Do you use the TS fence rule?

[BigguyZ]

I was watching a podcast on the Woodsmith website and the presenter mentioned that he never relies on the rule on his fence guide. Now personally, I do. I have a Beisemeyer (he had a Beisemeyer clone) and find that when I do double check the length against what the fence is set at, it's spot on.

Do you use the fence rule, or do you double check that always? If so, why?

Thanks!

[RodKirby]

Never! Always use a steel rule, fence-to-blade.

[Knottscott]

I use the rule on the fence. I checked it closely when I set it up and it was spot on. It's get checked periodically, but until something changes I expect it to be accurate.

[drumpriest]

I use mine all of the time at this point. I check it for the first cut of the day, and adjust if needed (rarely). When I had the BT, it required adjustment more often than my PM2000, but rarely in either case. I figure the giant steel tube on the PM2000 isn't likely to change due to weather any more or less than a steel rule.

[LarryG]

I use the rule on the fence. I checked it closely when I set it up and it was spot on. It's get checked periodically, but until something changes I expect it to be accurate.

Same here, exactly. One key to making this work is that I "never" move the rails on my BT.

[cgallery]

I always use it. The BT3K fence scale system is extremely accurate. Very thin graduations on the tape and very fine cursor. And I use it when routing to make relative adjustments, too.

My old craftsman table saw had a terrible scale and I had to use a steel rule to set it. What a PITA.

[jspelbring]

TS Fence

I use mine all the time - Incra TS-III.

[LCHIEN]

I use mine all the time, it's spot on. When I move the rails, I have to recalibrate. I also double check with a ruler frequently. Not that its wrong, but it helps catch user errors.

[sweensdv]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but as a non BT owner I'm curious as to why one would ever want to move the rails on the BT3xxx? Back to the OP's original question, I almost always use both. I'll usually use the tape on the rail to get close and the tape measure to finalize the setting. Sort of a measure twice cut once thing and the order of measuring is always the same. Use the tape on the rail first followed by the tape measure.

[LarryG]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but as a non BT owner I'm curious as to why one would ever want to move the rails on the BT3xxx?

With the rail scale indexed to the blade, the rip capacity is (IIRC) in the 24" range. If you move the rails all the way to the right, you can increase this to ~32" (but the rail scale will be meaningless).

EDIT: Hey, 5150! Eddie would be so proud ...

[coach]

Biese fence here, and I always use the fence rule. I adjusted it to 2" with some poplar and calipers. Every once in a while, I'll measure a finished cut to make sure it is still spot on.

My saw is left tilt, I have to calibrate again after blade changes.

[Tom Miller]

I always measure with either a ruler or tape measure from fence to blade. I feel I can get to within ~1/64" that way, better than I could with the fence rule.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but as a non BT owner I'm curious as to why one would ever want to move the rails on the BT3xxx?

Same reason you'd want to move the rails on any TS, to give you more rip capacity on one side or the other when needed. It's just that on a BT3x, it's really easy to do.


Regards,
Tom

[Ken Massingale]

I always use the fence scale on the Ridgid TS3650. Like others said, I verify it periodically, it's never been off.
ken

[scorrpio]

BT3, with is easily movable rails, is harder to keep aligned. I need to shift rails fairly often to get a bit extra capacity on either side of blade, so I rarely use the fence scale. When I upgrade to a cabinet saw with fixed rail, it will be a different story.

That said, it is not that often I need to set up for 'so many inches wide' (or long). Far more often, the setup I need is 'as wide as this interval on a story stick', and if I think I'll need to return to a given setup, I make a gage block from scrap and label it.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Dependent upon my needs. If I need a 3.75" board where fit is critical then I measure it with rule. I change blades and forget to reset the indicator on my Beisemeyer. I will use the rail tape if it is a project I am making that I am making that has no plans, prints, etc and I am making up. 1/16" either way will not make a difference in the width of a table apron if there is no set width it needs to be.