Woodstock W1824 manual Riving Knife Installation, When to Use the Riving Knife

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Riving Knife

The riving knife works in the same manner as the
spreader on the blade guard assembly. It is a metal plate
that prevents the newly cut workpiece from pinching the		D`e`dld(dd
backside of the blade and causing kickback.			?\`^_k;`]]\i\eZ\
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The key difference between the spreader and the riving
knife is that the riving knife mounts below the blade's
highest point of rotation, as shown in Figure 43.			I`m`e^
The height difference between the riving knife and the			Be`]\
blade allows the workpiece to pass over the blade during
non-through cuts (those in which the blade does not cut
		Figure 43. Height difference between the
all the way through the thickness of the workpiece).
		riving knife and blade.
The riving knife acts as a barrier behind the blade to
reduce the risk of hands being pulled into the blade if a		Kfg;`jkXeZ\
kickback occurs.
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The riving knife must be spaced away from the blade, as		DXo`dld/dd
shown in Figure 44.
Riving Knife Installation				I`m`e^
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The riving knife is installed in a similar manner to the		D`e`dld*dd
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blade guard and spreader. Refer to Blade Guard Assembly
on Page 28 for installation instructions.			KXYc\
When to Use the Riving Knife		Figure 44. Allowable distance ranges
		between the riving knife and blade.
Use the riving knife for all non-through cuts made with a	When Not to Use the Riving Knife
standard table saw blade (i.e., dadoes or rabbet cuts, and
when using a tenoning jig), or when using a 10" diameter	Do not use the riving knife with a dado
dado blade.	blade that has a diameter smaller than 10"
Also, use the riving knife for those special operations	in diameter. Otherwise, the riving knife
	height will exceed the blade height and
where the blade guard or its components get in the way	the workpiece will hit the riving knife
of safe operation, such as with very narrow cuts.	during the cut, forcing the operator into
	a dangerous situation of trying to turn the
	saw off with the workpiece stuck halfway
	through the cut.

In addition, although it is possible to use the riving knife for through-cutting operations, the blade guard assembly offers much more injury protection and risk reduction than the riving knife. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you use the blade guard assembly instead of the riving knife when making through cuts.

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