Safer Job-Site Table Saw Northampton MA

by Greg Burnet

4100DG
Bosch
877/267-2499
www.boschtools.com
Street price: $679



I've used many different models of job-site table saws in the 20 years I've been a carpenter. Early versions were lightweight, but not terribly accurate or powerful. Later saws packed power and accuracy into a larger bundle that resembled a scaled-down contractor's saw.

Both of these types, no matter the manufacturer, shared one trait: a blade guard that was as good as useless. I have never seen a portable table saw on a job site that had its original guard in place. The guards were so cumbersome most carpenters never bothered to take them out of the boxes they came in, let alone install one on their new saw.

In response to this problem, Bosch designed a functional blade guard for its updated job-site saw. Better still, the guard features a riving knife. Riving knives are practically unknown on American saws, but have been used in Europe for decades.

A riving knife is essentially a splitter placed behind and slightly lower than the saw blade. It travels up and down with the blade, and tilts when the saw is set to bevel cut. Riving knives are the first and most important line of defense against kickback, but they can't be used when dadoing.

Kickback occurs when the kerf in a piece of wood closes up behind the blade during the cut. The wood pinches the blade, which throws the wood back at the operator, sometimes with tragic results.

Click here to read full article from Deck Magaziner