The Popular Woodworking E-News jumped on the Riving Knife bandwagon that seems to be the latest RAVE. OOOOOOH! A NEW discovery! "Look - the NEW Bosch contractors saw has - A RIVING KNIFE!"
Are American woodworking magazines really that impressed when a manufacturer puts wheels on a cabinet saw - "PowerMatic has once again shown how innovative they are by - putting wheels on their cabinet saw! What a break through in machine design!" Before that break through announcement it was "One Wrench Bit Changing!" for routers, and "Now With Left Tilt Blade!" on a table saw.
It's ironic that the New and Innovative Blade Guard and Riving Knife on the Bocsh in question also has "anti-kickback pawls" - the latter being a pretty ineffective idea that just gets in the way. So while being innovative, they carry over a "legacy" idea that should have gone the way of the Dodo decades ago.
I expect to see riving knives on hand held circular saws being trumpeted as the next New AND Improved Innovation.
Euro woodworkers must be chuckling - under their breath of course - no need to offend anyone - and Festool must be warming up their patent protection lawyers since their plunge circular saw - with riving knife, depth of cut stop and anti-splintering devices will surely be cloned and appearing on competitors line of high end stuff.
Hey non American woodworkers - what will we on This Side of The Pond be seeing as the NEXT Innovation?
charlie b