I work with my dad’s 1980s Grizzly saw. There is no riving knife, and I could not find a solution from Grizzly. Last week I had a piece of wood kick back and blow out a divided lights window. Scary, and I’ll be finding glass in my yard for years. Stumbled across this video today and just built two inserts for different dimensions. Will be feeling much better using that saw now. Thanks very much for this video. Huge help!
That makes perfect sense. You are without a doubt my go to for woodworking info. There are some great channels out there but you are the best. Rex Krueger is awesome too. And Paul sellers is my hand tool guy. That's the trinity. Much appreciated! God knows how many accidents you've prevented. Keep it up!
Hi Stumpy, greetings from Iron Mountain. When using the pattern-routing method, you can first create a TIGHT-fitting throatplate by wrapping the edges of your original throatplate with masking tape or electrical tape until it fits tightly, and THEN do your pattern routing.
This is the first I have ever seen of ripping the insert from the end instead of raising the blade up to cut through and I think its genius! Thank You Sir!
I have been making zero-clearance inserts for 40+ years and learned early on that you need one additional feature: HOLES. Especially if you have a cabinet saw with a vacuum attachment. I drill about 10 each ½" holes on each side of and about an inch away from the kerf. This allows air to flow and keeps the saw dust to a minimum.
@@the-wooden-beard Sounds holier than Swiss, but also seems to be a good idea if implemented in moderation. It's likely that just four or five 1/2" holes in the throat plate would prove sufficient, and most of us will already have put one hole in it to make it easier to pull it out of the saw's top plate.
I recommend you add a “clip” under the leading edge of the insert to prevent it from rising and being caught by the blade, causing kickback. It can be a simple L-shaped piece of wood that catches under the saw table and helps hold down the leading edge. After a kickback incident I have added this feature to all my inserts. I thoroughly enjoy your informative and entertaining videos. Keep up your good work.
@@paulgreblick Attach a narrow (an inch or so) piece of wood to the bottom of the insert that protrudes slightly ahead of the leading edge. After adding this, you install your insert into the opening with the leading edge first, slipping the newly attached wood "clip" under the saw table before dropping the back edge in place. (You may have to shim the clip where it attaches to the insert to get it to fit the underside of your saw table.) The leading edge of the insert can no longer lift straight up and out of the table if it gets tangled up in a kickback scenario.
Make a tight fitting MDF or hardboard template of your table saw opening before you start making the actual insert. Then you can cut and flush trim pieces for additional inserts if and when you need them. Great video. This is the best of the splitter videos I have seen.
Thanks for sharing this knowledge. I'm a new woodworker here in Africa. I just got a job site 10" table saw and have been looking for ways to improve the quality of cuts I make off of it. You just gave me one. I'll give it a go. Your videos have been really helpful.
I have an old table saw and was about to buy some after market splitters for the inserts but was teetering on the cost of them. Instead of shopping online I searched for them and BOOM there you were to not only show how to make the splitter but make a better insert. For this sir I will be looking for more of your videos. Thank you so much!
I've had my table saw since 1973. It came with the old style splitter guard, that you have to take off every time you do a cut that isn't a through cut. And, as like most folks, mine has gotten 'lost' over the years. This is a great way to make both a zero clearance insert, and add a splitter at the same time. Looks like I have my project for this evening. THANKS! I've never had a 'problem' with my saw.. but am the first to admit that's do to luck and a low powered saw as much as 'skill'.
This is so practical and helpful. There are a million videos on table saw inserts already, but you managed to make this one both innovative and remarkably simple amongst the crowd. Nice job James. I will definitely make a few of these.
This is a particularly good video, among a series of excellent ones. That's due to a combination of factors: an important and valuable topic that doesn't get much treatment, a very thoughtfully scripted presentation, and then - I don't quite know how to describe it - a kind of happiness and contentment that really shines through. There's never a moment wasted in these videos, and that's something else I especially value about them. You manage to resist the temptation we all face: to build toward a dramatic reveal or punchline at the expense of slightly, unconsciously, neglecting the rest of the presentation. When you treat every moment as valuable, there's more total payload of information, and I for one can really feel the difference.
Great stuff, again. I’ve been doing something similar and it really is the best solution I’ve found (50 years +). You can also make one to fit when you are cutting grooves. You can’t do that with any commercial roving knife. That hot glue idea is genius - I always learn something new here:-)
I love how you carefully plan-out what you are going to do and the thoroughness of what you are presenting. You explain the how's and the why's in great detail...Thank you
Best video on woodworking. Table saw accidents are the vast majority of all serious woodworking accidents. This will eliminate nearly all of them. I am in your debt. Floyd
I LOVE all of your tutorials. They are obviously well prepared and delivered. Your industry is greatly appreciated. You are my GO TO when I have to make a woodworking decision... blades, forstner bits, etc. Thank you from all of us who are starting out with our diy projects and need pertinent advice.
This is perfect, just what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing! I've recently gotten into woodworking and started a channel devoted to making things. Very quickly I realized all of the improvements I needed to start making and zero clearance inserts was one of them. Also, I had no idea those center finder rulers existed so I promptly purchased one from the link. Hopefully it helps support your channel! Thanks again!
Centre measuring ruler, another thing I didn’t know existed, I’ve so needed one of these. Love your channel but it’s costing me money for the accessories I’ve not known existed and want to improve my wood working.
