Workshop Tip: Square up a tracksaw with an add-on fence
Fence helps when aligning large pieces for square cuts
I recently bought a tracksaw, mainly to help me break down sheet goods that are too large for my tablesaw. I use it most often for crosscutting large pieces and full sheets. To speed up this process, I added a fence to the end of the track, turning it into a long T-square of sorts. That lets me simply press the fence against the workpiece and align it with a single pencil mark. I fastened the fence to the bottom of my track with a 3/8-in.-dia. dowel through an existing hole and a T-nut in the slot under the track. Two T-nuts would also work. The slight wiggle in the attachment points lets you square the bar to the track, using an accurate square. While I haven’t had any problems with the track sliding around, I made a clamp that fits in the same underside slot to secure the far end.
—MARK STECKEL, London, Ont., Canada
Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #284
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Milwaukee M12 23-Gauge Cordless Pin Nailer
Craftsman Random Orbit Sander
Comments
This is a great idea! A piece of scrap plywood and a 3/8" dowel and I am ready to go, because I am going to use a track saw guide clamp instead of the T-bolt. Thank you and greetings from another Forest City kid.
Follow up: After putting this together and dialing-in square, I decided to attach a second piece of scrap ply to make a permanent reference to square (see photo). If I had carefully clamped and then pre-drilled my screws, it would have been perfect the first time ;-) but on the third try the jig was ready to go. The peg for the hole in the guide is not as useful but it's still nice to have it there.
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