I was always told never to use a fence with a push.
I assume it is because of possible kickbacks.
Sometimes when I have a semi-production job I want to use the push and locate length with someting.
Zip, backup, slide, zip.
Depending on how many pieces and their lengths I have used a block on back of fence to locate length or a screw type thing clamped to push.
Was thinking of drilling and tapping some holes in table to mount a solid stop with adjustable 1/4" threaded rod.
Any comments?
Randy

I usually use a quick clamp and add a pc of 3/4" MDF block, then set the fence 3/4" over the desired length. Using a fence and the bevel square together is a recipe for disaster. since my fence is wider than many, I leave the block on top the fence so I always have it handy.

I usually use a quick clamp and add a pc of 3/4" MDF block, then set the fence 3/4" over the desired length. Using a fence and the bevel square together is a recipe for disaster.

The trick I use is clamping a scrap piece to the fence, near the front edge of the table.
Using the miter gauge to keep the workpiece square I slide it off the scrap piece towards the blade.
Once the workpiece gets past that and into the blade, it is at least 3/4" away from the fence proper.

Much less work than drilling and tapping the table.

Gerry, that sounds familiar LOL!

I guess I am super dense today but -- are you speaking of cross cutting against a rip fence as a length gauge

Posted By Horace Puckey on 08-04-2010 01:45 PM
I guess I am super dense today but -- are you speaking of cross cutting against a rip fence as a length gauge

That's the way I understood it, but I KNOW I'm dense.   

Gerry D, I think he was talking about drilling a hole in the fence and not the table.

Yes, Bill, that is exactly what they are talking about. And both Dewey and Gerry gave the traditional way of solving the problem which works perfectly.

I put a split sub fence on mine and remove the back half, adjust the front half so it turns loose of the stock the same time the blade does

Front of the fence meaning the part closest to you?
I like the idea of drilling/tapping through the fence for a 1/4-20 threaded rod.
1/4 turn would be .0125"
I know this is really picky for wood working but when joining multi angles it really makes a difference.
Hope to get my saw to be able to repeat .005 cuts.
The media used - wood , has its limitations as far as size goes but would like to do fine work.
A 6 sided roof on a bird feeder with several angles involved needs tight tolerances.
I know putty fixes mistakes but hope to use less of that.
Especially with expensive wood.
Randy

Randy, you changed the game. First you were going to drill and tap through the table. Now you have changed it to drilling and tapping the fence. The fence makes sense, the table did not. As a way of micro-adjusting, I see nothing wrong with the threaded rod. Coarse adjustment with the locking of the fence, fine adjustment with turning the rod.

As long as it is in this manner adding a screw micro adjust to the stop block or whatever else is fine as long as the wood isn't going to become pinched between the blade.

Am I missing something here??? Yes that's  Normal for me  LOL ..... If I understand what your tring to do here, wouldn't a cross-cut sled be a better soultion for cutting several sections of wood to the same size.

Dewey, GMTA

OldMan, I've seen a lot a lot written about "crosscut sleds"never used one myself, guess I'm not a professional yet.

Randy, a "crosscut-sled" IS the "Professional" alternative for repeat cuts.
It let's one use the "sled" as a jig and saves making any modifications to the saw.
You can easily add all manner of stop blocks or aids to it.
Also more repeatably accurate than using anything with the typically furnished fence.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-P...e-saw-sled

Go here for step by step instructions. Also on the same page at the lower left you will see another article on Cross-cuts with a Tablesaw that is informative and good reading. I suggest you ck. this one out also. May just find your answers there.

Gerry you may not consider yourself a PRO but think like one.

Posted By randyinaloha on 08-05-2010 12:21 AM
Front of the fence meaning the part closest to you?
I like the idea of drilling/tapping through the fence for a 1/4-20 threaded rod.
1/4 turn would be .0125"
I know this is really picky for wood working but when joining multi angles it really makes a difference.
Hope to get my saw to be able to repeat .005 cuts.
The media used - wood , has its limitations as far as size goes but would like to do fine work.
A 6 sided roof on a bird feeder with several angles involved needs tight tolerances.
I know putty fixes mistakes but hope to use less of that.
Especially with expensive wood.
Randy

Yeah, my fence is split in the middle and both ends slide on t-track on the back side of them. I originally put it on to cut rabbets with the dado head and not destroy the saw fence. I simply remove the back half and adjust the front half to release at the same point that the blade finishes the cut. We used a similar method at the furniture factory I worked at for cutting corner blocks. The quantity we were cutting required a little more robust version though.
If you are really looking a building a micro-adjuster, I would consider 10-32 rod... 1/4 turn =1/128"=.0078"
Cheers

I would think precision of .005 could possibly be thrown off just by the pressure variation of holding against the stop or one piece being slightly harder or a different grain.

Posted By Horace Puckey on 08-05-2010 01:39 PM
I would think precision of .005 could possibly be thrown off just by the pressure variation of holding against the stop or one piece being slightly harder or a different grain.

Me thinks at some point Randy has to have some intervention to remind him he is now a woodworker and not in the machine shop.  sorry I had to break it to you Randy    Just messing with you, but as said in the quote above, there are many factors when working with wood that are not going to allow you (normally) to meet the rigid requirrements of building a space craft for NASA.  wood expands and contracts, it swells with humidity, wood has built in stress that mother nature put there and there is only so much you can do to "correct" that.  It may be time you bite the bullet and realize maybe you are just letting your professionalism run on high!  I'm not giving you a hard time for wanting to do the best job you can, just stating, no matter how much you mill and plane and fiddle with it, your end results although dead on the money today, may not "measure up" tomorrow after sitting on the work bench over night.  You can only do so much.

I have a slightly off-topic question, but it relates to precision cutting of wood and to tablesaw sleds.

I read the excellent link provided by "Oldman" on the construction of a nice sled. In it, and almost every instruction on sleds I've seen, they use two 'runners', one for each each slot in the tablesaw. WHY? Do they not trust the guidance provided by one slot?

The very first sled I ever built had two runners. Every one since has had only one.

As noted in Dewey's post above, all wood products expand and contract with changes in temperature and especially humidity. And it expands differently than cast iron. Any expansion or contration with two runners leads to binding. The only way to overcome that is by making the runners sloppy in the slots. I'd rather have one good fitting runner.

Comments???

Bob I believe that is your"engineering mind" at work. What you say sounds reasonable -- but "they" told me to make two so I made two LOL -- or I followed the herd.