Thank you for this video, I have my dads old table saw and it didn't come with a riving knife. After watching your table saw safety videos I haven't used it yet until I make a splitter for it and this video will help.
Thank you for this. I find most of the "tips for...) videos to be interesting but not necessarily useful. This one is one's different. I've been tuning up my old Makita table saw and rolling ideas around in my head for doing this very thing. You've provided me with my answer.
I'm a newbie to woodworking and I really appreciate your tutorials. This one comes very handy as I was thinking to make a zero clearance insert and I was unaware of the split implications you clearly showed me. Thanks!
same here, im very new to woodworking and time again i find myself listening to stumpys knowledge...im subscribing. Thanks for showing us some really good stuff. you do great vids. appreciated.
The zero clearance is much more important than the splitter. While a splitter might be nice to have, many of us have worked over 50 years without one. I don't think anyone had even seen one till the 70s. Any saw that came into my dads shop the splitter and the blade guard were the first things to go in the trash. And the first thing made was a zero clearance insert.
I've made most of my inserts using 1/2" MDF, since it is exactly the right thickness for my saw and is nice and flat if you don't let it get damp. I made mine by pattern routing around the original insert, which fit well enough, but the very next step was to drill that finger hole so I could remove them! I normally finish them with 3-4 coats of shellac - about a 1 lb cut - and they wear well and don't absorb moisture. If the finish seems to be wearing through it just takes another wipe to freshen it up, since shellac bonds to old shellac. You can even wax over it to make them as slick as the cast-iron top. None of mine have splitters because I made them long ago, but I'm planning on adding some because as I get older I feel less and less indestructible.
Very glad I am watching your video on safety and how to use a splitter. I am planning on making my own table saw and install a splitter . Since there will be practically no clearance can i just extend the cut and insert a splitter? Thank you again !!!!!!
This just made my saw more relevant again. It doesn't have a splitter but I was not too worried about it kicking back because I've found it stalls out if it binds too much. BUT, ripping a 2x4 down the middle, if it's long enough, sometimes forces me to jam a flat head screwdriver into the cut side as I feed it through, to make sure it doesn't stall out the saw. THIS video shows me what I need to do with this saw!
I have plans to make zero clearance insert so this vid fits in nicely. Saw has no splitter knife. It came with one on the guard and yes it sucks and is on a shelf somewhere. Putting that baby in the insert is perfect. Thank you.
I'm always impressed with your "work around" suggestions. Some of them I've known but many others are pure genius. Do you figure them out by yourself or do you have help? The trick of hot glue and the support strips to set the depth is great! I was wondering how you were going to do that from the first mention of making the insert thinner than the throat hole. Thanks for giving such great and free tips!
James, I have tried multiple inserts. All with little or no success. Yours is the first that really works, especially the leveling part. Thanks for an excellent tutorial and a great problem solver. - South Africa
Cmon now Stump. I'm a mechanical Engineer. I want to point out that Hot Glue as a shim is ridiculous.... I will eventually figure out why it is, because right now I have nothing....but eventually... Yeah. Okay. I got nothing. It's a brilliant idea. Thanks for the throat plate. Just bought a brand new Table Saw..so of course I am in need of some brand new Throat Plates. Cheers, and keep them coming.
I would do these with set screws, threaded into a tight hole with rubber cement They won't back out, won't move, are adjustable when you want them to be, and are durable.
Well, if we want to get technical, I would add threaded inserts, then the set screws, and make sure they were only in the three pads farthest from each other while ensuring the plate itself had very little deflection For a very quick throat plate, what Stumpy did is more than adequate in my opinion.
It remains permanently adjustable for a very long time without the threaded inserts, and I didn't think James would've put this much work into a "quick" insert.
I made a lot of inserts for my Delta table saw before I changed to a Saw Stop. I used set screws. I don’t remember if I tapped the holes for the set screws now but one can simply drill a hole that works tightly on the set screws.
About 10 years ago I bought my brother in law's Delta contractor saw with Unifence when he downsized his business. It languished in an inaccessible corner of the garage until now, I finally dragged it into the shop area. Don't know how old it is, I think he had it for a while. No splitter, thanks for your design! I also haven't located the original throat plate, so I guess I'm using custom plates all the way. I'm saving this video!!!
Wow. I don't think I picked up more cool tips in any other video including those that call themselves shop tips. I'm going to have to watch this a few more times.
Wow! This is awesome! I had to make a zero clearance replacement throat plate for my Kobalt 10' jobsite saw. (Yeah, I know it's not a SawStop...but it's what I could afford to get started) I still need to make a few more throat plates for the saw, including one for a dado stack. Thanks for taking the time to film, edit and share your knowledge with us. :-)
Been using my same Table saw (Grizzly G1023) since 1983 without any sort of accident without the Riving blade. However I see the merit to this being much safer. Love this video. Thank you for making my shop a safer place.
Good afternoon, I always appreciate your videos and I love the teaching aspect. I also appreciate that you respond to all the comments and that you read all the comments and pay attention.. My question today is that I am picking up a powermatic 66. It is obviously an old school machine and will not have a proper arriving knife or splitter. I am looking at using the MJ splitter as you have shown in your videos previously. I just wanted to see if you knew of anything that would be a better fit for the powermatic 66.
