Riving Knife
Affiliate link — we may earn a commissionA riving knife is a curved piece of steel mounted directly behind the table saw blade, rising and falling with it. It sits in the kerf (the slot the blade cuts) and keeps the wood from closing back against the rear teeth of the blade. When wood pinches the back of a spinning blade, the rising teeth grab the workpiece and throw it back at the operator. That's kickback. The riving knife prevents the pinch from happening by holding the kerf open. Unlike a splitter (which is fixed to the throat plate), a riving knife moves with the blade through all cut depths, including non-through cuts.
Why It Matters
A riving knife is the single most effective kickback prevention device on a table saw. It works on every rip cut, every crosscut, and at every blade height. Never remove it for convenience. If your saw came without one (some older models didn't), upgrade to a model that has one or add an aftermarket splitter.