In this video I dig into riving knives—because I’ve heard so many different stories about them—and I show what they actually do (and what they don’t). I start by explaining the real difference between a riving knife and a splitter: a riving knife follows the blade angle, tracks up and down with the blade, and is usually at or below blade height. If it’s higher than the blade or has a hood and anti-kickback pawls, you’re into splitter territory—even if it moves with the blade. Then I get into kickback, because that’s what this is really about. Natural wood can have internal tensions (knots, growth stresses, hillside trees) that can pinch the kerf closed and grab the back of the blade—classic kickback. Man-made sheet goods like plywood and MDF don’t typically do that, so a riving knife/splitter may be “inactive” there. The biggest kickback issue I see, though, is fence setup: you need a slight toe-out away from the blade, not pinching toward it. My takeaway: use a riving knife if you’ve got one, but don’t get overconfident that it solves all kickback. If you have a proper splitter with a hood and anti-kickback pawls, dig it out—because in my shop that setup is often far and above better for safety and control.