Riving knife

[murphy]

I have started making end grain chopping boards to use up a lot of off-cuts I have, something like this https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/160..._custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiAw6yuBhDrARIsACf94RWTy49lw
There is a lot of cutting and glueing and then more cutting, so I was thinking of getting a thinner kerf saw blade, my blades are 3.2 and 2.6 kerf, I have a Bosch GTS10 Table saw, and the riving knife is 2.3, what blade would be best, what is the thinnest blade I can get, and if I need a different riving knife are they available to buy or do I have to make one, and if so what material is best

 

[Spectric]

Thinner Kerf blades are often used on cordless tools and on a machine like your GTS10 I cannot see any benefit as it is mains powered and then making a riving knife is just adding work and modifying a decent saw for no perceivable reason. What are you expecting to achieve?

 

[murphy]

Thinner Kerf blades are often used on cordless tools and on a machine like your GTS10 I cannot see any benefit as it is mains powered and then making a riving knife is just adding work and modifying a decent saw for no perceivable reason. What are you expecting to achieve?

Yes Spectric, thanks maybe you are right, I started with a glued-up board 440 wide in 25mm strips and by the time I recut and glued about 4 times I had 380mm, I suppose if I make the boards a bit wider to start with, it would be a lot easier, I am trying to figure out the maths, like what width to start with to get a certain finished size, I will get there?

 

[Spectric]

You just need to take into account the kerf of the blade, each required piece will be the size plus kerf or make sure you are cutting to the correct side of the blade. Also in some cases to get ones head around a problem either do a simple sketch or use a 2D cad package and draw the problem which often makes things more obvious.

 

[artie]

Do people actually pay £288..30 for a chopping board and a further £105.02 for delivery.?

Without a juice groove.

 

[Cobbs]

Do people actually pay £288..30 for a chopping board and a further £105.02 for delivery.?

Without a juice groove.

About 15 years ago, I knew a woman who paid £60 for a washing up bowl! She was a bit mental though...

 

[murphy]

About 15 years ago, I knew a woman who paid £60 for a washing up bowl! She was a bit mental though...

Do people actually pay £288..30 for a chopping board and a further £105.02 for delivery.?

Without a juice groove.

That was a surprise to me as well, but he is American? And he has sold 1 at least

 

[Sachakins]

A riving knife should be thicker than the blade base, and less than blade kerf, see diagram below

 

[Sachakins]

If you want to save wood on the cut, you would be better using a band saw, which give smalles possible kerf of saw blades.

 

[Sideways]

my blades are 3.2 and 2.6 kerf, I have a Bosch GTS10 Table saw, and the riving knife is 2.3, what blade would be best, what is the thinnest blade I can get

Basic facts of riving knives:
The kerf of the blade needs to be wider than the thickness of the riving knife so the knife isn't trying to force the cut wood further apart.
The plate thickness of the blade needs to be thinner than the thickness of the riving knife otherwise stresses in the wood might make it pinch shut on the blade causing a kickback.
That's what the riving knife is there to stop. The wood will pinch on the riving knife not on the blade which will take hold of it and try to beat you with it.
Notionally the riving knife will be the average of the plate and kerf thicknesses but there's some leeway. If the sizes aren't right, then there's a serious accident waiting to happen.
The riving knife and the blade also need to be lined up correctly, not offset sideways, so you can't just swap out both blade and riving knife without adjusting that.

If you don't know the thickness of the riving knife and the plates of all your blades, buy a digital caliper and measure them all.
A good blade will have the thickness of both the plate and the kerf etched on it along with diameter, bore and number of teeth.

@Sachakins beat me to it

 

[murphy]

Thank you Sachakins, I have recently bought a new Record Power Bandsaw BS350, but I have not spent time setting it up yet, I have got some blades from Tuff saws, and I am waiting for some new top roller guides to be delivered, so I will try that, but will the cut be good enough for a good glue joint

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[murphy]

Basic facts of riving knives:

Thank you Sideways

 

[johnnyb]

Whilst it does stop pinching at the rear(oooer) I always think its there to prevent stuff turning and getting picked up by the rear teeth and hurled back.

 

[frankederveen]

Do people actually pay £288..30 for a chopping board and a further £105.02 for delivery.?

Without a juice groove.

These are much more expensive: https://www.krisdevo.com/devos-wood...ce-groove-desnb-yktr9-zjwfb-629p7-5cl93-t6yly

He has a YouTube channel where he shows what is involved in making them and it is both a lot of work and requires a fair bit of machinery.



I found it enjoyable to watch from his start in a garage to a big workshop; must have been quite an investment.

 

[hlvd]

It’s the pinching that causes that as well.