Wide table / router table fence.

**Black wallnut** · 01-26-2011, 12:26 AM

Looks functional. If it were me, I would be remaking the lower fence as you will tire quickly of regular nuts. In the meantime you might try wing nuts as those fence faces do not have to be super tight.

**LarryG** · 01-26-2011, 08:35 AM

My router table fence is a similar design. You'll enjoy using that.

Two other possibilities for providing knob clearance ... on my fence I used knurled brass knobs, similar to the ones at the very bottom of this Woodpeckers web page. Or, if there are no fasteners in the way, you could use a large Forstner bit to drill a clearance hole through your fence's base piece, right under each nut. another method would be to cut a slot with a plunge router.

That said, Mark's wing nut suggestion is quick and easy and as good as anything. As he says, it takes very little pressure to hold the fence in place. That's the main reason I used the knurled brass knobs, even though there's room for larger ones ... big star knobs would have been overkill.

**dbhost** · 01-26-2011, 09:50 AM

Thanks...

Yeah, I know about the knob thing, it is an aggravating mistake in design... I had some math wrong... The slot for the featherboards is somewhat high to use the Rockler router table featherboards. However the regular table / saw boards work more than fine...

**pelligrini** · 01-26-2011, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by LarryG

Two other possibilities for providing knob clearance ... on my fence I used knurled brass knobs, similar to the ones at the very bottom of this Woodpeckers web page. Or, if there are no fasteners in the way, you could use a large Forstner bit to drill a clearance hole through your fence's base piece, right under each nut. another method would be to cut a slot with a plunge router.

I have a similar shaped fence, but no moving faces yet. I used some small wing nuts to attach my fence to my secondary rip fence. I cut some holes in the bottom with a forstner like larry said for clearance.

T-nuts.com also has some adjustable levers http://t-nuts.com/index.php?cPath=48_51

Home Depot & Lowes carries a few knurled knobs.

JR · 01-26-2011, 12:15 PM

Mine is similar, too. You're really going to like it. Somehow I also ended up with the same knob clearance issues. I found some small plastic knobs, not unlike the brass knurled ones, at the hardware store.

I eventually tired of the rip fence attachment. In particular I found that the feather board, as you show it on face of the fence, wasn't effective due to flex of the assembly. I ripped out the base of the fence and put a new one in that stretches beyond the rails of the BT3K, using t-nuts to hold it in place. It has an unnerving tendency to move if I don't take extra care to torque it down, but I like it better now.

I also wish my fence, which is about as long as yours, was lot longer. I use stops on the face quite a bit and frequently need a longer run from bit to stop, even for the small box projects I do. I noodled the design for a long time before building it, as you clearly did. I still went the wrong way in a couple of key areas. Live and learn.

Good idea on the miter track. That will prove very useful, if just for feather boards.

Nicely done!

JR

**dbhost** · 01-26-2011, 12:58 PM

The idea for the 2 track miter slots came from the miter slot accessory for the BT3K itself... Hopefully it works as well as I think it will..

**pelligrini** · 01-26-2011, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by JR

I eventually tired of the rip fence attachment. In particular I found that the feather board, as you show it on face of the fence, wasn't effective due to flex of the assembly.

Yep, I've been thinking about changing mine for the same reasons, but I'm still not sure about it yet. I did add a couple extension pieces on the ends so I can clamp it down to the rails with a couple quick grips when using featherboards on the face of the fence. That works, but adjusting the fence is a PIA. I still love being able to use the extended tape on my rails & fence indicator for adjustments. And when needed, my craftsman micro adjust for the fence is certainly handy. I also like always having the fence parallel with my miter slot on my table if I'm using my miter guage and the router fence.

**dbhost** · 01-26-2011, 01:32 PM

Not sure if it is obvious from my pics, but I overhang the rails enough to get a good grab with a couple of clamps to keep it from flexing upward. Not sure if it is normal, but my fence locks down very rigidly, if that's a word... I don't know as it would flex up any more than say a fence that adjusts with T slots... I mean the wood itself is going to have a little bit of give to it... I kind of wonder if maybe the passes being taken might be too aggressive... Just a thought...

**pelligrini** · 01-26-2011, 02:28 PM

Originally posted by dbhost

After a bit too much fiddling with the Ryobi brackets, I decided something a bit more user friendly was in order.

I'm surprised you stuck with those cheesy brackets this long. Making a router fence was the first customization I did to my saw. In pretty short order too.

I think those things and their dust tube is the poorest design out of everything BT3.

**dbhost** · 01-26-2011, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by pelligrini

I'm surprised you stuck with those cheesy brackets this long. Making a router fence was the first customization I did to my saw. In pretty short order too.

I think those things and their dust tube is the poorest design out of everything BT3.

Lots of other projects took priority

**chopnhack** · 01-31-2011, 01:46 AM

I like it DB, very nice work. I would comment on the sliding fence portion though... if you use large diameter bits, you may want to reposition the t-track on the backside further away from the opening. Also, I have seen somewhere before where the face is replaceable so that you can just slide in new face plates for creating zero clearance with different bits.

**dbhost** · 02-24-2011, 11:08 AM

Chop....

Not sure what you mean about the T track. The track is on the faces, which slide away from the bit allowing clearance, as is the upper t track away from where bits can be. I have already used it with my largest bits and I have more than ample room...

**hophop** · 03-01-2011, 05:47 PM

DB,

I had the same impression that C&H had. It seems safer if you remove a short portion of the metal T-Track from the ends of the lower faces to avoid the accidental cutting of the bit into the metal edges. I would also run a chamfer along the bottom of the lower faces to provide room for sawdust.

**Black wallnut** · 03-01-2011, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by hophop

DB,

I had the same impression that C&H had. It seems safer if you remove a short portion of the metal T-Track from the ends of the lower faces to avoid the accidental cutting of the bit into the metal edges. I would also run a chamfer along the bottom of the lower faces to provide room for sawdust.

Carbide router bits and this day and age I do not see any reason to buy other than carbide bits, cut through aluminum t-track like a hot knife through butter. I don't see the placement as an issue. I do think you are making a great point about the chamfer, as long as you are talking the inside of the moveable fence part.

Wide table / router table fence.

Wide table / router table fence.

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