Hi all,
I have a situation that I was hoping to garner some opinions about.
I have a Porter Cable table saw, it sits on a little base I put together that’s mostly to catch and vacuum the sawdust. It has a sloping board that feeds to a dust port, you know the style. Anyway, I’m rambling, because that’s not the issue.
The issue is the fence. I swapped out the original with a Vega 50 inch. But as you will see from the photo, the rails keep me a lot farther from the wall than I would like.
At this point, I’m considering cutting the fence down a bit. Hard as I try, I can’t think of anytime I needed the entire 50 inches.
I am not a full time woodworker, just someone who enjoys the hobby. That being said, I’m about to embark on an entire kitchen remodel. But still, I can’t see where I would need all of that fence capacity.
I use a straight edge and circular saw to break down full ply sheets, and a track saw is on the shopping list next.
So what would you do? Cut the fence? And if so, by how much?
Thanks in advance!
Hugh
Replies
Fence rails seem to sell in 30, 36, or 50. Take your pick
Hey, thanks for the reply.
Yeah, I looked at available sizes, though of course I could cut it to 40 inches if that worked for me.
I was more asking about whether anyone had a must have size. Like "I wouldn't go below x size for y reason".
I would hate to regret the cut. :-)
Hugh
How long have you been using it? My rule of thumb is, if I haven't used something in a year, it's unlikely I ever will.
It's your saw. If you really aren't using all that capacity, and it's in your way, chop it off.
I never need the fence to be more than half a width of plywood from the blade, so about 24 inches.
That's where I have been in my mind. Though I have a bathroom vanity due before the kitchen, it will be 33 inches wide.
Maybe I'll go with 36 or 40.
Thanks!
Hugh
I'm of the opinion that 36 inches is the best all around fence.
I say that because the sides of kitchen base cabinets are usually 34.5 inches high by 23.25 inches deep so a 36 inch fence can accommodate most any cut while building kitchen cabinets. A 52 inch fence is a nice bonus if you've got the space for it.
lol, I just replied to the last post citing this very thing - cabinets.
So a 34.5 inch panel would need maybe a 36 inch fence to allow some breathing room for cleaning up the edges if required.
Sounds like a plan. The fence tape goes to 50 inches, then there's another couple of inches of rail. I will be able to take off 16 inches to go down to 36, that will make a huge difference.
I'm curious though - I have read quite a few comments, including your one, saying of you have the space 50 inches is good. When do you think you might need such a size?
Thanks a lot!
Hugh
I'll admit I rarely set my fence past 36 inches but when I do, it's usually to break down plywood into more manageable pieces.
Mike
This ^^^. I have a 28" Vega and I love it. But...it's too short. Wish I had 36".
36 - that's what I cut mine down to. Sorry you are finding yours too short. :-(
Hugh
I have a 130cm fence rail, which is similar to your 50 inches and face the same problem that you do.
I can see a use for it, but hardly ever have - the usual use for such a size would be final dimensioning of large sheet material. Even though I could in theory crosscut a table top, I would not do so - a circular saw and straight edge is safer and more reliable. Last time I used the full width was to cut some template material and I only did it that way because I could.
I won't cut mine down though - the saw comes with a wide top table which is a hand dandy place to leave things like pushsticks and other gubbins.
In terms of my hobby use I would not usually rip stock wider than half of a sheet - say 600mm or about 24" and I build some pretty big things (on the bench right now is a massive queen size bed and next in line is a pair of garage doors. I won't need as much as 12 inches of fence for those.
I bit the bullet, and cut it down to 36 inches. I suddenly feel more organized!
I have the heavy version of the Vega fence on my Sawstop and love it. I moved the whole fence so I have about 10" hanging past the saw on the left side, then cut the tubes so I have 30" of rip to the right. I put the cutoff on the wall where it serves as handy storage for the fence when I'm not using it. Pretty sure all I had to do was drill a couple of holes.
That's a great idea for the offcut, I will go look at that.
Thanks!
THANK YOU!!!!! Great idea with the offcut. I went and pulled mine out the trash, and followed your advice.
In needed some ply to push it off of the wall, so I could use the handle to lock it on. Maybe it didn't need to lock, but I feel a bit more secure that it does.
I love it!
Hugh
You're welcome! It looks just like mine. I have my backsaws hanging in the safe space behind it.
If you haven't yet, contact Vega and buy a spare "wear plate". It's the brass shim-looking part that the handle cam bears on when you press down to lock the fence. It will eventually start slipping, especially if you use the "bump" method of fine adjustment. Inexpensive part well worth having on hand. Mine took about 4 years to get there. I have the spare screwed to the corner of the plywood on the wall.
Perfect. I'll see about that. Thank you.
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