Any Fence recommendations?

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  • durango dude
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2011
    • 934
    • a thousand or so feet above insanity
    • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

    Any Fence recommendations?

    I really miss my old BT fence. Not at all happy with the fence on my old 1957 Craftsman Contractor saw.

    I need to glue up 3 pieces of 3/4 x 2 x 25" -------- and don't have a lot of confidence that I can rip consistently straight 25" lengths.

    Any suggestions?

    I've looked at a variety of ideas - ranging from Rockler's clamp on straight edge (cheap solution - just might work) all the way up to a ridiculously expensive INCRA fence
    (I'm serious ----- but not that serious).

    The Shop Fox fences have me pretty curious.

  • Slik Geek
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2006
    • 669
    • Lake County, Illinois
    • Ryobi BT-3000

    #2
    Is your concern that you won't get a face consistently flat for gluing? If so, couldn't you use use a router on a router table to joint the edges flat for gluing?
    What is the issue with the table saw fence? The back edge doesn't lock in place so the fence moves? The front doesn't lock reliably?

    Comment

    • mpc
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2005
      • 979
      • Cypress, CA, USA.
      • BT3000 orig 13amp model

      #3
      Are sure it's the fence - could it be a poor blade or a loose/sloppy saw arbor assembly? The BT3's fence was pretty nice in that it locked down on both ends making it pretty rigid. I've tested fences on display table saws in various stores and found many can be shoved left/right at the far end with a fair bit of push. None were so loose though that I'd think normal stock feed techniques would flex the fence. At least in table saw uses... those fences would suck supporting router fences for example compared to the BT3 fence. Has the fence been properly aligned since you acquired the saw? Nothing works well when not adjusted properly...

      Run-out or loose arbor bearings would be my bet on an older saw. Damage and/or wear items... a lot of either can accrue since 1957.

      mpc

      Comment

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

        #4
        Click image for larger version  Name:	20181011_233122_resized_1.jpg Views:	1 Size:	92.7 KB ID:	835059

        A very straight long rip fence can be made fairly easily cheaply with a 4' long level, laid on its side against the rip fence. Use the Rockler fence clamps to pull the level to the fence by the holes in the level; most levels will have some sort of finger and hanging holes in it. You may already have such a level and not need to buy one.

        Read the tool reviews for my reviews of the Rockler fence clamps, I find they work great with fences and jigs of all sorts. https://www.sawdustzone.org/articles...amp-comparison
        Last edited by LCHIEN; 10-12-2018, 01:37 AM.
        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

        • twistsol
          Veteran Member
          • Dec 2002
          • 2893
          • Cottage Grove, MN, USA.
          • Ridgid R4512, 2x ShopSmith Mark V 520, 1951 Shopsmith 10ER

          #5
          Originally posted by durango dude
          I really miss my old BT fence. Not at all happy with the fence on my old 1957 Craftsman Contractor saw.

          I've looked at a variety of ideas - ranging from Rockler's clamp on straight edge (cheap solution - just might work) all the way up to a ridiculously expensive INCRA fence
          (I'm serious ----- but not that serious).
          Honestly, I have the 52" Incra TS/LS fence on my saw, and I still miss the BT fence as well. I might not have been able to set it to within 1/10 of a mm but it locked down solidly. The Incra positioner is about as close to perfect as you can get, but locking it down tightly to eliminate flex and keep that precision means tightening knobs at both ends which is kind of a pain, and time consuming.
          Chr's
          __________
          An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
          A moral man does it.

          Comment

          • durango dude
            Senior Member
            • Mar 2011
            • 934
            • a thousand or so feet above insanity
            • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

            #6
            I'll quickly admit that ripping terrifies me ----- I was hit once ---- and then only by a 1x6 piece of pine being trimmed down to a 1x4.
            It was enough to train me to be careful! First thing I did was get a good blade ------ for me, a 10" diablo. The new blade cuts instead of crushes the wood.
            Less friction ----- less risk.

            The saw is an old 1957 King Seeley/Craftsman ------- no blade cover, riving knife, etc. The fence is clunky.

            I can get a perfect 90 out of the miter ---- so I don't think the arbor is the problem.

            I do about 4-5 projects a year ---- so not interested in spending a fortune.

            Comment

            • cwsmith
              Veteran Member
              • Dec 2005
              • 2737
              • NY Southern Tier, USA.
              • BT3100-1

              #7
              I too love the fence on my BT3100-1, it locks down securely on both ends and I've never once had a problem with it. I took a piece of 1-inch scrap, ripped it to just less than a two inch width, drilled a couple of 5/16" holes in the edge and use a couple of Rockler clamps (pictured by Loring in his post above) to hold it to the fence. It only extends my fence by six inches, but that was enough for most the ripping that I do.

              I've ripped some ten foot stock and the edges mate up fine (I was making a table top for the base of my wife's library shelving.) When building the library I made several such rips in order to glue up the tops for the various window seat benches, table, etc. I prefer edge-to-edge board stock over cutting sheets of 3/4 ply because of the edging challenges. (Used a biscuit joiner for those edges.)

              Using a "factory edge" on an 8-ft long plywood piece, I've also edge finished board stock using my router and a straight bit. Essential for those times when both edges of the stock have curved or was irregular.

              CWS
              Think it Through Before You Do!

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