I have an old table saw that I really like, but the fence is long gone and it never had a blade guard and riving knife or splitter. What can I make or where can I find resources for those safety items?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “table saw riving knife aftermarket“
I learned about these table saw sleds maby 20 years ago, they are cheep and easy to make. I have several that are dedicated to doing special cuts for instance I made one that can take a 4×8 sheet of plywood turning my table saw in to a panel saw, another cuts box joints and dadoes, and another has an adjustable leg for base board and crown. The options are endless they make life worth living. I have a $500.00 fence that is collecting dust on top of a cabinet in my shop, I think its still there haven’t seen it in q while.
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As a 50 year woodworking with a lot of tool experience, my first response would be no, this is not a practical solution. I’ve found that buying aftermarket parts for old power tools is both expensive and ineffective. If you can find a local craftsman/metal workder who can fabricate these items for you, this might be a workable solution, but your chances of finding these items at a reasonable cost are pretty slim. I think you’d also find that the performance and safety advantages you’d gain with a newer, good quality saw would give you a much more satisfying solution. If cost is a big hurdle, check out second hand resources like craigslist, offer up and the like. You mig…
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I had a Beaver (Canadian Delta) that was at least 40 years old. I build an excellent fence myself using Uni-Strut and some aluminum angle bar using some plans from Fine Woodworking :
On my next saw, a 30 year old Delta Unisaw, I added an aftermarket fence I bought for a few hundred dollars.
I hate saw guards and riving blade, so that’s not a problem.
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I hear you, I have a 1972 Rockwell contractors saw and I love it. Super good fence system but the riving knife and blade guard wear long gone before I got it.
I plan on fabricating a new riving knife, on my saw it will be easy. Although I might go with a splitter instead, there are some aftermarket splitters that might bolt on to my (and your) saw.
Fabricating a blade guard is a lot harder. I think I’ll try to adapt a guard from some other saw. Ebay is about the only source for parts for mine and the prices are way out of reach.
Fabricating is difficult but start from where it (the original blade guard) attaches to the saw. If you can find pictures or parts diagrams of the original parts you might be able to more or less copy them.
If you do use your saw with out the guard keep your fingers FAR AWAY from the blade. Use push sticks and blocks ALWAYS! And plan your cuts, including where your hands will be at all times during the cut. Ignore EVERYTHING ELSE while you make a cut, from the time you turn on the saw till you turn it off and the blade stops turning.
Thank you for the question, I realize I’ve been getting too complacent about working with out the blade guard myself.
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Try ebay, if it was a reasonably well known saw used parts could show up there. Its possible you may even be able to find a part from a similar machine that could be adapted. Compare the size of the table with the size of other well known saws. A lot of older saws have had their fences replaced with aftermarket fences and you may find one close enough to work. A lot of aftermarket fences are designed to fit a variety of saws, I’m not a fan but that may be an option.
There are a few websites for antique machines. One that comes to mind is OWWM and I believe there is a classified section there. They tend to favor American made machinery so if it is an import you may not have much luck. There was a similar site with a similar name but I’m drawing a blank on what it was.
You may be able to build a fence, or have one built using angle iron. Keep in mind there needs to be a way to fine tune it to get it parallel with the blade.
I never saw the point in riving knifes so I would probably skip that. From what I understand it would need to be mounted perfectly in line with the blade and would need to stay inline with the blade even when it was tilted. Since your saw didn’t have this originally it may be headache to mount one in such a way that it is functional.
I remember some of the Deltas having a guard that mounted to the back of the saw and flipped completely out of the way when not needed. If you can find a picture that shows that kind of setup it should be fairly easy to mount a similar guard to a different saw, although it the motor is mounted behind the saw you may have to figure a way to work around that.
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Without a doubt, the older Craftsman table saws are decent tools and are considerably better than my little Delta contractor saw. For one, the Craftsman has a more powerful motor, allowing the saw to support using a dado stack. The short of it is that the saw has the potential to be a nice addition to my shop.
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Ever been sucker-punched by your tablesaw? You may know what I’m talking about: You’re happily sawing along when–BAM!–in a flash, the board you were ripping flies back and slams you in the gut. Worse yet, maybe you were carelessly feeding with your bare hand instead of using a pushstick, and the escaping board suddenly directs your fingers into the blade. Ouch! Or perhaps the wooden projectile just crashed through a shop wall. We’ve all heard the stories.
