Not sure if this is best place to post…?
My table saw, which I recently purchased used, has a (Delta?) Unifence. While it has never seemed to lock in place in a very satisfying way, I am now having difficulty getting the handle to stay clamped down at all. I have tried adjusting the two hex screws on the front of the fence slide all the way in and all the way out, with no luck.
Please let me know if I have not been clear or if more detail/information is needed. If typical or helpful I can post a picture of my fence or a video clip of what happens when I try to lock it in position.
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With the Unifence, there is a black handle that locks it. When the handle is sticking straight out, you twist it about 1/8 of a turn to the left and it releases the fence from the rail. A 1/8 turn to the right, clockwise, locks it to the rail. There is an oblong piece of steel, the locking lug, held to the handle with a nut and washer. This is what engages the inside of the rail and it is adjusted with the nut on the end, towards the rail, underneath. The large hex screws are for adjusting the fence for "windage", moving it left or right to be parallel with the blade. They also have some effect on the locking mechanism, so there is a balance between those and the locking lug engagement. Two top adjusters are for making the vertical position of the fence 90 to the table.
It's difficult to describe just how sensitive that fence lock is, as far as turning that handle and engaging the rail. You have to push in on the handle while you turn it, keeping it straight out, not in a bent position. You will feel a click if it fits correctly. If it doesn't fit correctly, the fence will not lock and will slide completely free. Since you have fiddled with the hex knobs, it may take some trial and error to get things right. You shouldn't have to force anything but it is a little tight and you have to have the fence head against the rail nice and flush. Slide the fence far to one end of the rail so you can look behind at how the locking lug fits in the rail channel.
Are the nylon slides in place behind the front adjusting screws, number 10 in the diagram?
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/delta-34897-type-unifence-parts-c-3275_13780_13922.html
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