Well i spent an afternoon making inserts, drilling and tapping to adjust these,finally tried your hot glue trick, well i am now a convert brilliant idea.
Y'know, I've been hunting the globe for a knife to fit my old saw. The simplicity and obviousness of this solution is as staggering as it is brilliant. Thank you for sharing. Also, the hot glue shims are genius. I have a band saw that will be getting this treatment on the blade plate as well.
I know this video is a few years old but just seeing for the first time. Plan on this being my next task as I have my grandpa’s 1938 Craftsman table saw that doesn’t have the riving knife or blade guard anymore!! Thanks James for the great tip!!👍
Thanks so much for these very helpful videos. As a veteran woodworker, I can really relate to the problems caused by compacency! On one occasion, I actually stuck my finger into a blade that was turning at full force. Of course, I had removed the blade guard....Duh! Fortunately, I was able to extract my finger intact and only got a few stitches at the ER and a lecture from both the doctor and my wife! I wholeheartely support your approaches to safety. That saw is probably the most dangerous tool in the shop and needs to be treated with much respect. The guard went right back on!! Thanks again!
Great idea.... I have an older Ridgid TS2410LS saw that comes with a spreader instead of a riving knife... it's pretty annoying to use and I've been wanting to replace it. I think I'm going to try this idea which should give me a lot more freedom with the saw. THANK!!!
This is a great video. Its undoubtedly the best wood working video I have seen. I have a project I really want to make, but after watching this video, I owe it to myself and my family to make a splitter insert as my next project and I will use the band saw for reducing the thickness of the insert blanks. My thanks for making a relatively complex task simple by breaking it down into manageable chunks.
Stumpy I am so glad I decided to subscribe to you. I so nearly had a bad accident today on my table saw for all the reasons you describe here. Thank you for showing me a much safer way. Adam
Thanks for the idea, and it's cheap to do . I have a 1950s baby hard to date these old craftsman saws. It doesn't have a riving knife or blade guard. I will be making one of these.
Very good video. I have a newer ridgid table saw and the throat plates are very thin and held down by magnets. If I use the factory splitter too much material is removed and my new throat plate splits. Thanks for the great ideas. Will try a glued in splitter. Appreciate your videos!
Thank you for the splitter solution! I have an old Craftsman table saw where the riving knife is attached to the blade cover. This solution allows me to have a riving knife when I need to use the saw sans the blade cover.
Excellent video👍🏻 I have a 40+ yr old Delta/Rockwell saw and she’s a beast, and has no forgiveness in a kickback scenario. I have the scares to prove it. This is going to be a priority project for the ol girl !! Thank you 🙏!!!!
I tracked this down after seeing your latest safety video. Thank you for such a concise, detailed process. I have an old craftsman, which has VERY shallow ears supporting the insert, but I'm sure I'll figure out a work-around. Having broken a bone in my hand with oak kickback 10 years ago, I've been looking for a solution like this for a long time.
That hot glue trick was really slick! Thanks for the tip and all of your video's. Hope you and the family are safe and thank's again for all the knowledge you pass along
Great Tips and tricks Thanks; couldn't help but see that "kick back" at frame 2:42 a slight one but not addressed... Keep them coming... Nice putting the splitter attached, think I'll try metal
That wasn't a kickback. If a piece is very thin and light, it will slide back a bit from the wind of the blade, vibration, etc. It is not a danger to anyone.
This is a very useful video. It is of very good help. Several weeks ago I had a very bad kickback while using my table saw. I got hit in the right arm by a flying piece of wood and sustained an injury. The event scared the bejesus out of me and triggered PTSD from my days in Vietnam where I came close to buying it. Since the kickback, I have had flashbacks not only about those events over 50 years ago, but also about the kickback. Before the kickback I was ok for decades. It is funny how an event years later can trigger unpleasant memories. Now I m afraid to use the saw, but this video tells me where I may have gone wrong. So for now, I use my bandsaw to make cuts. My table saw is an old 10” Ridgid TS3650. It never came with a riving knife and the splitter and guard are a pain in the backside to use since it would never line up with the blade and wood would bind up on the splitter. So I didn’t use it. Now I know there is a way to make a new blade insert and incorporate a splitter in its design to prevent kickbacks. Thanks for the great idea! Hopefully I can get back to doing wood work without having fear run through my mind.
Very informative video. I have a question. When you are using a sled do you remove the throat insert so the suction on the shop vac get a tad more air flow?
As always, I enjoyed this video, but I have a question. Why do you not use your riving knife with the custom inserts? I made my custom zero-clearance insert almost two years ago, and I've not had a problem at all with the riving knife working as it's supposed to.
It's more a tutorial for people without a properly working riving knife to allow them to make safer cuts. I got a used Jet table saw and the bolts to tighten the riving knife tweak it out of alignment and I just couldn't get it to work properly. I saw him reply to some comments that he does use his riving knife for his situation.
Stubby, lifetime building, you're boss. Wish you'd have worked for me.. I'm learning safety from you after all these years! Stair cases , barrel top chests, you name it, I'm just lucky I can count to 10 on my own, old fingers. Thanks for the tips, you're great.. Persevere and best wishes, Bill.
Great video! I have a duo I fixed base router. I just got a husky portable workbench. Not sure if the router will attach to the router plate. Any recommendations?
