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I know that several vendors sell plunge/track saws that have riving knives and that 'non-track/plunge' circular saws with riving knives seem to be readily available in Europe, but in all my searches I've yet to find any (with the exception of 'track' type plunge saws) that are available in the US - does anyone know of any that might be sold in the US?

(P.S. - Moderators: I realize this is not a 'general' question, however the nature of the beast requires I ask it in this fashion as it does require some measure of specificity in order to be answered, I appreciate any indulgence you may afford this post).

Thanks, Tony

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  • I believe it is legally required on circular saws in Europe, whereas in the states it is not. Most professionals are not going to want the riving knife on it, so I don't see the US versions getting them until it is required.
    – Jacob Edmond
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 20:00
  • Agreed, the reason I'm looking for a non-track saw with riving knife is that all of the currently available saws of that type have 6-1/2" blades and I wanted a 7-1/4" blade capacity, but I wholly agree with your explanation.
    – morongo
    Commented Apr 21, 2017 at 18:51

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Circular saws are typically used for crosscutting framing lumber and breaking down sheet goods. They aren't normally used for ripping in a construction setting, as this would be done on a jobsite tablesaw.

Since the only situation where a riving knife is crucial is ripping, they simply aren't built with them.

The track that comes with a tracksaw makes putting a straight edge on rough lumber very easy, which is a ripping operation likely to cause kickback, so they do come with riving knives.

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  • Yeah, I've got quite an ensemble of circular saws from 77s to Bosch and the only time any of them get any use is in framing or breaking down sheets. 90% of what I do now is in the shop. But the question was to do with availability of circular saws with riving knives in the US and it is as I suspected, Jacob probably hit the nail on the head.
    – morongo
    Commented Apr 21, 2017 at 19:00

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