The Incredible L-Fence

Synopsis: This is one tablesaw add-on that you won’t want to live without. The L-fence makes quick work of rabbets, tenons, and straight flush-cuts. It helps you to cut accurate miters, make precise cuts on awkward parts, and add versatility to your saw. In its simplest form, the L-fence is two boards fastened along their edges at a right angle. One side is clamped flat to the rip fence; the other side extends horizontally for a workpiece or template to ride against. But because this fence is raised slightly above the table, it doesn’t get damaged like a sacrificial fence would.

Adding jigs and auxiliary fences is a common way to increase your tablesaw’s capabilities. But the most clever tablesaw add-on might be one you’ve never heard of. The “L-fence” makes rabbets, tenons, and straight flush-cuts a breeze, and it will change the way you think about miters. Once you grasp the basics, the L-fence will become an indispensable fixture in your shop.

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In its simplest form, the L-fence is two boards fastened along their edges at a right angle. One side is clamped flat to the rip fence; the other side extends horizontally for a workpiece or template to ride against. It’s not hard to build (see opposite page) but once you do, it will make your tablesaw much more versatile.

Easier rabbets and tenons

The L-fence excels at partial cuts into workpieces. As opposed to a sacrificial rip fence, an L-fence remains undamaged, and allows the offcuts to drop away harmlessly. To cut a rabbet, raise the dado blades up to the depth of the rabbet and clamp the L-fence to the rip fence, positioning it 1⁄16 in. above the blade, parallel to the table. As with a sacrificial fence, the width of the exposed blades equals the width of the rabbet. But unlike a sacrificial fence, the L-fence doesn’t need to be replaced.

You can make shoulder cuts on tenons the same way. Use the L-fence with a miter gauge (or push blocks, for wider tenons) to cut the shoulders, and the freed cutoff will fall away safely.

Fast rabbets and safe tenons With the L-fence, you bury the dado blade under the fence not in it—so you can use the fence repeatedly. It makes quick work of tenons, too, without trapping the offcut.

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Add a straight edge to a waney board 

Putting the first straight edge on rough lumber is usually a two-step process: Bandsaw close to a line, then run that edge over the jointer to clean up the cut. With the L-fence, you can do both steps at once. Lay out your cut line on the workpiece, then fasten a straight piece of wood on the line. Set the L-fence just above the blade, where it will make solid contact with the straightedge. To cut flush to the straightedge, set the L-fence’s bearing edge in line with the blade’s teeth. Keep the straightedge tight to the L-fence as you make the cut.

Put a straight edge on rough lumber The L-fence makes it easy to establish a straight reference edge at the tablesaw, safely, in one step.

Replicate any straight-sided pattern

Routers are great for pattern-cutting and trimming flush to a template, but for a pattern with straight sides, using the L-fence is often faster and more accurate. In fact, it’s often the best tool for making the template in the first place.

Once you’ve laid out your pattern on the template stock, use a straightedge as described above, but this time reposition the straightedge multiple times for multiple cuts, until the shape is complete. Now that you have your template, you can use the L-fence—again, set up for flush-cutting—to duplicate any straight-sided part.  Trace the template on the workpiece, then use a bandsaw or jigsaw to trim the waste to within 1⁄4 in. of the line. No need to be fussy, but keep in mind that the waste side of the cut can’t be wider than the L-fence itself or the rip fence will be in the way. Big offcuts take up more space between the blade and the rip fence and need to be cleared out more often to eliminate the risk of kickback. You can use double-sided tape to attach the template, but I use screws when possible, placing them in areas that will be cut away later—like the through-mortises for the Arts and Crafts bookshelf below.

Cut out a complete profile With the L-fence, you can use templates to reproduce any straight-sided shape. The sides of this bookcase are trapezoidal. Without parallel edges or square corners, you’d probably cut the rough shape at the bandsaw and then clean up the edges. But with the L-fence, you can cut both workpieces accurately in a fraction of the time.

Make precise cuts on awkward parts The foot of this tea table leg must be perfectly square to the edge that will be joined to the pedestal. Using a square template (in this case, clear plastic) to cut the two straight edges on all three legs ensures that all three feet will land flat on the floor.

A foolproof approach to case miters

The setup for case miters is really just another kind of flush cut. Provided you used care setting up, the L-fence will help you produce accurate miters that come together effortlessly.

Cutting case miters exactly to a final dimension can be tricky, but when using the L-fence you start by cutting the parts square, then add the miter in a second step.

Once you have the fence set up as shown on the opposite page, and you’ve cut the sides to final size, you attach straightedges flush to the edges. I cut the opposite side of my straightedges at 45° so they’ll work as clamping cauls during assembly. With the fence and blade set up as shown, run the case sides so the straightedges bear against the L-fence.

Perfect miters on big cases An L-fence takes the headaches out of case miters by allowing you to make cuts without trapping the case sides between the blade and the rip fence—eliminating the burning and scarring that can interfere with a clean, tight fit.

The setup is critical

Identical box miters made easy

For a quick and easy way to cut identical box sides, start with the same L-fence setup. Rough-cut the box sides close to the approximate final length, and use a miter gauge to miter one end. Cut gauge blocks to the finished length of the pieces you need. Tack a lip to one end of each block to create a hook. This will grab the knife edge of the first miter on each workpiece, and the block will bear against the L-fence as you make the cut on the other end.

The sides will be cut to the exact length of the block. Repeat the process with the other block, and your boxes will come together perfectly.

Perfect miters on small boxes Using the same L-fence mitering setup and a simple “gauge hook” as a template, you can make endless identical box sides.

Gauge hook ensures perfect box sides

From Fine Woodworking #237

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