The reason this thing works, is because of Ryobi’s great Rip fence design. You only have to nudge the “T” end of the fence to move it – the far end is a smoothly moving roller. This is a “fiddly” project, so if you don’t enjoy working with small pieces of wood, leave now!
Pics + Shop scenes at:
Materials:
- Scrap 1⁄4” plywood and hardwood,
- 4 x 1” x No.6 screws,
- 3 x 1⁄4-20 x 5/8” Brass knobs,
- 3 x 1⁄4-20 dome nuts,
- 3 x 3/16” washers,
- 1⁄4-20 threaded rod,
- 1⁄4-20 threaded stud with a rubber foot (I got this off a hold-down clamp).
Measuring: Be brave, guys, buy a 6” rule with millimetres marked on the back (front for me), I can be more precise using mm’s.
I started by measuring the height of the rip fence (sliding) base, and how deep my 1⁄4”-20 tap would reach. This gave me a hardwood size of 28mm high x 22mm thick. It so happens that the width of the top section of the front rail is also 28mm. Centering the 1⁄4”-20 threaded hole then, is 14mm in from the end and 14mm up off the rail. Cut the hardwood about 8” long, so you can work it comfortably.
Start by drilling/tapping the hardwood. Then make up the rear plywood “clamp” pad – 40mm high x 75mm long. Drill and countersink the screw holes in the plywood. (Be careful locating the holes, otherwise you will hit the tapped hole). Then glue the pad to the hardwood and let it set (about 30 minutes). You can then clamp the hardwood “end” in a vise and drill and insert the 2 screws. Test fit what you have; for example, I had to cut a “hair” off the bottom edge of the plywood to let the hardwood seat properly on the rail. (Having a hardwood “handle” made this safe and easy to do).
Clamp the assembly to the rail, and, using a try square (against the front of the rail), you can mark how long the hardwood needs to be – cut it to length.
I made the plywood front pad 70mm high x 35mm wide. Locate the tapped hole for the stud as close to the hardwood as you can, making sure the rubber foot has clearance. Drill/tap the hole and drill/countersink the screw holes. Once again, glue the pad to the hardwood, let it set and then drill/insert the screws.
The length of the stud is easy, it can’t be more than the length of the hardwood, otherwise you can’t get it into the threaded hole. I cut the threaded rod 130mm long, which left enough “finger” room to get at the brass knob at each end. In each case, of course, the brass knobs are the “lock nuts”.
In action, you need very little clamping pressure to hold the assembly in place. Unlocking the rip fence, you’ll be amazed how easy it is to move – even with jigs mounted on the fence.
Original PDF Document:
Microadjust.pdf