Can DIBOND be used to make a riving knife?

Question

I want to make a riving knife for my table saw, as the one that came with it goes higher than the blade.

I would like a riving knife that matches the height of the blade fitted in order to resaw 8cm wide lumber in two passes, so roughly 4cm at a time. Then I'd like to use a cross cut sled and some other scenarios like that.

Although it would be easier to modify the existing riving knife I don't want to as the blade guards attach to it so I would never be able to use that feature.

It isn't straightforward to find 2mm or 3mm thick aluminium or steel sheets. However, I can buy some 3mm thick Aluminium DIBOND® for art purposes. Will this material be suitable for making a new riving knife?

Answer 1

Specifically the Dibond is a laminated material, that when cut to a fairly small size and required to remain rigid under varying pressures from varying directions, repeatedly, may not remain integral or rigid and have a higher potential for failure. I would also be concerned that pushing wood fibers past the laminate sheets may cause some to grab at the skin or force their way under its surface, especially over time.

I would prefer to find some scrap aluminum, steel or other metal. It’s possible to recycle parts from discarded machines. There may be recycling factors where you could request a small amount of scrap material. Often, when you approach (especially smaller outfits) a metal supplier or machine shop will simply give you some cutoff material or direct you to their skip.

It will help you in this approach if you design the requirements for the part you intend to fashion so you can recognize and communicate what material will suffice for the project: minimum length and width, and min/max thickness. If you have a scaled drawing you can lay against a candidate piece of metal it will save time and could help someone to hand you a suitable piece.