A table saw fence is a piece of apparatus that you need to attach to your table saw. It helps you line up your cuts. It is a very useful tool because the combination of a good table saw and poor quality fence system can affect the quality of the cut that you make.
A table saw fence is usually made of metals. To make sure that you can easily slide your material towards the blade, the central bar is designed smoothly.
If you have a good quality table saw fence – the best table saw fence, you can make long and precise cuts. When you need to make cuts repeatedly, it is important to maintain the same dimensions. A table saw fence helps you sustain accuracy.
If you have a traditional table saw fence, usually you have to use a tape measure, move and then lock the fence. Sometimes it can be a tedious process.
You can also buy an automated table saw fence, because it has some additional advantages. This type of table saw fence is digitally controlled. Using a touchscreen keypad, you can send the fence to the correct width of the table. You will not have to do anything because the fence is designed to self-calibrate. An automated table saw fence eliminates the need for manual measuring and setting.
But in this post, we will not focus on automated table saw fences, because they are not widely used.
How to calibrate a table saw fence
Calibrating your table saw fence is of utmost importance. To make sure that your cuts are clean and accurate, you have to correctly align your blade. If you can just place the fence precisely into the miter slot, you have successfully adjusted the fence. The alignment of the fence to the miter slot can be done in a number of ways.
Alignment of fence
Check the miter slot and the blade and make sure that they are aligned. You will not have to worry about the calibration of the miter slot and the blade on a regular basis. You just need to make sure that the fence is aligned perfectly. If you often use the saw, you need to realign the fence regularly.
Know how the table saw fence system works
The cause of misalignment can be the fence guide or the blade. To make sure that you are able to cut your material precisely, you should move the machine in small incremental amounts. The width between the blade and the side of the fence will be the width of the material you are cutting. Any type of misalignment can result in problems.
Pay attention to the measuring guide
To make sure that the blade is able to cut a specific width, your fence should be moved accordingly. Between the fence and the blade, you will see the measuring guide. You need to move the fence accordingly and make sure that you maintain the correct distance.
Double check measurements
After you have locked your fence in place, check the measurements again. You will not get a precise cut if your fence is crooked. To push the material, it is a good idea to use some sort of machinery when you use your saw blade. It will save you from error and injury. You can easily calibrate your table saw fence by following these simple steps.
Table saw fence upgrade
A table saw fence is made up of three pieces. The two phases of the fence are usually made from melamine because its surface is very durable and slippery.
At first, cut the two pieces to length and then take them over to the router table to cut a shallow half millimeter deep groove on the inside face of each. You have to do that to remove the melamine so that you can glue and screw the horizontal piece to them.
The crosspiece is made from scrap MDF. You have to cut the length and then on the jointer. You need to flatten one edge so that you can use that edge against the table saw fence to cut the piece to final width.
Measure the exact width of the existing fence and then add one millimeter to that for the grooves.
Before attaching the pieces together, edge band the bottom surfaces with pre-glued melamine edge strip. Trim off the excess using a sharp knife.
Drill pilot holes into the fence piece to screw into the MDF without splitting it. Then transfer the holes into the MDF strip and drill them to the full depth of the bit.
After doing that, drill the holes in the face piece slightly larger as clearance holes for the screws and countersink them.
To attach the second vertical fence, clamp the assembly to the existing fence. Make sure that it is 90 degrees to the table. Then repeat the process of drilling pilot holes into the MDF. Then glue and screw the pieces together. Then finish it off with some more edge banding and coat paint on the MDF and on the ends.
Now you have to make the router fence. The front section of the fence will be made up of some pieces. The MDF should be the bottom of the fence and the melamine is the face of the fence.
To make sure that the front of the fence is square to the router table, cut the smaller pieces square.
Mark the position of the supports on both the front and bottom pieces and go through the same process of drilling pilot holes into the pieces first. Transfer those support holes to the support pieces.
Then enlarge and countersink the holes in the face and bottom pieces for screws. Use 1.5 millimeter spaces under the front piece of the fence to create a dust relief gap and then attach to the screws. To make it easy to replace in the future, do not use glue on this piece.
The last piece of the fence that you have to make is the section that will straddle the existing table saw fence. After you have installed the last piece of the fence, it is time to test fit it all.
Finally you just have to make a cutout in the front and bottom of the fence to allow it to move back and forth over the router. To make it look better, you can consider adding edge banding to all the exposed edges of the melamine and a coat of paint on the MDF.
If you follow the steps, hopefully you will be happy with the end result.
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