I bought a Grizzly 1023 saw last year with the 30″ fence rails. Wishing I had went bigger. Anyone ever make their own fence rails for a Bies. or Bies clone.
Seems like all you need is a long 2″ x 3″ rec. tubing, 2 pieces of angle same length as tube. Clamp with 3/4″ gap, drill and tap the tube to assemble the angle to the tube. A little adjustment and your in buisiness. Some 1 1/4″ sq. Tubing for legs and a nice table board …
Sound like a plan, any ideas????
Besides a router table, of course!
Replies
I haven't done, but I've heard of others who have. Just duplicate the original dimensions and you should be ok.
Remember, the 7' rails that come from Grizzly are ground on the face that needs to be straightest. Also, the holes are already there. What is your time worth if you decide to make them yourself, and how much will the parts/materials cost? I adapted a set of rails for a Jet saw to use on my 1023S, and it wasn't worth doing it that way. I would be happier if I had bought the OEM ones since all you need to do is bolt them on. The notches for the miter slide-front and back, bolt holes, holes for the screws that hold the box to the angle and alignment need to be accurate for it to work properly. For legs, I used black pipe, screwed into flanges under the extension table with plastic inserts that I drilled to accept adjustable metal slides so I could level it. Then I got a deal on a Shop Fox mobile base with the extension, at the woodworker's show. If I didn't need to slide it lengthwise toward the wall in my garage, I would have gotten the HTC base, but I like the Shop Fox because it can be reconfigured.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."Edited 12/13/2004 9:00 pm ET by highfigh
Edited 12/13/2004 9:00 pm ET by highfigh
Actually the ground side goes to the cam clamp, not the T square pads.It is ground to keep the fence from slipping on the painted edge. I could easily duplicate as most tubing is true from the factory. Legs are also easy. I'm waiting for a quote from my metal supplier. I'm also an hour away from Griz in Muncy.
But If I can do it myself for $50 to $75 then thats money for other things... esp at this time of year...
Just a thought. If you enjoy building things.. Go for it but Grizz has seven foot rails and legs for 52" cutting capacity. Model G9221 about $150.00 less shipping. You can see their catalog at their web pages.
Why not get the Sliding Table while your at it. lol
Good luck
I just bought 50" rails for my Jet cabinet saw, and they cost $145, tax included. I thought about making my own, but the 2x3 tubing was harder to find locally than I thought it would be. If you have to special-order or have it shipped, things get expensive quickly. Even if you do get it locally, it won't be machined flat, or drilled, or painted, so it wouldn't be hard at all to spend more than $150 on material and labor. That being said, I'm a cheapskate and think it would be cool if you made your own.
On the other hand, your time might be better spent making your own overhead blade guard, which could save you $300-$600 and wouldn't be that much harder to do.
By the way, anyone need 30" rails? Guess I'll try eBay...
OK, I just looked at the Grizzly site and the 7' rail set is $187 including shipping, in the lower 48. Whatever you do for long rails, you are going to need legs, or it will want to fall over.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 12/17/2004 6:19 pm ET by highfigh
I happen to have a Bies 50" over head guard. Part of the reason I want/need the longer rails. Making one would be neat too. I would also like a nice splitter, small and compact. Any ideas(besides ordering one???)
RE: the ground surface- DOH! Like I said, I modified the JET rails and because of the time it took, I'm not sure it was worth it. Sure, I saved some money, but I made the switch in winter and wouldn't have painted them when it was so cold since my shop is in the garage. Also, the angle iron that the main rail bolts onto isn't the same as the original one, so the fence was riding higher than it should. Nothing a little time didn't fix. Unfortunately, the places I called for the materials don't give great prices unless you buy a lot from them. Of course, I found one about a week after mounting everything who does give good prices. Live and learn.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
How much more capacity do you need ? If 38" rip will do and you do not need to rip to the left of the blade, move the rails to the right. I did this with my saw right away.Grizzly supplies you with the correct drill and tap.I never rip to left anyhow, only reason I can think of is when mitering opposite edge of previously mitered board.You can miter the opposite side easier with a full length sled and toggle clamps for holdowns.Cast iron table and extension drills and taps easily.
You still need to add table legs and extension .
mike
I'd like 48" of right and 12" of left, I guess I'm used to being able to take down a sheet of ply on the ones at work...
I really need a panel saw, maybe another post????
Go to advanced search at knots forum, click on it and then scroll down to enter#.
type in 15836.18, this is an old post on building my panel saw. Scott Franklin was nice enough to resize it for me as I hadn't a clue at the time.
mike
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