TS Splitter Question

[James Cubby Culbertson]

Hiya All, Just finished cutting about 200 strips of cherry and maple on the TS. I was having trouble with burning on the cherry at first and discovered that my splitter (stock model that came with my Jet Contractor's saw) was pinching the board at the very back, causing the board to be forced into the sawblade. Quickly corrected that and the rest went fine.

It got me thinking that maybe I should look into an aftermarket splitter. The JET one is pretty flimsy and I'm always having to mess with adjustments. So I looked up the kerf of my blade and it's

0.134". I assume I should get a splitter with those same dimensions right? Obviously, any larger wouldn't work but what about thinner? I worry that thinner would allow the board to pinch a little and possibly cause kickback. What's the "acceptable" tolerances of a splitter? Any recommendations for an aftermarket splitter?

thanks very much. cc

[Woodman]

You would want one slightly thinner, else it could be a real pain in the rear end to align it exactly with your saw blade.

[Mike Dembroge]

I have a unisaw with the Biesemeyer Splitter. It pops in & out, so you can remove it easily when doing dados, etc. I don't know if Biesemeyer makes a version for the Jet Contractor saw, but if they do, I would recommend it. It's way over-priced IMO though. I think I paid $125 for mine or something like that.

[charlie b]

Forget thinner - defeats some of the purpose for the splitter. Try filing a dull knife edge on the front edge.

charlie b

[Lawrence A. Ramsey]

[Howard Ruttan]

I have the Delta removable splitter. Costs around $35 and is easy to remove and replace. Not sure it will work on a Jet though, but it is worth looking into. Kelly Mehler wrote about it in the first FWW Tools and Shops issue IIRC. I reviewed it on my web site and think it was the best investment I've made for my saw since buying it.