking it in diesel for a short while.
 

jttheclockman

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I have a contractor saw that is 1-12hp and use nothing but thin kerf blades. I have various thin kerf for segmenting but they make ripping and crosscut as well as combo thin kerf. I use Freud blades and mostly Diablo now but hey are good quality. i do have some full size over prized big name blades and they are no better than the freuds. If that is a universal motor than no way is it 1-1/2 hp. Lucky if it is 3/4hp if compared. They are made for job sites and rough construction but with some finesse you could set up sleds and use a good quality blade and do very well with it.
 
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