Improve an old craftsman table saw full#
Improve an old craftsman table saw windows#

YouвЂ™ll get a sense pretty quick of how well a particular fence works for other woodworkers and tradespeople. Since you canвЂ™t really compare aftermarket rip fences side by side at a store where you could put your hands on them, read user reviews as you shop online.

Improve an old craftsman table saw windows#

I have found on some fences that the magnifier-type viewing windows sometimes can lead to inaccurate fence settings because the hairline cursor is raised up too far from the scale, causing parallax issues. Make sure the index scale is easy for you to read and that the hairline cursor is down very close to the front fence ruler so the readings will be clear. The fenceвЂ™s steel or aluminum spine should be stout enough not to flex on the outfeed side of the saw when pushing hard against it, and of course the front clamp should lock it down securely to the front fence rail.

Improve an old craftsman table saw full#

Buy a fence with facings that are flat along their full length-not all of them are. But in addition to TimвЂ™s suggestions, I have a few for you, too. So, I donвЂ™t have a specific table saw fence model to suggest for you. That said, we at WoodworkerвЂ™s Journal havenвЂ™t reviewed the market of aftermarket rip fences in a long time because there hasnвЂ™t been much cause to do that anymore. Most of them are T-square style with a strong clamping system that keeps the rip fence aligned with the blade and still easy to slide and lock down securely. And these days, itвЂ™s tough to find a really вЂњbadвЂќ rip fence. In fact, itвЂ™s only been the past 20 years or so since table saw fences across the industry have gotten better, because end users demanded it. Old table saws had notoriously bad rip fences that wouldnвЂ™t automatically stay parallel to the blade. Then buy, build orВ adapt a fence to suit your needs.Д¬hris Marshall: Even though your Craftsman saw has worked well for four decades, itвЂ™s not surprising that to one degree or another, the rip fence has come up short. It hasВ limitations, but it also has huge possibilities. So, think about what you really want to do with this little saw. This comes in handy when making up and using a tenon jig, for example. But it is also nice to have aВ wide fence that is only 3 or 4 inches high for when I want to make aВ sliding saddle accessory. This can be a foot or more high, which isВ handy when cutting rabbits on wide boards. I really like being able to add a sacrificial surfaceВ fence board to my вЂњrealвЂ™вЂ™ fence. But, I would beef up the fence andВ make it higher. Being able to quickly adjust the fence and then set it with one clamp at the operatorвЂ™s end is idea.ДЇor bigger work, I would still stay with the same requirements for theВ fence clamping and locking system. The clamping systems on many of todayвЂ™s rip fences would be perfect. My fence would have had a clamping system that allowed very tiny adjustments and stayed perfectly parallel with the blade. For banding and veneer work, the height of the fence would have been minimal, so I probably would have made a fence no higher than one or two inches. What fence? Well, for what use? For my marquetry and banding needs, IВ would have made a custom fence that had virtually zero clearance between the fence and the table. Otherwise, I had intended to convert it into aВ veneer/marquetry banding saw. I actually like that saw.В It became the proud property of somebody else when we moved toВ Wisconsin. Mine had anotherВ brand name on it, but IвЂ™ll bet it was similar. Tim Inman: I used to have one of those little saws.

I am going to build a new table for it and would like to get an aftermarket rip fence for it. table saw that has been working great for 40 years.