# I'm looking for ways to improve my current TS fence



## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

My current fence is an upgrade from the original Craftsman 10" table saw fence. It has however seen lots of use and misuse. It has front and rear tubular rails. They are getting a little rusty now and so its time to take them off and clean them up. It has a locking knob that you push down to lock the fence via a rod that travels through the fence to the rear of the fence itself. It is solid and locks in place pretty dependably. The measurement scale is not real accurate but I don't mind manual measurements. My main gripe is the fence rail itself. Its a stamped sheet metal contraption that may or may not be perfectly true and it is in no way a glassy smooth surface. I would like to fasten an extruded aluminum plate to the side of the fence. My thought is that the aluminum would be a little longer than the current fence, would produce a much smoother surface for the wood to slide against and it would be truer in length and height.

I am asking for ideas for a source of this extruded (I think that is the proper term) aluminum plate which should measure about 3 inches high X about 42" long. I think this would be a very simple and affordable improvement that will go a long way to making better cuts.

I also am asking for any other suggestions for improving my fence system on a tinkerers budget.
I will post a picture of my fence later today.
Thanks for any ideas.


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## Eddie (Dec 20, 2008)

*Upgrading TS fence*

 Daryl you can go to Loews and purchase the Delta T2 fence for about $130.00 + tax, its a good fence for the money for your TS. It may require for you to drill one or two holes to match up, but no big deal. The fence will service you find for many years to come until you are ready to upgrade to a bigger saw. I hope this can help you alone!


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I will get to Lowes in the next couple days and check the fence out. But I probably will postpone spending money on a new fence. I have a couple other tools I would rather invest in right now...like a sander and router.
I said earlier that I would post a pic of my fence. Maybe after seeing it others may think of ways that it could be improved. I haven't seen any post from people wanting to do an extreme makeover on there old fence. Maybe I can stir up some emotions on the subject.
Just ignore the missing adjustment knob. Its here some place but it keeps popping off. I think that when it comes back from where ever it is I will put a set screw in it.


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## Old Skhool (Oct 31, 2009)

That's not a bad fence. It was standard equipment on many Unisaws and Delta contractor saws for many years. Clean up the rails with wd40 and 0000 steel wool, take the fence apart and clean, steel wool, or sand with wet and dry (1000 grit) on any sliding surfaces. Attach a nice straight piece of hardwood as a sacraficial fence. Be sure the wood is sanded very smooth, and give it a coat or two of paste wax buffed out nicely. Align the fence parallel to the blade using the bolts on top of the fence. If the fence doesn't slide easily with one or 2 fingers, check the back fence hook that tightens on the rear rail. It's likely bent from pulling the fence off and dropping it against the concrete floor. Straighten/bend as necessary. Adjust the back fence clamp for the proper tension, so it locks securely, but doesn't drag when the front lock handle is released. (lube the internal mechanisms) Be sure the aux. fence doesn't drag the table. Forget about the micro adj. knob that is missing, and simply tap the fence into position. When you tap the fence, tap it about 1/3 of the way back fron the locking lever. Set your measurement with a steel ruler, or a tape. With a little practice, you should be able to set the fence to within a 64th in 2-3 seconds. Lock the fence to be sure it doesn't move. For repeatability, place the board between the board and the fence, and check saw blade rub (light). You should be within a couple of thou.

The jet lock fence you have locks at both ends. This allows you to use "Board Mates" with poly hold down wheels. These only rotate 1 direction (Yellow for T.S. and Orange for R.A.S.) and give you a better cut, and eliminate kickback. Your hands NEVER need to be on or over the saw table. I love fences that lock on both ends of the table, and yours isn't bad. We used this system in a H.S. woodshop for more than 2 decades, on two saws, and never had a kickback or injury with 30 - 38 students per class. If you'd like more info on the system, I'll be glad to give you more detail.


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Holy guacamoli!! You sure do have a lot to say about a fence. Sounds like very good information. I'll start on it tomorrow. I don't know what else you would want to tell me about this fence but if you have more to say, I would be very happy and appreciative to learn all you can teach me.
I got this fence back around 1990 or so from a guy at work that was upgrading his fence. Its served me well till now. I guess it will continue to serve.


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## Dusty82 (Dec 23, 2009)

I have a similar fence on an old Craftsman contractor's saw that I considered modifying, but never did. What I was going to do was cut out a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to apply to the fence as Old Skool suggested with the hardwood, then apply laminate (Formica or similar) to the face of that plywood. I was going to cut a slot into the edges of the plywood that didn't contact the table saw surface, then apply vinyl T-molding to those edges. Look at the face of a Biesemeyer fence, and that'll give you the idea of what I mean. Fortunately, I got a new table saw before I did this modification, so the need to upgrade the fence on the old saw became a moot point.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

here are things that will make your saw look and work like new use this to clean top http://www.boeshield.com/rust_remover/rust_free.php 

than when you have it cleaned use this http://www.boeshield.com/rust_prevention/t9_spray.php

than get a link belt that will make saw run very good and also use this for the fence http://www.ptreeusa.com/uhmwproducts.htm

This will make the fence work like new good and slick That is the fence i have on my delta Work's very well


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Well, my fence is removed from the saw now. I lightly sanded the fence itself with 220 to remove any surface rust and paint chips and other imperfections. Then I went over it all with 1200 grit.

