Tablesaws - long fence or short?

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Jake

They don't need to be hyperlinks colour coded to the manufacturer and in bold to do that.

I noticed that as well and sent a pm to Steve, who immediately made the changes I requested.

Cheers
Neil

 

[A_n_g_e_l_a]

After your wonderful employers went through my returns for the last three years ...

Neil

Hi Neil,

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but you are under a misapprehension. The Chancellor doesn't employ me, but he does pay me!

He pays me and all the other grey and wrinklies, to sit around all day drinking tea and watching afternoon telly. It's a grand life isn't it?

 

[Adam]

to sit around all day drinking tea and watching afternoon telly.

Rather you than me.

Adam

 

[Sgian Dubh]

deedee, if you go back to the previous page and follow the link I provided in my first message you'll find a description of how you can modify a long fence to a short fence for ripping. I'm assuming you have a full table length fence, but perhaps you don't. Slainte.

 

[Waka]

Sorry guys can't keep quite on this one.

Angela

I'm afraid your making a very interesting post boring with your comments.

 

[Anonymous]

You must enter a message when posting.

 

[dedee]

deedee, if you go back to the previous page and follow the link I provided in my first message you'll find a description of how you can modify a long fence to a short fence for ripping. I'm assuming you have a full table length fence, but perhaps you don't. Slainte.

Richard, thanks. I have indeed read that excellant article a number of times and infact I have used a similar L shaped fence on my saw.

I have the exact same saw as Tony, the Kity 419, and hence I am curious to know quite how Tony "adjusted" his fence.

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

I have a long fence on the kity but Adam talked me into seeing the benefits of the shorter fence ages ago and so i have adjusted the fence to stop just after the blade

How have you done that Tony? Did you just cut the back half off and rely solely on the front clamp to hold the fence still?

Could one leave the full length fence in place but stick a thin piece of wood to the inside face of the front half of the fence, thereby creating the advantages of a half fence but with the rigidity of the full fence?

Andy

Hi Andy

Simply slid the fence through the clamp do that it sticks back beyond the clamp rail. Works very nicely as I have a long guide leading into the cut.

 

[Anonymous]

Steve, have you looked around at new saws? Seems to me that most in the UK have full length fences

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Angela

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but you are under a misapprehension. The Chancellor doesn't employ me, but he does pay me!

He pays me and all the other grey and wrinklies

PM sent. I qualify on all counts. :lol:

Cheers
Neil

 

[Jake]

Steve, have you looked around at new saws? Seems to me that most in the UK have full length fences

But the ones that are actually designed for the European market, rather than the rebadged US machines, almost all have a proper short auxiliary rip fence (as well as proper riving knives).

 

[AndyBoyd]

I have a Kity TS with a long fence (also came with a short fence but only one locking mechanism so too messy to change it all the time). So I built a sliding MDF 3 sided box that snugly fits over the Kity fence with a stop and wing nutted bolts running along the T track top of the original fence to lock it in place. I needed to build a new pointer so the measurement tape still worked. but the whole thing only took me an hour.

I'm very happy with it slides back and too in seconds, I also added some T nut on the inside so can quickly fit an aux high fence that's handy too

 

[Steve Maskery]

Steve, have you looked around at new saws? Seems to me that most in the UK have full length fences

Well I can't say I've looked around very much. but I am familiar with the Scheppach and Neil's Jet. I've just taken delivery of an Xcalibur. All three of those, if I'm not mistaken, come with long fences, and a chance remark by Adam reminded me about the short fence I'd been promising myself for years.

As you know, almost everything I do in the workshop ends up in the pages of GW, so I just wanted to know what others used and make sure I had the pros and cons right in my head. I had, and I now have even more useful soundings for my modifications. It's all very much appreciated.

 

[LyNx]

almost everything I do in the workshop ends up in the pages of GW

even passing wind :wink:

 

[Martin]

Steve, have you looked around at new saws? Seems to me that most in the UK have full length fences

Well I can't say I've looked around very much. but I am familiar with the Scheppach and Neil's Jet. I've just taken delivery of an Xcalibur. All three of those, if I'm not mistaken, come with long fences, and a chance remark by Adam reminded me about the short fence I'd been promising myself for years.

As you know, almost everything I do in the workshop ends up in the pages of GW, so I just wanted to know what others used and make sure I had the pros and cons right in my head. I had, and I now have even more useful soundings for my modifications. It's all very much appreciated.

