Hi … I’ve been working with a Ryobi table saw with a incra router fence attached for quite a few years now. This has served me well for the small things I generally make – boxes, clocks, etc – but I’ve recently begun to work with larger stock making furniture. One limitation is that I can only rip about 18″ before I have to remove the fence and fashion something else to use for the one cut. This is more than a little frustrating. In addition the table isn’t perfectly flat leading to unreliable depth of cuts. The saw isn’t worth the trouble to expand or fix any of that so I’ve basically outgrown it. I’m looking at hybrid saws from the Tool issue of FWW and been investigating them further. However, I cannot find an answer to a question dealing with fences. Forgive what must be such a basic question that it isn’t answered anywhere that I can find on the net but …. what is the difference between a 30″ fence and a 50″ fence? I think it might be the length of the fence rails which would determine the rip capacity, but I’d like to clarify this before I decide on any package.
Thanks,
Ken
Replies
Ken, the difference is in the length of the fence rails. In general, a 30" fence rail allows you to position the fence to a maximum of 30" to the right of the blade. A 50" rail 50" to the right. Folks that cut up full sheets of 48"x96" plywood find 50" useful from time to time. Some fence systems may vary from the norm, allowing a little more, or less. A saw with a 50" fence rail or rails, takes up more room in the shop. Support legs are often added to saws with 50" rails so too much weight or pressure at the far end doesn't tip the saw over. The rails are actually longer than 50", mine are 72" since they also run to the left of the blade.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Thanks Hammer1. That's what I figured it must mean, but I wanted to be sure before spending a lot of money on the wrong thing. My shop is fairly small (14x24) and I rarely work full ply sheets so I think a 30" would be fine. And for those rare times when I need to rip sheet goods .. well, that's what skil saws and truck beds are for, aren't they? :)Thanks for the clarification!
Ken
I have some saw horses that are close to the height of the pickup bed. Slide those heavy sheets out and rough cut them to a smaller size. I wouldn't want to be without the long rails, though. Plywood cabinet backs can be fairly large as well as end panels on kitchen base units. I have one of my router tables in the table extension, which helps with space in a small shop. Good luck with the new saw.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Thanks Hammer1 ... lots of choices among the lot but I'll arrive at one that is right for me. Thanks for your help!Ken
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