Shortening table saw rip fence

[King Nothing]

Several years ago I came upon a “too good to pass up” deal on a 52” Sawstop T-Square rip fence. I retrofitted it onto my Craftsman contractor saw. I’m realizing now that it’s probably overkill and it takes up ALOT of room that I really don’t have. I’m thinking about cutting the rail down and wondering what length of cut would be a good compromise between functionality and space? Those who have shorter fences, do you regret not going bigger?


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[klassenl]

My saw has 30 inches. It works for me. I don't know if I would ever need 50 inches of rip. I'm sure if I had it I would use it

 

[Firebrick43]

I can cut 31 on my unisaw. It is still a pain every now and then due to length but is mostly benign.

I can only think of two or three times I wish is was bigger. I have a tracksaw however and now a mft style bench to handle cross cuts. It's much easier to crosscut a 8' piece with the wood stationary compared to getting it on a table saw.

Ripping sheet goods should never have to be wider than 30" with BB or 24" with 4x8 sheet goods.

 

[Voi]

Several years ago I came upon a “too good to pass up” deal on a 52” Sawstop T-Square rip fence. I retrofitted it onto my Craftsman contractor saw. I’m realizing now that it’s probably overkill and it takes up ALOT of room that I really don’t have. I’m thinking about cutting the rail down and wondering what length of cut would be a good compromise between functionality and space? Those who have shorter fences, do you regret not going bigger?


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Check and see if you can just shift your rail the left to reduce your rip capacity and make room.

I had a Biesemeyer fence on my last saw and shifted the rails all the way to the right for extra rip capacity. It did take up a lot of room and I think I drilled a new set of holes for an intermediate position of just over 36". I think maybe 41". It's been a while. Might have even been stock holes I used.

Another idea is to build a router table extension and justify the extra space with that. Just lower the router when you need the capacity.

Or some combination of both. I wouldn't cut down the fence rails just yet.

But to answer your question, if I were to get another table saw I think 32" would be my minimum. That's 1/3 of a cross cut of a standard piece of plywood and around 1/2 of a rip of a piece of true Baltic birch plywood.

But I have a track saw now so I could probably get away with less.

One benefit of a lot of right side rip capacity for me was to get my fence out of the way and have room for a large cross cut sled that I used to square up panels. And have that sled supported by the right side table of the saw.

 

[The Cobbler]

are the rails common size angle iron? if so, I would get some to suit your lenght rather than butchering a good wide cut system . you never know when you wish you had the ability to do wider cuts .
I have a Vega fence I I bought DOM tube to make a shorter fence rail .

 

[King Nothing]

Check and see if you can just shift your rail the left to reduce your rip capacity and make room.



I had a Biesemeyer fence on my last saw and shifted the rails all the way to the right for extra rip capacity. It did take up a lot of room and I think I drilled a new set of holes for an intermediate position of just over 36". I think maybe 41". It's been a while. Might have even been stock holes I used.



Another idea is to build a router table extension and justify the extra space with that. Just lower the router when you need the capacity.



Or some combination of both. I wouldn't cut down the fence rails just yet.



But to answer your question, if I were to get another table saw I think 32" would be my minimum. That's 1/3 of a cross cut of a standard piece of plywood and around 1/2 of a rip of a piece of true Baltic birch plywood.



But I have a track saw now so I could probably get away with less.



One benefit of a lot of right side rip capacity for me was to get my fence out of the way and have room for a large cross cut sled that I used to square up panels. And have that sled supported by the right side table of the saw.

Shifting the rails to the left would only reduce the cutting capacity on the right while leaving the whole package the same width. I’m trying to reduce the footprint of the tool


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[King Nothing]

are the rails common size angle iron? if so, I would get some to suit your lenght rather than butchering a good wide cut system . you never know when you wish you had the ability to do wider cuts .
I have a Vega fence I I bought DOM tube to make a shorter fence rail .

The rails are 2x3 rectangle tube bolted to a piece of angle. I’d have to buy a piece of tube and drill and tap holes to mount it to the angle, then have it powder coated to avoid it rusting, then put new measuring tape on it. I’ve thought about fabricating a new rail but it seems a lot of work


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[Voi]

Shifting the rails to the left would only reduce the cutting capacity on the right while leaving the whole package the same width. I’m trying to reduce the footprint of the tool


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That's part of the reason why I said check and see. I have seen fence systems transferred from one saw to another and there is sometimes room on the left side to shift the rail and still not overhang that side or at least not overhang that side to the degree that the rail was shifted. I doubt that would be the case with the Sawstop system but thought I'd mention it anyways.