Actually the Scheppach (at least my TS2500) comes with a full length fence which can be configured as both a short + L-shaped fence. The fence is an L-shaped extrusion attached using wing nuts - these can be loosened allowing you to pull it back, converting to a short fence. Depending on the orientation, it also works as either a standard square or an L-shaped fence (just rotate by 90degs) - i.e. it has two tracks built into it for the wing-nut fittings, allowing you to change the orientation. It's a clever design.

Martin.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Actually the Scheppach (at least my TS2500) comes with a full length fence which can be configured as both a short + L-shaped fence. The fence is an L-shaped extrusion attached using wing nuts - these can be loosened allowing you to pull it back, converting to a short fence. Depending on the orientation, it also works as either a standard square or an L-shaped fence (just rotate by 90degs) - i.e. it has two tracks built into it for the wing-nut fittings, allowing you to change the orientation. It's a clever design.

Martin.

Hi Martin

Yes, so I gather from the earlier posts, although I didn't realize that at the start. So saying I was "familiar" with it was probably an overstatement. I looked at one a few years ago when I first started thinking of replacing my saw, that's more accurate. I have a Scheppach bandsaw, and I think the rail/fence assembly is similar.

 

[Losos]

Hi Steve,

Just for the record the Hammer has the same arrangement as the Sheppach. I've found it very handy to be able to vary the length so easily according to the job in hand.

 

[Scrit]

Could one leave the full length fence in place but stick a thin piece of wood to the inside face of the front half of the fence, thereby creating the advantages of a half fence but with the rigidity of the full fence?

Yes, as it would have the same effect as a short rip fence, however a properly designed short fence is just as rigid as a through fence.

This is another area where many machines designed for the US market are stuck in the stone age.

Oh how I agree with that!

So do I take it from Scrit's description the Unifence design is definitely preferred over the Beisemeyer style fence?

Yes indeed! The Unifence does have one "disadvantage" I am aware of, though - it is a right hand side of the blade only fence. Personally, though, I don't see that as a disadvantage

Steve, have you looked around at new saws? Seems to me that most in the UK have full length fences

This is only the case if you are into buying cheap Chaiwanese knock-offs of the rather inadequate Unisaw design. Buy a European-designed saw and it will generally come with a sliding long/short fence, e.g. Scheppach, Minimax, Robland, Felder, Hammer, etc

Scrit

 

[RayArdia]

Hello All,
Newbie to this forum, but a woodworker for more years than you can shake a stick at! Steve Maskery's post, quote below, made me think....

Hi all

I've always used a full-length fence on my tablesaw, but I know that some people prefer a short fence, finishing just behind the front edge of the blade. I gather that the theory is that wood is less likely to get trapped twist blade and fence.

I'm planning to make an auxilliary short fence for mine, for ripping, but use the standard long fence for non-severing cuts.....

So my Q is, which do you use, short or long?

Cheers
Steve

Amongst other machines, I use a locally-bought (NW "Green" Spain) contractor saw with a galvanised steel table and 330mm blade. Haven't had any problems at all, it rips and crosscuts as accurately as I need.
It didn't have any kind of fence so I made a full-length one which clamps at either end using a piece of threaded rod. As there's no guide bar on which to slide a triangular frame, the "parallelity" between guide and blade is somewhat arbitrary!
The inevitable happened a couple of weeks ago -the dreaded kickback- despite still having the saw's original riving knife fitted. As I never stand in the line of fire, no injury, but a stightly 'dinged' sawtable. Now have table top removed for 'un-dinging' and whilst it's dissembled I'm going to reinforce under the blade aperture to help stop noise/vibration.
NOW (thank heavens, they say!) to the point:-
I would like to improve the fence, possibly making a short/extendable one? I would need to make some sort of bar or rail on which to slide it and a clamping mechanism of some sort.
If anyone out there has made a successful job of a contractor saw upgrade, I'd like to have details, please.
It will HAVE to be made- buying is out of the question at present due to parity between Euro and Pound (my pensions are paid from UK!)

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Ray and Welcome. By 'eck, this is an old thread!
I id make a short fence after starting this thread and subsequently modified it. I still use the end result and I never have a problem. You can se a video here

If you email me, steveATworkshopessentials.com, I'll send you a PDF of the fence.

Cheers
Steve
PS I've just edited my original post so that it reads Twixt and not Twist. Nobody told me I was talking rubbish!