In my not-cleaning-the-fence time, I looked in ebay and I see that my fence still sells used for over $100. Holy cow!! I paid $100 for it (used) nearly 20 years ago. I found that just the "finger" that grabs the back rail costs over $10. So, I'm gonna have fun searching yard sales next summer for power tool parts. Thars gold 'n dem dar grage sales!!

And by the way, in my browsing I came across the web site for replacements parts for power tools....
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/

Back to my fence...
I removed the front and back rails. The front was pretty good. I just needed to spray some WD40 into the tooth tracks. Their pretty rusty. The back rail was a disaster. Very rusted. I sanded off most of it then sprayed it all down good with WD40. I'll finish cleaning the rails up tonight. 

All in all, I'd say that for all the rust I should be able to make some pretty extreme improvements to this fence. I'll keep you posted.


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Wd-40 !!!!!!!!!!!*



daryl said:


> Back to my fence...
> I removed the front and back rails. The front was pretty good. I just needed to spray some WD40 into the tooth tracks. Their pretty rusty. The back rail was a disaster. Very rusted. I sanded off most of it then sprayed it all down good with WD40. I'll finish cleaning the rails up tonight.


AAAAGGGGRRRRRHHHHH Never use WD-40 on tools that you DON'T want to do damage to unless you clean off the WD-40 afterwards.
WD-40 is corrosive and will damage a metal surface. Besides if you lubricate anything on the fence, it will attract sawdust and dirt particles like a magnet attracts metal shavings. Then you will have to take your fence apart and clean it again.
If you must use something for a lubricant find a good "dry lube" product. Then I am not sure I would even use them on anything woodworking related.

Just my opinion derived from past experiences. Woodworking and Metalworking alike.


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Did not know about the corrosive, but I will clean it off good to prevent wood contamination. Thanks for your wisdow. Always welcome.


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Wisdom?*



daryl said:


> Did not know about the corrosive, but I will clean it off good to prevent wood contamination. Thanks for your wisdow. Always welcome.


Don't mention it. 
Don't know about wisdom though? Is that a new word? :laughing:


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## Dusty82 (Dec 23, 2009)

I thought 'wisdom' was a kind of tooth... 

Maybe I've been screwing up without knowing it. When I wax my saw table, I also run the buffing rag along the fence tubes when I'm finished with the table. Not really applying wax, but laying down enough to make the fence slide easily. 

I've never had the fence move on me when using it (I was afraid that might happen if I waxed the tubes like I do the top,) so I don't figure I'm doing it any harm. If nothing else it knocks the dust off...


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Got my fence all together again. 
Problems I found...

1) Rubbing very slightly on the table at the user end. Loosened the bolts and put a couple peices of heavy paper between the table and fence and retightened the bolts. Make sure there were lock washers. Wish I wasn't out of lok-tite.

2) My router table extension is old and getting weakened. The gap between it and the rear fence rail was to tight and the fence was rubbing there. I straightened it out for now, but a new router table extension is in order.

3) And (O,O!!), I found that my saw table is actually not level in all spots. Off mostly in the rear. I am going out in a minute to check to see if it is the fault of the throat plate. I have a suspicion (and a hope, gulp) that that is the problem.

But I gotta say, my fence is working very smooth and effortlessly right now. There is a little rubbey noise but I'm gonna do like Dusty and wax 'er up and see what happens. I adjusted the lock by setting the lock and then snugging up the rear finger ajustment nut. Then I unlocked the lock and turned the adjustment in a turn or two. The fence now locks solid.


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## sofalinux (May 28, 2009)

Yup! Sure enough, my table is not flat. I think the center is good but that outer few inches are off. Some of the ribs seem to be uneven. Is there a way to flatten it a bit better than it is?


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Table top*



daryl said:


> Ypu! Sure enough, my table is not flat. I think the center is good but that outer few inches are off. Some of the ribs seem to be uneven. Is there a way to flatten it a bit better than it is?


Is the top Aluminum or Cast Iron?

If it's Aluminum and ribbed, not much you can do with it. 
Except - 1. check the bolts that hold the top on. It could be that the bolts are too tight and warping the top. ( I doubt this is the case).
2. Take off the top and have a machine shop surface grind if flat.
3. Do the above yourself with a large flat steel plate and sandpaper. I would not recommend this unless you have a background in doing this type of work.

If it's cast iron or solid cast aluminum, then it was once surface ground and should have grind marks on the surface. A solid table will be much easier to flatten depending on how far out of flat it is.
Take a straight edge and lay it on the table from corner to corner then side to side, front to front and use a flashlight from the opposite side of the straight edge. If you see the light between the straight edge and the table, then its not flat. Or the straight edge is not flat. If you have an old set of spark plug gap gages you can use them to determine how much out of flat it is. I would say that if it is not more and .010" out of flat then you are doing good. If you want it closer, have it ground or try to do it yourself.


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## Clouseau (Mar 22, 2009)

Glad you saved your fence. They were basicly the same fence used on Powermatics also. You might keep your eyes peeled for a used Delta Unifence. The work well on the Cman saws and only grip on the user end.


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