Great video, I watch all of them! I've used your hot glue idea for leveling a sink insert I made for my RV. Only question I have is are you recommending not using the riving knife that is part of the saw? Or is the splitter for saws without riving knifes and you wanted to show how to improve safety for saws without knifes? My Sawstop have a riving knife and I rarely make a cut without it.
Stumpy Nubs - love your channel, I have similar question - would you recommend using the same technique and just installing the riving knife as usual, or would you use the technique I have seen on other channels to bring up the blade through the insert and then somehow lengthen the cut for the riving knife? Feels dangerous to try and length the cut using methods I have seen elsewhere. I guess the question is: would this technique be stable without gluing the splitter in to stabilize the back of the insert. Guess I could cut and then just had small piece level to top for strength... thanks!
I have an older 60s/70s Craftsman Jobsite saw w/ throat plates that snap in. Any suggestions on how to make custom throat plates for my case? I love the idea of the built in "riving knife" or spliters you added to your plates.
Craig Chingren-Hamann same here. Mine is from 1995. The insert might be 1/8” thick. I’ve watched numerous videos. None cover our issue. I did buy a zero clearance insert from peahtree. Plan on microjig splitters. Even thought of trying heated pvc pope for an insert.
@@simpleminded5215 Me too. My thought is to modify the steel insert, so that it can accept a rectangular wood insert. But I've never got around to actually doing it.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise! I made one with the screws on top but am not happy with the result. This is a great solution to my dilemma. Best....Bill
Any recommendations for using this with a ShopSmith? The table and the arbor don't have a permanent relationship, as the arbor is on a quill feed? Use a surface gauge in the miter slot to re-establish the same distance of the blade, from the fixed miter slot?
On most videos about making zero clearance inserts, the slot is cut by raising the spinning blade with the virgin insert in position. However, if you already have a splitter in place it stops upward progress when it hits the bottom of the insert. Your video, James, shows the 'Duh!' obvious solution of using the rip fence as a guide to make an extended slot, and adding a filler (like your splitter) to rejoin the open end. This had never occurred to me before, and had stopped me bothering to make a ZCI. Thanks for that, and also the clever hot glue method of getting the insert level with the table top.
Once again Great Video! I presently don't use a splitter, but I'm going to make one now. I just never thought it might be this simple to make. Thanks again!
Check out white plastic cutting boards for some of the projects and adapters you make for the shop. They're great as mounting boards for a variety of jigs that can be fitted to t-tracks, etc.
Here's a tip. If the factory insert plate is too loose and you want to use it as a template, wrap some masking tape around it a couple of times to make it a bit larger.
Excellent video. I'm out of commission with a bad back and catching up on videos. You made the comment you should never operate a table saw without a riving knife or splitter. I'm 65 and i did a bunch of cabinet work in my 20's and that I'm retired for a few years doing a lot more woodworking. Well I have to say I have never used a saw with a knife or splitter. Don't even remember seeing one in shop class in high school! Definitely will make one once I'm able to get out of bed and walk!
Nice video. For SawStop users, will the stock splitter work? I've never given any thought to whether or not that splitter is the exact width of any given blade I'm using. Does that splitter need to be as exact as the kerf? Thanks for the tutorial.
I work with my dad’s 1980s Grizzly saw. There is no riving knife, and I could not find a solution from Grizzly. Last week I had a piece of wood kick back and blow out a divided lights window. Scary, and I’ll be finding glass in my yard for years. Stumbled across this video today and just built two inserts for different dimensions. Will be feeling much better using that saw now. Thanks very much for this video. Huge help!
That makes perfect sense. You are without a doubt my go to for woodworking info. There are some great channels out there but you are the best. Rex Krueger is awesome too. And Paul sellers is my hand tool guy. That's the trinity. Much appreciated! God knows how many accidents you've prevented. Keep it up!
Hi Stumpy, greetings from Iron Mountain. When using the pattern-routing method, you can first create a TIGHT-fitting throatplate by wrapping the edges of your original throatplate with masking tape or electrical tape until it fits tightly, and THEN do your pattern routing.
You deserve a Nobel prize for the hot glue shims!
Hot glue rocks! I use it for a lot of temporary stuff.
fThis was an outstanding tip of genius proportions!
Genius 🎉🎉
This is the first I have ever seen of ripping the insert from the end instead of raising the blade up to cut through and I think its genius! Thank You Sir!
I have been making zero-clearance inserts for 40+ years and learned early on that you need one additional feature: HOLES. Especially if you have a cabinet saw with a vacuum attachment. I drill about 10 each ½" holes on each side of and about an inch away from the kerf. This allows air to flow and keeps the saw dust to a minimum.
So your insert looks like swiss cheese correct? Wrapping my head around that idea :)
@@the-wooden-beard Sounds holier than Swiss, but also seems to be a good idea if implemented in moderation. It's likely that just four or five 1/2" holes in the throat plate would prove sufficient, and most of us will already have put one hole in it to make it easier to pull it out of the saw's top plate.
This the perfect solution for my high mileage table saw with a sloppy aftermarket insert and no splitter! Kudos on another great safety upgrade.
I recommend you add a “clip” under the leading edge of the insert to prevent it from rising and being caught by the blade, causing kickback. It can be a simple L-shaped piece of wood that catches under the saw table and helps hold down the leading edge. After a kickback incident I have added this feature to all my inserts.
I thoroughly enjoy your informative and entertaining videos. Keep up your good work.
