How to Use the L-Fence
This simple-to-make table saw fence accessory handles a wide variety of joinery cuts.
Jul 30, 2014
Outfitting a table saw with jigs and auxiliary fences is a common way to increase this workshop mainstay’s capabilities. Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking Director Bob Van Dyke’s simple L-fence simplifies the cutting of rabbets, tenons, patterns, and much more. Van Dyke’s fence is nothing more than two boards fastened along their edges at a right angle. One side is then clamped flat against the rip fence; the other piece extends horizontally—slightly elevated above the saw table—for a workpiece or template to ride against. It’s easy to build and invaluable in the workshop.
In this short video, Van Dyke offers up an overview of his L-Fence. If you wish to build your own, be sure to see his article in Fine Woodworking #237.
Even More Clever Table Saw Fence Ideas
Bob Van Dyke’s table saw wizardry doesn’t end with this clever L-Fence. Be sure to check out our video on his Multi-Use Tablesaw Rip Fence for even more crafty ideas.
Comments
This is one of my most reliable table saw accessories. I never need a 'Plan B' when making duplicates furniture sections. Thank Bob.
Thanks Bob that is a great idea, I will be adding one of these to my shop in the very near future.
I finally understand the L Fence. Will be making one this afternoon. Bob, thanks for the great video.
Excellent work idea Bob! Build one today.
These are the ideas that always knock my socks off! The simple ones that do so much and are so reliable! Thanks Bob!
What a good and helpful idea. I look forward to using this idea with complete confidence from an excellent teacher.
thank you so much.
I love Bob Van Dyke's videos; I almost always learn something valuable from his work on FWW, but I wonder when he finds time to make furniture. Or is all his time spent developing new hold-down, fences and jigs??? Thanks for these great videos!!!
There is whole in the fence .What's it for?
Thanks
As always, its the simplest ideas that are the most useful. Off to the workshop to build one myself. Thanks Bob.
I can not get your videos to play on my Mac with the latest OS X and Safari. I receive the following message, "This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser
Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED"
Love it!
And if you are making multiple units with a 45 degree miter (think box corners), you can do that with the pattern double side taped on top of each piece! I like it...
Took a weekend veneer class with Bob making a fine jewelry box at the Northeastern Woodworkers Association's facility, utilizes the L fence there, was very instrumental and something new to this old time woodworker.
Still don't know why the rectangle is cut out in the middle of the fence side. Any ideas?
In the article, it looks like it is so you can access any cutoff under the fence, with the saw turned off of course.
Excellent L fence idea.
My living room has two entryways that were not trimmed out at all and simply plastered over. I recently trimmed these out and needed to scribe the jambs so they followed the contours of the finished walls. I traced the wall outline directly to the jamb and nailed a 1/2 wide piece of pine to the jamb that followed the contour of the wall drawn on the jamb. The nails were driven into the back of the jamb so the holes do not show. I made an L-Fence like Bob describes in his video but only made the reference surface about 6 inches long. I ran the jambs through this setup and came out with perfectly fitting jambs. The short fence length allowed the jam to follow the slight variations in the wall contour. It was much faster and more accurate than trying to trim all the jamb edges with a plane.
Why can't I think of clever things like that?
I am not fascinated with jig, to be honest. The jig hangs on two clamps which easily may fall off due to vibration. Angle cuts are better made with track saw. Cutting tenons do not require this jig which is quite bulky. In general a table saw is a machine which is unsafe by itself and therefore it is quite undesirable to experiment with upgrades of any kind
LOL unsafe by itself and therefore should not be upgraded. Guessing you weren't at the top of your class?
user-6893762 Interesting. I thought that it made the table saw safer. OK everyone. Let's have a vote. Safer or Less Safe.
looks safer, provided you tighten the clamps down properly. But I imagine that's basically any saw. If you think something is tight around a saw and you use the saw and its not tight, you are at risk. Most people know that though.
The idea reminds me of walking under those beefy metal shelves at the big box store with thousands of pounds of wood over you. If you inherently believe that clamps can't be properly tightened, or heavy loads are a threat in all situations, you may be uncomfortable. Not to say it couldn't have been wrongly assembled, it could, but its engineered well you just may not understand the physics. Clamping pressure applied properly is more than enough, unless the vibration of your machine is absurd, but then that's the problem.
Really?!
The L-fence isn't quite parallel to the top of the tablesaw during the last few cuts in the video. Glad to know that being perfectly parallel isn't critical as long as the template can't slide beneath the fence. Thanks!
How do I do the mitre cuts when my fence doesn’t slide to the left of the blade (have a Laguna 3) ?
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