Rear fence lock difficult to engage

[unknown poster]

The rear lock for my rip fence doesn't engage until the handle is all the way down. It didn't used to be like this, it used to engage when the handle was about 2/3 of the way down, about 1/4 turn past where the front lock engaged. This weekend I was setting up to rip some MDF when I noticed the rear wouldn't engage until the handle was pushed to the bottom, which takes quite some effort once the front is fully locked up.

Anything I should check other than just tightening the phillips screw that controlls the rear lock engagement? Is it possible something is wrong, or should I just adjust it until it works?

[RayintheUK]

The rear lock for my rip fence doesn't engage until the handle is all the way down. . . . Anything I should check other than just tightening the phillips screw that controlls the rear lock engagement? Is it possible something is wrong, or should I just adjust it until it works?

Have you removed the fence recently? If so, it's possible that the rear clamper didn't engage correctly in the rear rail, so that only the front part is actually clamping properly - see the side view diagrams below, where the rear rail is shown in gray and the clamper in black:



"A" shows how the clamper should be introduced to the rear rail, "B" shows correct engagement when clamped. "C" is one example of incorrect engagement.

The screw on the back needs to be slackened right off to correctly engage the fence when replacing, so try adjusting a little at a time and check the results. HTH

Ray.

[LCHIEN]

sometimes some judicicously applied lube like oil or WD40 can free up the rear clamping mechanism. Take it off and move the lever in the front and observe what moves in the back, lube it all up and try again.

[twistsol]

If everything is aligning correctly and the parts that should move are moving, you may need to adjust the screw at the rear of the fence. This screw adjusts when the lock engages. It has to be just right, or the you will have difficulty removing and replacing the fence or you will have difficulty locking it down.

[unknown poster]

Ray probably has it. I have a 21829 saw so I always take the fence off to store the saw and I did not pay much attention to how the rear was engaged. I'll check it tonight and see how it works when I verify things are lined up properly. Thanks.