nobotch

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

Its purpose is to prevent kickback.
Kickback can happen when the wood gets in contact with the rising teeth of the blade, which then will grab the wood and throw it back to the operator, most likely hitting him in the chest, shoulder or face.
 
The splitter sits at a fixed spot on the table respectively in the insert plade and has the disadvantage that as you lower the blade the distance between it and the splitter widens, so that the splitter can not do its job until the wood has overcome this distance. As the height of the splitter is fixed it does not allow cuts shallower that the wood thickness.
Whereas a riving knife always keeps the same distance and height in relation to the blade. When using a guard that is not attached to the riving knife the latter one even allows cuts shallower than the wood thickness.
 
In the video on this page the whole thing gets explained pretty well (with the exception that he apparently is not aware of the fact that a piece of wood that has gotten caught by the blade's teeth does not travel horizontally but rises up at about a 30° - 45° angle. Only long pieces of wood that got caught between the fence and the blade get ejected horizontally).
 
Edit:
Another thing the guy in the video gets wrong is when he says that the riving knife without the guard simply gets used to "offer a better view to the blade". That's a bit a weird statement indeed! Why would someone want to look at the blade? Of course, the blade is beautiful, but once the fence is set or the wood is positioned on the miter gauge the cut gets made, no need to watch the blade! If one needs to watch the running blade to make a cut it means that the setup has not been done properly!

So I've never used a table saw (and probably won't in the near future either) - what is the purpose of this splitter or 'riving knife'?

Thank you Brian and Anthony for your encouraging comments!
 
 
Common safety recommendations say that the splitter or riving knife sould be thicker then the blade plate and thinner than the kerf. I'm inclined to think that, if the splitter is perfectly aligned it is better if its thickness is as close as possible to the kerf, but of course not even a hair thicker. For my taste, my splitter is a bit on the thin side, maybe I'll glue on a thin piece of paper on each of its sides.

I agree that theoretically it is not necessary if feeding the timber straight. Unfortunately reality has shown countless times that we (all of us) don't always feed it straight, sometimes with disastrous consequences. This is why I am convinced that a splitter, or much better a riving knife is an absolute must for a table saw. Of course, the teeth's linear speed of a 10 inch saw is much higher (assuming 3500 rpm it would be ca. 165 km/h or ca. 100 mph) than on the 4" Byrnes saw (110 V 60 Hz version 3450 rpm -> 65 km/h or 40 mph; 230 V 50 Hz version 2850  rpm -> 53 Km/h or 33 mph). But still, getting hit by a piece of wood at that speed can lead to more or less serious injuries, and I think it is a good idea to minimise the risk. It's a bit like wearing a helmet when riding a push bike.

looking for the jig for the jewelers saw I found the chap who I was looking for, William Robertson designed a special holder to cut dovetails and other joints with a jewelers saw, i am still looking for this jig but in the meantime enjoy his amazing work.
I think we could all use a set of these tools.

 
Michael

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

Hi Markus.
Very intresing mods.
I have done the splitter mode on my saw. For use on the TCT blade only.
But I find this very useful when cutting very thin strips
The Splitter should only be the same thickness as the blade Kerf..
But even this is not needed if you feed in the timber straight.
 
I can see that this topic might be usefull to Jim.
 
Regards Antony.

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

My "Jim Saw" it arrived this week a mere 19 days after having placed the order!
 
Although this little beauty would work out of the box I have scheduled some task-specific add-ons of which I have completed three so far.
The first one is a provisional splitter (permanently integrated in a zero clearance insert) which in the first place served to figure out the dimensions of its parts but also is fully functional:
 
  The splitter itself is made of "1 mm" birch plywood which in reality is 1.2 mm thick. This is the perfect thickness for the 36 teeth blade whose disk is a bit over 0.9 mm and which leaves a kerf of about 1.5 mm. As plywood is not really stiff I did not want to make it too big. I hope it will do its job until I'll have made a better one.   Even if noise is on the low side with the Byrnes saw, the next modification I made reduces noise . The belt guard is made of a sheet of aluminium which acts as a resonator. So I lined it inside with some cardboard (glued on with epoxy). This was my standard procedure for silencing the tower case of all computers I ever owned. In the following pictures you also can see how the belt guard can be slid off and on after only loosening four screws through dedicated holes, without completely removing them - a feature I almost always missed on computer cases... You can further see that the more expensive of my two Phillips N°1 screwdrivers did not fit through the holes, I had to use the cheaper one which obviously complies better with international standards!    

I don't like spinning parts that theoretically could be touched by accident, even if it is very unlikely to happen. This is why my third modification was covering the opend side of the belt guard, leaving open only a slot big enough to grab the axle with a wrench when changing the blade. The cover fits snugly but gets secured with a single screw which only has to be removed (3 full turns) when changing the belt - that is, almost never.     I thought the following picture might be an interesting view for those technically inclined who are lusting for a Byrnes Saw    
  Well, I think that's it for today.
No, wait! I forgot to say that after having made a few cuts it really looks like this saw will meet my high expectations I had. A couple of long and thin rip cuts were all within half a tenth of a millimeter tolerance, without having used any more sophisticated add-ons than a to the "fence extension" clamped short fence, and the zero clearance insert with splitter.
 
Cheers,
Markus

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!

Never buy a cheapie. It's a snare and delusion. You'll never regret getting a quality tool, be it machine or hand tool.

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!

Larry this comment really made me laugh, because it pretty much mirrors my own world vis a vis the closets, and I basically have all the tools I will ever need, except of course when I find a new tool that I don't really need.
 
Michael

I can feel with you Boyd.
Three weeks ago I asked myself the same question and my answer was "yes I can live without a Byrnes saw, but I don't want to".
The parcel tracking system says that it should arrive today - the door bell could ring at any moment now.
 
Of course there are other saws that can serve the same purpose, but in the end it comes down to what makes you feel good. My take on this issue is not so much if I probably would not use that saw so often that it would "pay off" but rather if my budget still will allow me to buy things that actually are more important but not so "sexy" like this nifty tool.
 
Cheers,
Markus
 
P.S.
Now, 57 minutes later: door bell rang, it's here!