# Fence for Radial Arm Saw



## bubba (Aug 19, 2010)

Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie and building a table for a radial arm saw I recently inherited. Are there any guidelines for how tall the fence should be? The table is 3/4" MDF. Thanks,
Marc


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

The fence is just a stop. It could be ¾" to 1" taller than the table. Some fence mounted adjusters may require it to be taller, or thicker than ¾".


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use a different approach*

I don't use the 4 piece top supplied with the saws. I just make a large plywood top extending to the rear with a cutout for the column and toward the front to allow the elevation handle to turn. I then locate a stop usually a 1 X 3 stop, square with the blade as long as necessary/desirable and just screw it down to the plywood avoiding the blade path. I also make a dust collection box at the rear of the blade with a port below the table for a shop vac. I only cut 90 degrees with this set up and no rips. Ripping requires a whole 'nother concept and is not recommended for the novice and most pros won't do it either. That's what the table saw is for...even has a "rip fence"! Photos:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

woodnthings said:


> I don't use the 4 piece top supplied with the saws. I just make a large plywood top extending to the rear with a cutout for the column and toward the front to allow the elevation handle to turn. I then locate a stop usually a 1 X 3 stop, square with the blade as long as necessary/desirable and just screw it down to the plywood avoiding the blade path. I also make a dust collection box at the rear of the blade with a port below the table for a shop vac. I only cut 90 degrees with this set up and no rips. Ripping requires a whole 'nother concept and is not recommended for the novice and most pros won't do it either. That's wehat the table saw is for...even has a "rip fence"! Photos:


The OP asked a question. Maybe you forgot to include your suggestion.:yes:



bubba said:


> Hi everyone,
> I'm a newbie and building a table for a radial arm saw I recently inherited. Are there any guidelines for how tall the fence should be? The table is 3/4" MDF. Thanks,
> Marc


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Oh Yah...*

I thought the 3 photos and the mention of a 1"x3" stop actually, 3/4" x 3" would do the trick. My fault. I should have said just use C-mans dimensions...what he said.  bill


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

I had a couple of minor mishaps with a short backstop on my RAS when cutting what amount to cubes of about 3" each side. The blade grabbed the top and since my backstop was only about 1" high and I foolishly didn't have a good enough grip, it flipped the cube back over the stop and chewed up the side.

SO ... I now use a 1" high backstop, BUT I face it with 1/8" thick bakelite that is about 1.5" high under the saw and 2.5" high to te left of the blade. These are just dropped in in front of the stop so they are easy to adjust. If I'm doing normal crosscutting of planks, I move them about 1" apart so the dust will shoot on through but if I'm cutting thin strips, I put the one on the right directly up to the blade so as to have the same effect as a "zero clearance" insert on a table saw. On the stop itself I have about 1/2" clearance on both sides of the blade. It's a setup that I think works really well for anything your're likely to want to do on a RAS. 

As woodthings pointed out, ripping w/ a RAS is not for the timid (or the sane, if it can be avoided).

Paul


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*additional height would be good*



phinds said:


> I had a couple of minor mishaps with a short backstop on my RAS when cutting what amount to cubes of about 3" each side. The blade grabbed the top and since my backstop was only about 1" high and I foolishly didn't have a good enough grip, it flipped the cube back over the stop and chewed up the side.
> 
> SO ... I now use a 1" high backstop, BUT I face it with 1/8" thick bakelite that is about 1.5" high under the saw and 2.5" high to te left of the blade. These are just dropped in in front of the stop so they are easy to adjust. If I'm doing normal crosscutting of planks, I move them about 1" apart so the dust will shoot on through but if I'm cutting thin strips, I put the one on the right directly up to the blade so as to have the same effect as a "zero clearance" insert on a table saw. On the stop itself I have about 1/2" clearance on both sides of the blade. It's a setup that I think works really well for anything your're likely to want to do on a RAS.
> As woodthings pointed out, ripping w/ a RAS is not for the timid (or the sane, if it can be avoided). Paul


I don't know if you were pushin' or pullin' the saw, but I'm a Puller. Sometimes I need to place a spacer between the stop in order to get the blade a little further out for thicker stock. This saw is basically a cut off saw for rough lumber to length so I don't do a lot of precision work on it. Additional thickness certainly wouldn't hurt. :thumbsup: bill


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

Marc,
When looking at Bill's saw, the original fence supplied with the saw was about 1" above the table top. 

Assuming that your saw is the same model a Bill's, the 3/4" table won't be thick enough. A hand clearance area needs to be routed where the arm elevation crank is located. As I recall, 1/2" deep is about right. I would suggest gluing two pieces of 3/4" material together for your table top. And for goodness sake, please don't try to perform rip cuts with any RAS. 

Bill,
Beware of the screws that hold the carriage wheels and the yoke 90° positioning pin. The screws go into aluminum and can pull out with the threads still attached to the screw. The problem is that the screws loose their holding power gradually and you don't notice. If the yoke is off 90°, even slightly, kickbacks are an almost certainty. But then you don't rip cut so you're probably safe.


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