Thanks for that!
Is there anyway you can explain this a little more? I don't understand what you mean by your description...
(Sorry.)
@@paulgreblick Attach a narrow (an inch or so) piece of wood to the bottom of the insert that protrudes slightly ahead of the leading edge. After adding this, you install your insert into the opening with the leading edge first, slipping the newly attached wood "clip" under the saw table before dropping the back edge in place. (You may have to shim the clip where it attaches to the insert to get it to fit the underside of your saw table.) The leading edge of the insert can no longer lift straight up and out of the table if it gets tangled up in a kickback scenario.
good explanation : ) @@FisherCatProductions
Make a tight fitting MDF or hardboard template of your table saw opening before you start making the actual insert. Then you can cut and flush trim pieces for additional inserts if and when you need them. Great video. This is the best of the splitter videos I have seen.
Thanks for sharing this knowledge. I'm a new woodworker here in Africa. I just got a job site 10" table saw and have been looking for ways to improve the quality of cuts I make off of it. You just gave me one. I'll give it a go. Your videos have been really helpful.
I have an old table saw and was about to buy some after market splitters for the inserts but was teetering on the cost of them. Instead of shopping online I searched for them and BOOM there you were to not only show how to make the splitter but make a better insert. For this sir I will be looking for more of your videos. Thank you so much!
I've had my table saw since 1973. It came with the old style splitter guard, that you have to take off every time you do a cut that isn't a through cut. And, as like most folks, mine has gotten 'lost' over the years. This is a great way to make both a zero clearance insert, and add a splitter at the same time. Looks like I have my project for this evening. THANKS! I've never had a 'problem' with my saw.. but am the first to admit that's do to luck and a low powered saw as much as 'skill'.
You could make one with a 1/4 tall splitter for non through cuts.
This is so practical and helpful. There are a million videos on table saw inserts already, but you managed to make this one both innovative and remarkably simple amongst the crowd. Nice job James. I will definitely make a few of these.
Finally!!!! I’ve been looking for a fix for my older craftsman table saw!! Thank you sir!!!
Thanks, you explain things that should be common sense so that even my kids understand. Safety is most important to me. Thanks again.
I just bought a zero clearence for my old craftsman. But its just a tad under the tablesaw top. The glue is just what I need. Thank you James
This is a particularly good video, among a series of excellent ones. That's due to a combination of factors: an important and valuable topic that doesn't get much treatment, a very thoughtfully scripted presentation, and then - I don't quite know how to describe it - a kind of happiness and contentment that really shines through.
There's never a moment wasted in these videos, and that's something else I especially value about them. You manage to resist the temptation we all face: to build toward a dramatic reveal or punchline at the expense of slightly, unconsciously, neglecting the rest of the presentation. When you treat every moment as valuable, there's more total payload of information, and I for one can really feel the difference.
This is a great comment
Great stuff, again. I’ve been doing something similar and it really is the best solution I’ve found (50 years +). You can also make one to fit when you are cutting grooves. You can’t do that with any commercial roving knife. That hot glue idea is genius - I always learn something new here:-)
Work for Rocklers. I recommend your great channel several times a week. Keep up the outstanding, no-nonsense content. Love it!
I love how you carefully plan-out what you are going to do and the thoroughness of what you are presenting. You explain the how's and the why's in great detail...Thank you
Best video on woodworking. Table saw accidents are the vast majority of all serious woodworking accidents. This will eliminate nearly all of them. I am in your debt. Floyd
More people cut themselves on band saws, than table saws. They aren't as cautious around band saws.
Really like the hot glue shim, very clever! Will definitely try this out. Thanks
Definitely, very easy and clever. All my solutions are way overcomplicated...
I loved the hot glue idea. It's perfect and SIMPLICITY!!!
I LOVE all of your tutorials. They are obviously well prepared and delivered. Your industry is greatly appreciated. You are my GO TO when I have to make a woodworking decision... blades, forstner bits, etc. Thank you from all of us who are starting out with our diy projects and need pertinent advice.
This is among your best “Tips” and “How Too’s” Videos yet... I am going to make one for each of my blade styles I have, Greg
This is the most useful video I've seen on the subject.
Awesome! I'm going to do this today! My old table saw didn't come with a splitter. Thanks for sharing!
This is perfect, just what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing! I've recently gotten into woodworking and started a channel devoted to making things. Very quickly I realized all of the improvements I needed to start making and zero clearance inserts was one of them. Also, I had no idea those center finder rulers existed so I promptly purchased one from the link. Hopefully it helps support your channel! Thanks again!
Centre measuring ruler, another thing I didn’t know existed, I’ve so needed one of these.
Love your channel but it’s costing me money for the accessories I’ve not known existed and want to improve my wood working.
Thank you for this video, I have my dads old table saw and it didn't come with a riving knife. After watching your table saw safety videos I haven't used it yet until I make a splitter for it and this video will help.
I bought a used one a month ago and it doesn’t have one either. I also have yet to use it
Late to the party. This is by far the easiest solution to a DIY splitter. Thank you very much.
Excellent vid. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and talent. You are def. one of my favorite YT wood working channels.
Thank you for this. I find most of the "tips for...) videos to be interesting but not necessarily useful. This one is one's different. I've been tuning up my old Makita table saw and rolling ideas around in my head for doing this very thing. You've provided me with my answer.
