My first saw was a POS Skill benchtop direct drive. I never really used the OEM guard splitter. It wasn't a true riving knife, and it was an incredible pain to use. Knowing what I know now about table saws and safety, it is a wonder I didn't get seriously hurt with it.
The OEM guard on my BT clone (I now have a craftsman 21829) was much better. I do a lot of thin work and non-through cuts so the guard had to come off a lot. Getting the OEM off and on was a pain to me; 3 or 4 screws for the throat plate, then two nuts for the guard. The Guard would also flop around when I tilted the saw up on the folding stand. It normally got left off.
Then I learned about the Shark. The shark riving knife is always on, except when using a dado or box joint stack. The guard goes on and off so easily too. It is usually on unless I'm doing some work where it can't be. Most of my cutting gets dome outside so I'm not too worried about dust collection. The dust port is more important when I've got the saw set up inside.
I don't like the pawls either. I didn't order my Shark with them. Some guys have wired or permanently taped them up, others have said that some tape over the points have lessened the scratching, but still would help to prevent kickback.
The OEM guard on my BT clone (I now have a craftsman 21829) was much better. I do a lot of thin work and non-through cuts so the guard had to come off a lot. Getting the OEM off and on was a pain to me; 3 or 4 screws for the throat plate, then two nuts for the guard. The Guard would also flop around when I tilted the saw up on the folding stand. It normally got left off.
Then I learned about the Shark. The shark riving knife is always on, except when using a dado or box joint stack. The guard goes on and off so easily too. It is usually on unless I'm doing some work where it can't be. Most of my cutting gets dome outside so I'm not too worried about dust collection. The dust port is more important when I've got the saw set up inside.
I don't like the pawls either. I didn't order my Shark with them. Some guys have wired or permanently taped them up, others have said that some tape over the points have lessened the scratching, but still would help to prevent kickback.
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