Whatever the case, don’t blame your saw for being temperamental. If it’s lashing out at you, it’s only because you’re not using it properly. Kickback is not a risk you have to learn to accept when using a tablesaw, since you can easily prevent this kind of misbehavior. By understanding the mechanics, you can counter the forces involved and maneuver your stock with assured safety.
Here, we’ll take a close look at why kickback happens and how you can prevent it by adjusting your tablesaw properly and outfitting it with an appropriate commercial or shop-made anti-kickback accessory. If you use a tablesaw, this is stuff you absolutely need to know.
About Our Author
Senior editor Paul Anthony is the author of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tablesaws (Taunton Press).
Understanding Kickback
When working at the tablesaw, there are two primary ways that a piece of wood can be thrown back at you. One is when a ripped strip–typically a narrow one–ejects rearward like an arrow from between the blade and the fence. This usually only happens if your pushstick slips off the stock. To avoid injury in this case, never stand directly behind a board being ripped, which is standard practice anyway.
The more common–and more dangerous–form of kickback is when the entire workpiece is thrown upward and backward at a fierce speed toward you. This has probably happened to anyone who has worked at a tablesaw for very long without a splitter. Unfortunately, few woodworkers understand what causes kickback because it happens so fast. But here’s what is going on:
As shown in Figure 1, applying pressure to opposing corners of a board causes it to rotate. During typical ripping, your pushstick applies forward pressure to the rear right-hand corner next to the fence, while the blade entering the work near the diagonally opposing corner applies rearward pressure. This causes the leading end of the board to wander over against the rising teeth at the rear of the blade. The teeth then carry the board up onto the spinning blade, launching it backwards.
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Without a doubt, the older Craftsman table saws are decent tools and are considerably better than my little Delta contractor saw. For one, the Craftsman has a more powerful motor, allowing the saw to support using a dado stack. The short of it is that the saw has the potential to be a nice addition to my shop.
Ever been sucker-punched by your tablesaw? You may know what I’m talking about: You’re happily sawing along when–BAM!–in a flash, the board you were ripping flies back and slams you in the gut. Worse yet, maybe you were carelessly feeding with your bare hand instead of using a pushstick, and the escaping board suddenly directs your fingers into the blade. Ouch! Or perhaps the wooden projectile just crashed through a shop wall. We’ve all heard the stories.
Whatever the case, don’t blame your saw for being temperamental. If it’s lashing out at you, it’s only because you’re not using it properly. Kickback is not a risk you have to learn to accept when using a tablesaw, since you can easily prevent this kind of misbehavior. By understanding the mechanics, you can counter the forces involved and maneuver your stock with assured safety.
Here, we’ll take a close look at why kickback happens and how you can prevent it by adjusting your tablesaw properly and outfitting it with an appropriate commercial or shop-made anti-kickback accessory. If you use a tablesaw, this is stuff you absolutely need to know.
About Our Author
Senior editor Paul Anthony is the author of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tablesaws (Taunton Press).
Understanding Kickback
When working at the tablesaw, there are two primary ways that a piece of wood can be thrown back at you. One is when a ripped strip–typically a narrow one–ejects rearward like an arrow from between the blade and the fence. This usually only happens if your pushstick slips off the stock. To avoid injury in this case, never stand directly behind a board being ripped, which is standard practice anyway.
The more common–and more dangerous–form of kickback is when the entire workpiece is thrown upward and backward at a fierce speed toward you. This has probably happened to anyone who has worked at a tablesaw for very long without a splitter. Unfortunately, few woodworkers understand what causes kickback because it happens so fast. But here’s what is going on:
As shown in Figure 1, applying pressure to opposing corners of a board causes it to rotate. During typical ripping, your pushstick applies forward pressure to the rear right-hand corner next to the fence, while the blade entering the work near the diagonally opposing corner applies rearward pressure. This causes the leading end of the board to wander over against the rising teeth at the rear of the blade. The teeth then carry the board up onto the spinning blade, launching it backwards.
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If it is a brand like Delta or Powermatic you can probably get replacement parts. If not throw it away before you lose a body part. Even the best equipped are dangerous and need lots if respect.
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