I'm a newbie to woodworking and I really appreciate your tutorials. This one comes very handy as I was thinking to make a zero clearance insert and I was unaware of the split implications you clearly showed me. Thanks!
same here, im very new to woodworking and time again i find myself listening to stumpys knowledge...im subscribing. Thanks for showing us some really good stuff. you do great vids. appreciated.
The zero clearance is much more important than the splitter. While a splitter might be nice to have, many of us have worked over 50 years without one. I don't think anyone had even seen one till the 70s. Any saw that came into my dads shop the splitter and the blade guard were the first things to go in the trash. And the first thing made was a zero clearance insert.
I've made most of my inserts using 1/2" MDF, since it is exactly the right thickness for my saw and is nice and flat if you don't let it get damp. I made mine by pattern routing around the original insert, which fit well enough, but the very next step was to drill that finger hole so I could remove them! I normally finish them with 3-4 coats of shellac - about a 1 lb cut - and they wear well and don't absorb moisture. If the finish seems to be wearing through it just takes another wipe to freshen it up, since shellac bonds to old shellac. You can even wax over it to make them as slick as the cast-iron top.
None of mine have splitters because I made them long ago, but I'm planning on adding some because as I get older I feel less and less indestructible.
Thanks James. I always gain some knowledge and ideas from every one of your clips. Many thanks and greetings from Australia!
Really good video, I tried and failed to make splitters before, now I know where I went wrong and I'll make an a new one tomorrow. Thanks
Very glad I am watching your video on safety and how to use a splitter. I am planning on making my own table saw and install a splitter . Since there will be practically no clearance can i just extend the cut and insert a splitter? Thank you again !!!!!!
This just made my saw more relevant again. It doesn't have a splitter but I was not too worried about it kicking back because I've found it stalls out if it binds too much. BUT, ripping a 2x4 down the middle, if it's long enough, sometimes forces me to jam a flat head screwdriver into the cut side as I feed it through, to make sure it doesn't stall out the saw. THIS video shows me what I need to do with this saw!
I have plans to make zero clearance insert so this vid fits in nicely. Saw has no splitter knife. It came with one on the guard and yes it sucks and is on a shelf somewhere. Putting that baby in the insert is perfect. Thank you.
At 7:30 your demonstration using hot glue instead of adjustable screws is a real time saver and worked perfectly for me.
EXCELLENT ADVICE Stumpy ! Most timely and sorely needed, thank you.
I’ve never seen anyone add splitters like that to zero clearance inserts. That’s a really good idea
I'm always impressed with your "work around" suggestions. Some of them I've known but many others are pure genius. Do you figure them out by yourself or do you have help? The trick of hot glue and the support strips to set the depth is great! I was wondering how you were going to do that from the first mention of making the insert thinner than the throat hole.
Thanks for giving such great and free tips!
James, I have tried multiple inserts. All with little or no success. Yours is the first that really works, especially the leveling part. Thanks for an excellent tutorial and a great problem solver. - South Africa
Simplicity. I have to admit that videos like this make me want to build things instead of buying. Another great vid Stumpz
Cmon now Stump.
I'm a mechanical Engineer. I want to point out that Hot Glue as a shim is ridiculous.... I will eventually figure out why it is, because right now I have nothing....but eventually...
Yeah. Okay. I got nothing. It's a brilliant idea.
Thanks for the throat plate. Just bought a brand new Table Saw..so of course I am in need of some brand new Throat Plates.
Cheers, and keep them coming.
I would do these with set screws, threaded into a tight hole with rubber cement They won't back out, won't move, are adjustable when you want them to be, and are durable.
Well, if we want to get technical, I would add threaded inserts, then the set screws, and make sure they were only in the three pads farthest from each other while ensuring the plate itself had very little deflection
For a very quick throat plate, what Stumpy did is more than adequate in my opinion.
It remains permanently adjustable for a very long time without the threaded inserts, and I didn't think James would've put this much work into a "quick" insert.
This is a very funny post
I made a lot of inserts for my Delta table saw before I changed to a Saw Stop. I used set screws. I don’t remember if I tapped the holes for the set screws now but one can simply drill a hole that works tightly on the set screws.
About 10 years ago I bought my brother in law's Delta contractor saw with Unifence when he downsized his business. It languished in an inaccessible corner of the garage until now, I finally dragged it into the shop area.
Don't know how old it is, I think he had it for a while. No splitter, thanks for your design! I also haven't located the original throat plate, so I guess I'm using custom plates all the way. I'm saving this video!!!
Wow. I don't think I picked up more cool tips in any other video including those that call themselves shop tips. I'm going to have to watch this a few more times.
Wow! This is awesome! I had to make a zero clearance replacement throat plate for my Kobalt 10' jobsite saw. (Yeah, I know it's not a SawStop...but it's what I could afford to get started) I still need to make a few more throat plates for the saw, including one for a dado stack. Thanks for taking the time to film, edit and share your knowledge with us. :-)
Watched this yesterday, I was working on a cabinet but took time to make a new insert, Thank you, Million dollar (well a good one) tip. Bob
Been using my same Table saw (Grizzly G1023) since 1983 without any sort of accident without the Riving blade. However I see the merit to this being much safer. Love this video. Thank you for making my shop a safer place.
