I want to make a new fence for my Jet JTAS-10 with Micro-adjust Precision Fence. I have the HTC clips.
I'm not very good at free-hand routing. Also - I will probably make other fences, so I am thinking about making a template.
Any suggestions?
Let me elaborate some of my ideas.
I've been inspired by Jim Topin's jigs in his table saw book. He drills holes in the metal body of his fence, and attaches his "Universal Rip Fence" to that. And when he wants a different fence, he attaches a second fence to his rip fence, which is attached to the metal body.
It seems to me that a single fence would be preferable to two fences. So I'm trying to use the quick mount/dismount feature to hold the fence in place.
A friend says I should just rough cut the holes, eyeball the location of the clips, and slot the holes on the clips to make them adjustable.
The problem is aligning the 4 clips so the fence face fits onto the metal fence body. Getting all 4 perfectly aligned seems like it would be difficult. I don't want to have to struggle with the fences every time I swap one for another.
So this is what my ideas are.
I first tried to place a piece of paper over the existing fence and did a rubbing to locate the holes. I tried to transfer that onto a thin metal template, but was a PITA using sheet metal cutters, files, a nibbler, etc. There has to be a better way, I thought.
My next thought was to take a panel pilot bit, and grind off the point, so the bottom of the bit is smooth, and using the original fence with the clips removed, make a duplicate of the holes using the original as a guide. I'd make some rough holes for a started cut, and place a piece of 1/4 plywood over the fence, and make an exact duplicate of the holes.
But then if I use this as a guide, the router bits with the bearing on top are too deep. And if I use a bushing, the hole cut won't be the exact size as my pattern.
I'm thinking of using a keyhole router bit with a bushing guide to make a copy of that pattern that is slightly larger, and then using this second guide to cut the holes. I think I found a combination that may work, but I have to test this.
Another idea is to take the existing plastic fence face, with the clips removed, and drill through the fence where the clip holes are, and use these to mark the pilot holes for the clips. I still have to cut out the holes for the clips, but that should solve the alignment issue. Then roughtcut the openings.
Thoughts?
Am I making this way too complicated?
As I said - my freehand skils with a router are limited. I'd rather have a solution that lets me make several custom fences.
Route a dado down the center of the entire length of the fence to the proper recessed depth for the clips. Mark the proper location in the recess for the clips and drill out the clearance for the stud heads. Once the recesses are drilled mount the clips in the routed recess.
On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 15:19:01 GMT, the inscrutable Pat Barber spake:
P.S: Where's the microfeed?
------------------------------------------------------------------- Do. Or do not. * Stylin' Web Design Services There is no try. --Yoda *
Thanks Pat, but I was looking for a table saw fence face for my JTAS table saw.
Excellent idea! I knew I was overlooking something. Thanks, novasys!
They say great minds think alike...
I went through this about a year ago since I did not like the idea of trying to thread bolts into the thin top of the fence. I ended up routing the holes with a straight bit guided by a jig and bushing.
I'm afraid I do not remember how I determined the size of the guide hole in the jig, (this mind aint that great) but I remember a lot of calculating, trial and error and scrap.
I've temporarily put up a few pictures here:
I routed the main hole for the clips, then went back and routed deeper in the center portion to allow clearance for the heads of the fence studs. The index pin helps get the jig back in the right place.
You will also see that I tied the two fences together. I'm not sure that this is really necessary since the clips hold pretty firmly. So far the only "accessory" I've used with the fence is the featherboard. Some of Tolpin's other attachments get pretty big, so I may appreciate the extra stability later on.
... and fools seldom differ. Thanks, Larry. Thanks for the note about the stability and using one or two fences. I was wondering about that, and appreciate the info!
Here's my current plan:
I liked novasys's idea of dadoing a single groove for the length of the fence. This keeps all 4 clips perfectly aligned in one direction. Any error can be fixed by trimming/padding one side, if necessary.
The second problem is to align the clips in the other direction. I plan to remove the clips from one fence and drill through the screw locations, and make a template from this. That way I minimize damage to my fence face.
Based on your advice, I'll make my first one that only needs one fence removed. I can have two pieces of plywood on the vertical surface, and have it stairstep over the fence on the right side. This should give it extra stability.
I post pics when done...
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