Old_Timer wrote in message
news

My old Black and Decker (El cheapo) circular saw that I bought in 1976
has finally bit the dust. I bought a replacment for it yesterday. It
has a feature that the old one did not have. It has a small lever
that the literature terms the "splitter". The literature does not
explain the purpose of the device. So what is it and what does it
do?

Old_Timer

Keeps the board from pinching the blade. Another attempt at protecting you
from yourself.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 20:19:21 -0800, Old_Timer wrote:


My old Black and Decker (El cheapo) circular saw that I bought in 1976
has finally bit the dust. I bought a replacment for it yesterday. It
has a feature that the old one did not have. It has a small lever
that the literature terms the "splitter". The literature does not
explain the purpose of the device. So what is it and what does it
do?

Old_Timer

The splitter will help prevent kickback. When some kinds of wood are
cut internal stress may cause the cut to close and pinch the blade.
This is much less likely to happen when cutting plywood because this
wood is dimensionally stable and has little internal stress.
Splitters are more common in table saws.