Shopsmith Forums

The riving knife is a very important accessory for the table saw. I keep it mounted MOST of the time. However, just having a riving knife is not the end of story. The riving knife must be adjusted so that it is co-planar with the blade. In the past (I have made this adjustment by rtemoving the blade a lower saw guard, tweaking the adjustment screw and putting it all back together to check the adjustment. If I failed to tweak it properly (and I often do) the entire process needs to be done over again.

There is a better way .

By extending the quill with the blade and lower saw guard mounted, you have access to the adjustment screw. Loosen the lower saw guard (the clamp that secures the lower guard to the quill shaft), tweak the screw, secure the lower saw guard and check the blade to riving knife alignment.

I do this by carefully moving the rip fence so as to contact the riving knife and the blade. This must be done very gingerly so as to not influence either the blade location or the riving knife location. If they are equal distance away from the fence, you are done. Go make saw dust.
Unlike in Johns' shop, you will find saw dust every where in mine. This is not good but I don't have anyone to clean up after me. Therefore .....well what you see is what is there. Sawdust every where.

I think of this as a set it and forget it operation. I did it years ago and then that was it.

I use mainly thin kerf blades so the blade is getting close to the thickness of the knife, seem to remember .078" and the blades in the .098 region (actually some are less then this) so you only have about .020 to work with. I tried to get that with about half on each side.... visually not measured.

The 1/8 kerf blades of course have more room but I don't readjust for them. Since they are fixed to the hub side that seems to work just fine.

I normally don't even test for a problem but do a visual, I have caught myself not having the knob as tight as needed on the knife, or forgot to tighten but that some thing a visual inspection catches. A straight edge on the blade between the teeth can be used if need be, the body of the blade should clear the knife.......

Ed

If you do not have your riving knife properly located, you will know it very soon after you start ripping something. Either the knife will block the free travel of what you are cutting or it will bind as the work piece gets toward the rear of the table. Either should cause an "immediate stop condition".

Yes, once adjusted it should remain that way indefinitely as long as you do not change blade as maybe even then. I alternate between two lower saw guards so I have a little more of a problem.