Patent ID: 8505424

Claim:
A table saw comprising: a table defining a work surface, where the table includes an opening; a generally planar, circular blade configured to extend at least partially above the work surface through the opening; a motor to drive the blade; a riving knife or splitter having a substantially planar base portion with opposing sides; an elevation carriage supporting the blade and configured to move to change the elevation of the blade relative to the work surface with the blade at a specific angular orientation relative to the work surface; a mounting system configured to hold the riving knife or splitter adjacent the blade with the opposing sides of the base portion substantially parallel to the plane of the blade; where the mounting system is supported to move with the elevation carriage; where the mounting system includes a clamping structure adapted to open and to close; where the clamping structure includes a first clamp surface, a second clamp surface spaced apart from the first clamp surface to accommodate the base portion between the clamp surfaces with the opposing sides of the base portion generally adjacent the first and second clamp surfaces, a handle adapted to pivot around an axis below the work surface between a first position where the clamping structure is open and a second position where the clamping structure is closed, a cam surface configured to convert pivotal motion of the handle into generally linear motion of at least one clamp surface toward the other clamp surface, the cam surface having an end, and a detent adjacent the end of the cam surface and configured to prevent unintentional opening of the clamping structure; where pivoting the handle from the first position to the second position causes at least one clamp surface to move toward the other and clamp the opposing sides of the base portion; where the handle can be pivoted by hand from one of the first position and second position to the other without using tools and without having to pivot the handle more than one full revolution; where the handle is constrained from pivoting through more than one full revolution; where the first and second clamp surfaces are below the work surface; and where the handle and opening in the table are configured so that a user can access the handle by reaching a hand through the opening.