Good afternoon, I always appreciate your videos and I love the teaching aspect. I also appreciate that you respond to all the comments and that you read all the comments and pay attention..
My question today is that I am picking up a powermatic 66.
It is obviously an old school machine and will not have a proper arriving knife or splitter.
I am looking at using the MJ splitter as you have shown in your videos previously. I just wanted to see if you knew of anything that would be a better fit for the powermatic 66.
Well i spent an afternoon making inserts, drilling and tapping to adjust these,finally tried your hot glue trick, well i am now a convert brilliant idea.
Y'know, I've been hunting the globe for a knife to fit my old saw. The simplicity and obviousness of this solution is as staggering as it is brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
Also, the hot glue shims are genius. I have a band saw that will be getting this treatment on the blade plate as well.
I know this video is a few years old but just seeing for the first time. Plan on this being my next task as I have my grandpa’s 1938 Craftsman table saw that doesn’t have the riving knife or blade guard anymore!! Thanks James for the great tip!!👍
Thanks so much for these very helpful videos. As a veteran woodworker, I can really relate to the problems caused by compacency! On one occasion, I actually stuck my finger into a blade that was turning at full force. Of course, I had removed the blade guard....Duh! Fortunately, I was able to extract my finger intact and only got a few stitches at the ER and a lecture from both the doctor and my wife! I wholeheartely support your approaches to safety. That saw is probably the most dangerous tool in the shop and needs to be treated with much respect. The guard went right back on!! Thanks again!
Great idea.... I have an older Ridgid TS2410LS saw that comes with a spreader instead of a riving knife... it's pretty annoying to use and I've been wanting to replace it. I think I'm going to try this idea which should give me a lot more freedom with the saw. THANK!!!
This is a great video. Its undoubtedly the best wood working video I have seen. I have a project I really want to make, but after watching this video, I owe it to myself and my family to make a splitter insert as my next project and I will use the band saw for reducing the thickness of the insert blanks. My thanks for making a relatively complex task simple by breaking it down into manageable chunks.
Stumpy I am so glad I decided to subscribe to you. I so nearly had a bad accident today on my table saw for all the reasons you describe here. Thank you for showing me a much safer way.
Adam
Thanks for the idea, and it's cheap to do . I have a 1950s baby hard to date these old craftsman saws. It doesn't have a riving knife or blade guard. I will be making one of these.
Thanks for the tips. At around the 3:46 mark you say set the compass to the full width on the insert. I think you meant 1/2 the width.
Very good video. I have a newer ridgid table saw and the throat plates are very thin and held down by magnets. If I use the factory splitter too much material is removed and my new throat plate splits. Thanks for the great ideas. Will try a glued in splitter. Appreciate your videos!
James thanks for sharing your thoughts on safety and how to skills with the less experienced.
Thank you for the splitter solution! I have an old Craftsman table saw where the riving knife is attached to the blade cover. This solution allows me to have a riving knife when I need to use the saw sans the blade cover.
Same issue here. Why did Craftsman do that?
@@f.demascio1857 Is it possible they never intended for us to remove the guard for safety reasons??
To me this is the most valuable episode I have seen to date. thanks
I have an old Delta cabinet saw and this idea will come in handy. TY
Excellent video👍🏻 I have a 40+ yr old Delta/Rockwell saw and she’s a beast, and has no forgiveness in a kickback scenario. I have the scares to prove it. This is going to be a priority project for the ol girl !! Thank you 🙏!!!!
I tracked this down after seeing your latest safety video. Thank you for such a concise, detailed process. I have an old craftsman, which has VERY shallow ears supporting the insert, but I'm sure I'll figure out a work-around. Having broken a bone in my hand with oak kickback 10 years ago, I've been looking for a solution like this for a long time.
That hot glue trick was really slick! Thanks for the tip and all of your video's. Hope you and the family are safe and thank's again for all the knowledge you pass along
Another winner James! Thank you.
Great Tips and tricks Thanks; couldn't help but see that "kick back" at frame 2:42 a slight one but not addressed... Keep them coming... Nice putting the splitter attached, think I'll try metal
That wasn't a kickback. If a piece is very thin and light, it will slide back a bit from the wind of the blade, vibration, etc. It is not a danger to anyone.
This is a very useful video. It is of very good help. Several weeks ago I had a very bad kickback while using my table saw. I got hit in the right arm by a flying piece of wood and sustained an injury. The event scared the bejesus out of me and triggered PTSD from my days in Vietnam where I came close to buying it. Since the kickback, I have had flashbacks not only about those events over 50 years ago, but also about the kickback. Before the kickback I was ok for decades. It is funny how an event years later can trigger unpleasant memories. Now I m afraid to use the saw, but this video tells me where I may have gone wrong. So for now, I use my bandsaw to make cuts.
My table saw is an old 10” Ridgid TS3650. It never came with a riving knife and the splitter and guard are a pain in the backside to use since it would never line up with the blade and wood would bind up on the splitter. So I didn’t use it.
Now I know there is a way to make a new blade insert and incorporate a splitter in its design to prevent kickbacks. Thanks for the great idea! Hopefully I can get back to doing wood work without having fear run through my mind.
Your videos are very well done and full of great ideas. Thank you.
Your show has improved one thousand percent
Very informative video. I have a question. When you are using a sled do you remove the throat insert so the suction on the shop vac get a tad more air flow?
