All,
The fence on my Craftsman contractor saw is bowed in. On both sides. It’s extruded rectangular aluminum. I discoverd it today when I noticed a board steering away from the fence during a rip cut. Then I remembered boards pinching in the recent past. When I looked (briefly) I couldn’t find the source and I chalked it up to the wood itself, but now it all makes sense.
I’m thinking of either hardwod or UMHW across the existing fence face, then install shims between to make up the gap where it’s bowed. This doesn’t seem very exact, though. Is there a fix for something like this?
–jonnieboy
Replies
Is it too late to return the whole saw? No disrespect--well not to you, only everyone who played a part in creating such an unsafe, cheesy machine. Sure you can fix it. But is it worth it? Should you have to? The only TS injury I ever recieved was on the cheapest one . . .
Brian
I'm laughing but it's not funny. I wish I could get a new saw. It won't be long, I hope, but for now it's use this or shut 'er down.
-jb
Not to rain on anyone's saw, we use what we must, but every time I use this thing I think, man, I'll never have another one of these tools in my shop. I get so mad that I want to get rid of their stuff that works too.
--jb
"I'm laughing but it's not funny." LOL. Well I guess it's infectious . . . Hey, that quote oughta be your signout tagline thingy or whatever. Seriously.Try and have some fun with that piece of crap before you give it the boot, then cite the experience as justification to buy a ridiculously expensive, beautiful new saw.Brian
Skip the plastic, friction isn't a problem. Every UHMW fence I've seen has been rippled because the attachment screws, no matter how carefully tightened, distort the soft plastic.
Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007
Fit a straight new face to it using BB ply. Don't worry about the friction of raw plywood, just put a bit of wax on the ply. You can glue it to the aluminum with contact cement, or use carriage bolts with their heads recessed.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
David and Scott,
I'll try one or both of these options, plywood and MDF, until I get it to work. Nothing to lose by trying.
It's too bad, I need every bit of every inch on that table top. A fatter fence eats into that. Still, if it gets me going again...
Thanks!
--jonnieboy
Hey, I added new birch ply faces over some masking tape shims and voila, a better fence than what I started with!
And now I even have a wider platform for a tenoning jig.
I took sour grapes and made lemonade!
Thanks for the help, guys.
--jonnieboy
Bravo. Still, I'd prefer wine to lemonade...David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
I'd use ply or MDF as a substrate, and shim that. UHMW is not very rigid....plastic laminate might be a better final surface.
Hey -- Mine too! Must be a "feature"! LOL.
FWIW, I have learned to live with it or, when I need to be precise, I use a maple auxiliary fence that I bolt to the fence slots.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
It's been a successful few days on Knots. Got my fence fixed AND I finally got some pictures uploaded! What's so hard about woodworking?
-jonnieboy
You could always invest a couple hundred bucks on a aftermarket fence HTC makes a pretty nice one as does Biesemeyer.
Schwa,
Sorry, I missed the notification of your posting until now.
Aftermarket fence... I thought about that. I looked around a bit and those you mention do seem to be nice fences.
I think I'll try to get along with the fence as it is now. It actually sort of works okay, pretty much.
Once I get the shop cabinets built (glue is drying on one now!) and the place organized a bit (a lot!) I'll see what I have room for in terms of a saw upgrade (waaay up).
(Nice use of parentheses!)
--jonnieboy
When you are ready for one take a look at the Woodtek hybrid, great saw for under a grand. It has taken top hybrid saw in FWW for a couple yrs in a row. It has lots of power for a saw that can run on 110v.
Schwa,
Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out.
--jonnieboy
Aluminun has no memory.
Bend it?
J.tsekas
I never seem to get that 'modification' stuff right.
--jonnieboy
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