I had an idea I want to present. Someone may have already thought of it, but I have never seen it. I use a home-made crown gaurd and riving knife and rip comfortably to 1 1/4″. I have to take off the crown below that width. The riving knife is still attached as would be your splitter on a saw not equipped with a RK.
I use a 1/2″ wide Shoe Push by Vermont American (HD $7) as this has a handle over the shoe that is located about 5″ from the base. My hand is up on a narrow rip, but there is nothing between it and the blade. Several days ago the light bulb came on in my mind.
A hand-guard like on a sword below the handle that rides above the blade. Cut a 2″ horizonal slot in push shoe and a 2″ slot in a piece of 4″ x 6″ clear Lexan. Inserted into the 1/4″ slot of shoe. Left 2″ to right of gaurd and 4″ to left over the blade. Now I have a gaurd over the blade as I pass over it at the end of a cut. Not fixed, but if my hand were to be jerked toward the blade, the see through Lexan shied will hopefully deflect it away upon impact.
I also came up with what I call a bridge gaurd behind the saw. Upward kick is un-gaurded till the stock goes under the bridge. A chance I take without it anyway. But, once it goes under the bridge, I now have an improvised crown gaurd for longer rips.
I made 20 5/8″ rips this morning using this method. I have never felt more comfortable with this narrow a rip before. Hope someone feels this a better way on narrow rips as I do. Would like your thoughts, pro and con. Show me where I,ve gone wrong as my safety is at stake!! Thanks…
sarge..jt
Replies
Evening Sarge,
Pictures are hard to decifer. Would it be possible for you to mail me pictures? Your crown guard looks extremely safe and well designed. I think you should pitch it to Leonard Lee of Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas r and d to take to production. What does it attach to?
Are you using a thin kerf rip blade? Night and day difference and that much safer. It also appears your blade is more than 1/8 to 1/4 above your material.
Have you considered a power feeder? There is a Fine Woodworking article that inspired me to pick up a 3 phase used power feeder for 300 bucks.( BTW I made a 3 phase convertor but more on that later)
I do production runs of lignum litae 4"wide x6" long and x 400 pieces. Used to hand bomb but now I set up the power feeder and let er rip. You have to watch it like a hawk but it feeds the pieces completely through the saw better than by hand. The guy who wrote the article uses it for every shop operation he possibly can.
silver
silver
The riving knife is mounted to the guide plate on the front of the locker bracket. (And now you know..ha). The saw is a highly modified Ryobi BT3000. It was designed with a riving knife that moves up and down with the blade as the (won't use that word) expensive saws that come from foreign places.
How is the Uni-saw splitter set up? On the guard assembly or mounted on the rear of throat plate? If behind the throat plate how tall is it and how wide? Explain latter..
Yes, I use thin-kerfs almost always with a 5" CMT stiffner. The saw is 1 1/2 HP. You do see the blade set that high as I did it after the cut for clarity. Using an old one-step poloroid and had to put 2000 watts of yellow light on saw to get that good of a shot. I cut with about 3/4 of a tooth showing.
As for as Lee Valley, I would have to figure a design to mount the crown on various saws such as Delta, Power-matic, Jet, etc. They have splitters. That's why I ask about the splitter on the Uni-saw you have. Seems to me there's about and 1 1/2" lip on the back of the saw that could be utilized for a bracket to mount a riving knife. Once you have the riving knife, a crown is easily mounted to the top of it. Just a thought, will have to take a look at some major U.S. saws to see if worth the pursuit.
I don't make any production runs as this is just a passion to me, not a living. The power-feeder would cost as much as my saw. ha..ha.. What are you making with the ligumvitae. That is some major hard wood. Ha...They use to use it for bushings on the drive-shaft of ship's propellers years ago. (I read). I only have $280 in the saw. Bought it in a yard sale as junk. Have done many modifications since I got it..
If you will e-mail me your school address and attention whom, I will mail you the pictures as you could see much clearer. I will attach to e-mail also to see if that works.
sarge..jt
Sarge,
My unisaw has a bolt and retainer behind and in line with the blade about 2"down from the table. Must be where the old guard attached but I threw that out when I bought the saw several years ago. In my own shop I'm a bit hardcore. No guard,no splitter...just a sharp thin kerf ripblade,a zero clearance insert and uncommon sense.
Your crown guard looks promising. The guard thread inspired me to try to put a user friendly guard on the tablesaw in my shop and then I'll have a better idea how to replace the overhead guards at the college.
The shipyard drops off 400# of lignum vitae a few times a year and I make it into bearing blocks to line the shaft tubes for the propellers on the huge lakers. The owners still specify lignum vitae because it wears extremely well. It is so dense it doesn't float.
silver
silver
Just ready to sign off. I had read about the lignumvitae being used for that. Also had an old WWII naval man confirm. Now I know someone that actually uses it for commercial ship usuage.
Will e-mail pictures tomorrow with assist from the First Lady. She's MIS. I'm DUMB ! ha ...Have a good evening..BTW, guessing your around one the Great Lakes?
sarge..jt
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