As always, I enjoyed this video, but I have a question. Why do you not use your riving knife with the custom inserts? I made my custom zero-clearance insert almost two years ago, and I've not had a problem at all with the riving knife working as it's supposed to.
It's more a tutorial for people without a properly working riving knife to allow them to make safer cuts. I got a used Jet table saw and the bolts to tighten the riving knife tweak it out of alignment and I just couldn't get it to work properly. I saw him reply to some comments that he does use his riving knife for his situation.
Stubby, lifetime building, you're boss. Wish you'd have worked for me.. I'm learning safety from you after all these years! Stair cases , barrel top chests, you name it, I'm just lucky I can count to 10 on my own, old fingers. Thanks for the tips, you're great..
Persevere and best wishes, Bill.
You are a safety wood working angel!
This video was so informative !!! Splitter ideas are excellent.
Excellent video mr. Hamilton I use an antique Delta table saw and I don't have any riving knife or anything so I'm doing this
Great video! I have a duo I fixed base router. I just got a husky portable workbench. Not sure if the router will attach to the router plate. Any recommendations?
This is just what I’ve been looking for, for my old table saw I’ve fixed up
Thank you for sharing such a great safety tip, and showing us too♥️
That hot glue trick is genius! Out first I was like what is he doing? But once I realized, I was super impressed
Great video, I watch all of them! I've used your hot glue idea for leveling a sink insert I made for my RV. Only question I have is are you recommending not using the riving knife that is part of the saw? Or is the splitter for saws without riving knifes and you wanted to show how to improve safety for saws without knifes? My Sawstop have a riving knife and I rarely make a cut without it.
This video is for people who do not have riving knives on their saws.
Stumpy Nubs - love your channel, I have similar question - would you recommend using the same technique and just installing the riving knife as usual, or would you use the technique I have seen on other channels to bring up the blade through the insert and then somehow lengthen the cut for the riving knife? Feels dangerous to try and length the cut using methods I have seen elsewhere. I guess the question is: would this technique be stable without gluing the splitter in to stabilize the back of the insert. Guess I could cut and then just had small piece level to top for strength... thanks!
I have an older 60s/70s Craftsman Jobsite saw w/ throat plates that snap in. Any suggestions on how to make custom throat plates for my case? I love the idea of the built in "riving knife" or spliters you added to your plates.
Craig Chingren-Hamann same here. Mine is from 1995. The insert might be 1/8” thick. I’ve watched numerous videos. None cover our issue. I did buy a zero clearance insert from peahtree. Plan on microjig splitters. Even thought of trying heated pvc pope for an insert.
@@simpleminded5215 Me too. My thought is to modify the steel insert, so that it can accept a rectangular wood insert. But I've never got around to actually doing it.
Great vid,thanks.Used a DIY table saw for years,but you can always learn something new.Project for Saturday.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise! I made one with the screws on top but am not happy with the result. This is a great solution to my dilemma. Best....Bill
“Great tip eh”. That’s the Canadian coming out. Soon you’ll be cheering for the Leafs. Thanks for sharing.
Red Wings forever.
That hot glue shim is brilliant! I've been using set screws. I'll be using the glue trick from now on. Thank you, James!
Any recommendations for using this with a ShopSmith? The table and the arbor don't have a permanent relationship, as the arbor is on a quill feed? Use a surface gauge in the miter slot to re-establish the same distance of the blade, from the fixed miter slot?
Great video, as usual. Could I use this process to make a 45 degree throat plate and splitter?
Is this approach do-able if you opt for a much smaller blade on your tablesaw? I’m thinking of trying a circular saw blade in my table saw.
On most videos about making zero clearance inserts, the slot is cut by raising the spinning blade with the virgin insert in position. However, if you already have a splitter in place it stops upward progress when it hits the bottom of the insert. Your video, James, shows the 'Duh!' obvious solution of using the rip fence as a guide to make an extended slot, and adding a filler (like your splitter) to rejoin the open end. This had never occurred to me before, and had stopped me bothering to make a ZCI. Thanks for that, and also the clever hot glue method of getting the insert level with the table top.
I also get a little nervous about holding the insert down while raising the blade.
Once again Great Video! I presently don't use a splitter, but I'm going to make one now. I just never thought it might be this simple to make. Thanks again!
Check out white plastic cutting boards for some of the projects and adapters you make for the shop. They're great as mounting boards for a variety of jigs that can be fitted to t-tracks, etc.
Here's a tip. If the factory insert plate is too loose and you want to use it as a template, wrap some masking tape around it a couple of times to make it a bit larger.
Excellent video. I'm out of commission with a bad back and catching up on videos. You made the comment you should never operate a table saw without a riving knife or splitter. I'm 65 and i did a bunch of cabinet work in my 20's and that I'm retired for a few years doing a lot more woodworking. Well I have to say I have never used a saw with a knife or splitter. Don't even remember seeing one in shop class in high school! Definitely will make one once I'm able to get out of bed and walk!
You never disappoint, thanks for this tip. Hot glue! What a great idea!
Hi at 3.43 minutes you use a small square I think it is can I ask where you can get them or what they are called cheers steve p.s. great videos
Nice video. For SawStop users, will the stock splitter work? I've never given any thought to whether or not that splitter is the exact width of any given blade I'm using. Does that splitter need to be as exact as the kerf? Thanks for the tutorial.