I am right handed and have for years worked with the fence to the right of my left tilt Craftsman table saw blade. Recently it occurred to me that having the fence to the left of the blade might be better at least with a dado blade.
With the fence left of the blade adding width to the dado cut (stack chippers or spacers) allows for a wider dado cut in the same location on the workpiece without moving the fence.
With the fence right of the blade adding chippers / spacers requires careful resetting of the fence to avoid shifting the dado cut on the work.
Any other advantages or thoughts?
Replies
I'm a lefty, but have used my fence on the right since forever. I sometimes use it on the left, but that's really rare. For me, it's all about familiarity. I'm very comfortable working with the fence on the right and shifting it to the left just doesn't "feel right". I prefer left tilt saws for the same reason.
Another bit of my weirdness is switch location. I'm semi-seriously looking at retiring my old Craftsman TS for one of the hybrids. After 30 years, however, I'm hardwired to use my right hand to turn the saw on and off (including a few SHUT-'ER-DOWN NOW!! moments). Apparently, everyone puts the switch on the left, these days. - lol
Dave if the switch is mounted to the fence, it is fairly straight forward to move it to where you want it.
Please reply on topic your input would be more valuable
I replied to your orignal post entirely "on topic". The post to Dave about the switch location was in response to his "on topic" post.
Just because you started the thread does not mean you own it. Things here are kind of loose, and threads frequently veer of to the side.
I'm sorry I realized that as soon as I posted. I do apologize.
Do woodworkers actually mount the TS switch on the fence? This seems a bit crazy.
Actually, it is the front rail for the fence. The guide tube on the Biesemeyer and it's clones, is bolted to a piece of steel angle. It is pretty easy to use those bolts to attache the switch, which puts it up front and easy to bump with your thigh to turn the saw off in an emergency.
with the fence on the rt., the right hand is primarily used to stabilize the workpiece, so that you can keep it stable and turn off power with the left hand at the same time. That's what I do anyway and I think it would be a great setup in emergencies.Brian
Brian -
You're being all logical and I'm talking about how I've been using a TS for over 30 years. Us old geezers have a hard time losing that hardwiring. - lol
There's been a somewhat similar discussion going on here.
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=42192.1
David
I have the sacrificial fence for the dado blade permanently mounted on the right side of the fence for ripping rabbets.
You are correct that side of the blade next to the arbor doesn't move, as you adjust the width of the dado stack. I use the fence to the right to rip dadoes, as that gives me the ability to use the scale on the fence to index the piece from the right edge of the blade set, which is the side that doesn't move on a right tilt saw.
So, to me it makes sense to use the fence to the left of the blade on a left tilt saw, and not just for use with the dado blade. Most of the blades have very little offset from the center of the plate to the edge of the tooth, so the offset from the arbor flange changes very little when you are switching blades.
But unless you go all the way, and switch the fence and wing to the left side you may run out of support, and distance to the left of the blade.
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