T style table fence: brain picking

[dadiOH]

I'm giving some thought to making one and have been paper building it in SketchUp. I have never used one - nor even SEEN one - and would like to ask some questions to those more ecperienced with them.

1. What is the approximate length of the angle iron part of the "T"...the part that rides along the side of the channel. I'm guessing about 12", does that sound right?

1. On the outside - away from the saw - of that same piece there has to be some manner of adjustment to assure the fence is parallel to the saw blade. Logically, there would be a piece of light steel bar - 1/8"? - to act as a spring and a couple short, through bolts to act as stops when the fence is clamped. On the pictures I have seen there is precious little space between the saw and the saw side of this piece of angle iron. Does one adjust the stops from the rail side of the angle iron?

2. The "T" also needs to allow for adjusting the fence so it is vertical. Again, from the pix I have seen, this seems to be accomplished by a couple of nylon or maybe UHDM bolts, one near and through each end of the angle iron so that they contact the rail, correct? My worry is that those might self loosen or tighten what with the fence riding only on them since the fence is constalrly being moved to and fro. Also, the surface area of those bolts seems rather small in relation to the weight of the fence and "T". Am I worrying for naught? Is there a better way?

I was considering using a 1/8" x 3/4" or 1" strip of oak attached to the underside of the angle iron, UHDM friction pads at the ands of the oak and set screws from the top of the angle to push the oak and its friction pads down as needed. Good or bad idea?

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Thanks for your input/ideas; they will be - and always are - appreciated.

dadiOH

[Spalted Walt]

There are MANY on youtube, a short sampling:

[dadiOH]

Yes, thank you. I have watched numerous but have not found the details I am seeking. I'll check out your links tomorrow.

Speaking of Youtube, especially the "how to"s, I wish the authors would pay a bit more attention to their audio, both its character and content. I would also wish not to have to watch numerous minutes while they perform some repetitive task. Like drilling, countersinking and tapping a half dozen or more holes in a piece of steel. I could get the idea with just one hole :)

[Scott Lurndal]

You get what you pay for? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?

[Puckdropper]

[e-mail] (Scott Lurndal) wrote in news:NFiXz.44169$ [e-mail]:

Q: Why didn't you do anything about it? A: No one ever said it was an issue.

Puckdropper

[dadiOH]

I like Youtube, find it a very valuable source of information. Still, I figure if someone is going to do something - ANYTHING - they should try to do it in the best way possible.

[Leon]

Here is the Saw Stop fence diagram and install instructions.

[-MIKE-]

As someone who worked in video production for 15 years, I couldn't care less. The crappiest, worst quality, horribly "produced" youtube videos have saved me so much time and grief over the years, I'm too thankful to worry about whether the person uploading the video tried hard enough. sheesh.

I can't tell you how many car and appliance repairs youtube videos have helped me make. These $h!tty videos have helped me save literally thousands of dollars.

[Swingman]

Ditto. Have built well over a hundred desktop computers/servers in years past, but always found laptops more than a bit dicey to work on. However, youtube is excellent for things like repairing laptops. Recently replaced the keyboard in one, and a screen in another thanks to youtube.

Except for allowing keyboard input from the virtually brain dead, the interwebz does fulfill some of its original promise. ;)

[DerbyDad03]

+1

Now I have to figure out how to get the grease off my keyboard.

I'll bet there's a video for that. ;-)

[dadiOH]

Thank you, Leon, that will be quite useful. I assume you have this fence? If so, could I impose on you sometime you are in your shop and ask you to measure the length of the "T" to which the fence attaches? It lools to be

12"-14" and I am sure the length is not critical but the shorter it is the shorter I can make the rail, not a lot of room left in my workshop :(

[-MIKE-]

HA! Yeah, I'm looking at some from my last car repair, that I didn't get off yet. :-)

[Leon]

Snip

The T is 16" long and the fence is about 46" long.

FWIW the longer "T" affords easier minute adjustments when squaring to the miter slots.

I will add that this is on the "industrial" SawStop. The smaller professional and contractor saws also have smaller fences.

[dadiOH]

Many, many thanks! I've been drawing it 18", just as a guestimate

That was my thinking for the 18". I may - or may not - make it a bit shorter.

[Leon]

Keep in mind, if you do not have a right extension table that the right side of the T dictates that the front rail has to be longer than your desired rip width by the width of the fence plus the length of the right side of the T. If you wanted 50" rip capacity the rail needs to be

8~12" longer.

And you have to have a right side table that extends a few inches past your desired rip capacity to hold up the far in of the fence.

[russellseaton1]

The Biesemeyer Home Shop saw fence has a 14 inch steel T.

[Jack]

Anything worth doing is worth doing right? If one doesn't understand that a video that shows drilling 50 repetitive holes is of no additional value and detracts from the video, they probably shouldn't be making the video to begin with. Most do not do this, or speed up the repetitive parts so they are less annoying.

[Jack]

We have all benefited from Youtube how to videos. Most of the worth while ones don't show repetitive tasks ad nauseum. It seems strange (to me) that someone that worked in video production for 15 years is not annoyed by this.

As one who has never worked a day in video production other than a rare one of my own, I know it takes very little skill or effort to edit out tedious repetitive nonsense. I've seen people show this stuff, and then skip over an important tricky part because they didn't have time... Shoddy work is shoddy work, whether building a video or a cabinet, or trying to break a gift horse for riding because after all, it was free.

Now the big thing seems to be speeding up repetitive tasks, which is getting old fast, and while 2 minutes of high speed drilling is better than 10 minutes, it is equally unnecessary.

[Jack]

I have the small Delta fence that looks exactly like the Bessimier and Saw Stop fence. I put it on my 1954 Rockwell/Delta contractors saw. It works fine and cost around $150 a while ago, and still well under $200 at Lowes.

Any way, the "T", which is a piece of angle iron, is

13 3/4" long on mine, and I have the short fence version, not the long one. I'd think the long one just has longer rails, but not sure. Also, the rear rail serves no recognizable purpose, far as I can tell. I use it to mount a rear extension table.

[-MIKE-]

Where can we see your videos which are so awesomely made?