Fine adjustment fence for a bandsaw.

[Knot Competent]

I'm reaching a milestone birthday in a couple of weeks, and hoping to get a complete set of Steve's DVD's from my family.

Can anyone tell me if there's a fine adjustment bandsaw fence on one of them, please? It would be for a Startrite 301. I enjoy a bit of anticipation!

 

[Steve Maskery]

There might be...

It does rely on you having a rip fence to start with, it's an add-on to that. It's on WE4, Bandsaw Essentials. But there is also a very good rip fence for the TS on WE10 and that could just as well be fitted to a BS if you needed to make a fence from scratch.

 

[Knot Competent]

You tease!

Yes, I have a metal fence, which I doubt is the original as it's a bit utilitarian, but clamps firmly. But it's very difficult to adjust a small amount, which is why I asked the question.

 

[devonwoody]

How about using pieces of paper or card to just change the fence difference, easily create upto 3mm.

I regularly use some straight battens to avoid upper blade bearings on thinner pieces.

 

[Knot Competent]

Thanks DW, ves that's an idea, but not very stable. My ideal would be a fence with a recessed screw head I can turn to make slight adjustments. I can't wait to see what Steve has up his sleeve!

 

[Steve Maskery]

I can easily adjust mine accurately by 0.1mm. It's very precise. It's permanently fixed to my BS.

 

[Knot Competent]

I was right, you ARE a tease!

Just tell me if it's adjustable with one, or more, screws, please!

 

[Steve Maskery]

No screws, although you could adjust it with a leadscrew if you wanted. It works like a vernier.
The scale on mine has faded, I need to print out another. But if I made this again I wouldn't change anything.
You'll need a few Bristol levers, a knob and some nylon bolts. You'll also need an M6 tap, but if you don't have one you can grind a flat on an M6 bolt. It works OK in wood for an application like this.

 

[Knot Competent]

Thanks Steve, it sounds amazing! But I can wait a couple of weeks now.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I did try the leadscrew approach first. Of course, it is very precise, but the problem is how to ensure that the fence stays perfectly parallel. It only has to be out by a bit for you to get drift. This approach eliminates that risk.