Rip fence vertical tilt?

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  • jdon
    Established Member
    • Feb 2010
    • 401
    • Snoqualmie, Wash.
    • BT3100

    Rip fence vertical tilt?

    I've just noticed something that I don't recall seeing discussed (at least recently) here- tilting of the rip fence off vertical- i.e. not perpendicular to the table.

    I've never had any problems with the rip fence- it locks/unlocks and glides smoothly, and is consistently parallel with the blade. It's adjusted so that I get good clamping to the rear rail with maybe a 30 degree rotation of the locking handle (to horizontal).


    I just noticed, though, that as I lock the fence, the left end of the front bar (where the scale cursor is inserted) tends to rise slightly (<1/16")- rotating the top of the fence slightly clockwise. I can hold the left side down, and the right side of the bar will rise, or, I can hold down the center- where the fence attaches, and they both tend to rise about the same.

    I can't see anything on the front bar that ensures that the fence locks absolutely perpendicular to the rails and table in the vertical plane. It's never caused me any problems with cuts, that I'm aware of, but my ripping so far has been of wood flat on the table. However, I can picture potential accuracy issues if ripping tall pieces, such as tendons or panels vertically.

    Am I missing something in fence adjustment or locking technique, or is this not a real practical problem?
  • JimD
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2003
    • 4187
    • Lexington, SC.

    #2
    I have about a 4 inch tall piece of melamine on my rip fence to extend it's length and height. It was not vertical so I shimmed between the rip fence and melamine to make it vertical. I think I used old business cards.

    Jim

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    • Lonnie in Orlando
      Senior Member
      • May 2003
      • 649
      • Orlando, FL, USA.
      • BT3000

      #3
      I posted this "fix" a few years ago. It may correct your problem.

      - Lonnie
      OLD STUFF ... houses, furniture, cars, wine ... I love it all

      Comment

      • jdon
        Established Member
        • Feb 2010
        • 401
        • Snoqualmie, Wash.
        • BT3100

        #4
        Spot on, Lonnie-thanks!

        I just finished disassembling the handle, and found a bent "Clamper A". I don't have time right now to straighten and reassemble, but don't foresee any problems.

        In my own defense, I've always tried to be careful about not forcing anything on the saw, but I did get it off CL. A good example that "little used" is not necessarily the same as "gently used"

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20920
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          Glad you fixed yours. Another reported problem making the rip fence bracket rise up is waxing the rails... The clamping mechanism uses some plastic "jaws" to grab the rail, they can't hold onto the waxed rail and as a result rise up when clamped. Cleaning the wax off with mineral spirits or other solvent will solve this one. You need to wipe it off both the rail front and back as well as off the plastic clamping pads in the T-block of the rip fence that may have picked wax up off the rails.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • jdon
            Established Member
            • Feb 2010
            • 401
            • Snoqualmie, Wash.
            • BT3100

            #6
            I confess that I have been a bit liberal using paste wax- never knew that there's a downside to that smoothly gliding fence! Thanks for the info.

            Comment

            • aiyou
              SawdustZone Patron
              • Mar 2006
              • 106
              • Charlotte, NC
              • BT3100

              #7
              One other possibility...

              When I first got my saw, I got overly ambitious during rip fence alignment and ahead of myself, and adjusted the screen that mounts on the back of the rear clamping bracket.

              Well, I think I over tightened it and the fence would move out of square as I clamped the fence. Backing out that screw a bit relieved some of that tension, and it now remains square. Took some trial and error, as too loose allows the fence to move even when clamped.

              Rob

              Comment

              • cabinetman
                Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                • Jun 2006
                • 15218
                • So. Florida
                • Delta

                #8
                Originally posted by jdon
                I confess that I have been a bit liberal using paste wax- never knew that there's a downside to that smoothly gliding fence! Thanks for the info.
                Good to hear you fixed the problem. Some fixes are simple, some aren't obvious. I'm not a fan of using wax in the shop on machinery or tools that come in contact with wood...especially if finishing is done in the area.

                .

                Comment

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