Jerry,

The riving knife serves a similar purpose as a splitter. This keeps the kerf open and prevents the cut from closing and pinching the blade at the back end leading to kickback.

If just using a featherboard, make sure that it's before the blade, so there is no chance of it pressing the kerf closed.

A splitter like the microjig one is a cheap and easy alterative to a riving knife.

Micro Jig | MJ Splitter™ System

 

Similar to what Doug said (above) these are two different things and both are very helpful to improve your cut quality and more importantly: your safety. Riving knives / splitters prevent boards from successfully "closing-up" after the cut. Featherboards use a "spring action" to keep the board close to fence and/or table surface. Without these two handy add-ons, quality of cut may be "iffy" the splitters can keep the boards from closing, binding and hitting you and they also help considerably to keep the cut "on track", some of the wood I use is heavy and twisted - without these two add-ons my head would have even more knots than what are already there!

 

Greetings and welcome to the Router Forums. We are glad you have chosen to join us.

 

You need to look at all the subforums here and pick a different one. Otherwise, the other Jerry is going to say hello to you forever.

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