It's also a way to use the saw a while and see how you do with the reduced rip capacity without cutting the rail. Of course you probably have a good idea of how far you move the fence over already.

 

[The Cobbler]

.... have it powder coated to avoid it rusting, then put new measuring tape on it. I’ve thought about fabricating a new rail but it seems a lot of work

I guess it's all perception. I would go thru the work ( sans the powder coat) rather than cutting a good fence system . but we're all individuals & welcome to our personal opinions.

 

[gm54210]

I cut down the rails on my Biesemeyer many moons ago. In my case, the saw can't go anywhere else in the shop, so it has never been an issue that they were cut down.

 

[Marctrees]

Slide the fence over till you have 25" + from the blade... make a mark to the right of the fence head, and cut there.

BUT - The obvious - Keep in mind that even though you will still be able to rip to the middle of a 4' panel, you will lose your ability to crosscut to middle of a 8' panel.

I would NEVER want less than a "52"" unless I absolutely positively had no space.

Are you already on casters ?

Marc

 

[Marctrees]

King- Possible rail tube ideas here.....

Marc


https://vsctools.com/diy-guide-rails/

 

[verbalkint99]

Sell what you have and buy what you need. Watch your local ads or check with a local dealer to see if someone is upgrading. Post an ad that you are willing to make a deal with someone for their shorter rails. Plenty of people out there with entry level saw stops would jump as that and you won't have a rigged set up. Or just price out shorter rails from sawstop.

On an unrelated note, how much are you selling it for?

 

[shoot summ]

Just cut them, I have 31" to the right of the blade, I don't have room for 52" either. I might have to cut longer a couple of times a year. Circular saw and a guide make quick work of it.

I'm building a Unisaw right now, have a 52" Unifence set up for it, it will be shorter when I am done. I will cut the aluminum extrusion.

 

[mike93lx]

Slide the fence over till you have 25" + from the blade... make a mark to the right of the fence head, and cut there.

BUT - The obvious - Keep in mind that even though you will still be able to rip to the middle of a 4' panel, you will lose your ability to crosscut to middle of a 8' panel.

I would NEVER want less than a "52"" unless I absolutely positively had no space.

Are you already on casters ?

Marc

That is insane.

Cross cuts on large panels should always be done on a sled. Simple as that. And a fence is not needed in any way, shape or form

 

[Ainsley]

I got a uni-saw from a buddy that upgraded to a sawstop. Came with the full 52" cut capacity rail which would not fit in my tiny shop. I ended up cutting it down to 30" and putting a router table into the free space to the right of the saw.

 

[matt_i]

I would say like anything you have to evaluate "permanent mods".

But, if you don't have the big table-board to one side of the fence then I don't see the utility of having a super wide cut capacity.

I agree with above, the parts which I think are going to be cut down could easily be replaced with new tube steel and angle (not 100% sure of the design) if things needed to be changed back in the future.

Make sure the "T" part of your square has enough to still seat on the far end of the tube when setting up a specific rip-width.

 

[bubinga]

I cut down the rails on my Biesemeyer many moons ago. In my case, the saw can't go anywhere else in the shop, so it has never been an issue that they were cut down.

have ~ 30" right on mine.
Once or twice I needed wider, Not often.

 

[King Nothing]

Slide the fence over till you have 25" + from the blade... make a mark to the right of the fence head, and cut there.

BUT - The obvious - Keep in mind that even though you will still be able to rip to the middle of a 4' panel, you will lose your ability to crosscut to middle of a 8' panel.

I would NEVER want less than a "52"" unless I absolutely positively had no space.

Are you already on casters ?

Marc

Yes, it is mobile. I have to pull it out every time I use it. It just takes up ALOT of space in my garage


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[Marctrees]

That is insane.

Cross cuts on large panels should always be done on a sled. Simple as that. And a fence is not needed in any way, shape or form

So you are saying if I have a 4x8 sheet, and I want two 4x4 pieces, that I need to do it on a sled, and cannot or should not do it along the fence ?

Then what is the benefit of a 52" setup other than the extension table itself?

Yet, they make the rails long enough to utilize the fence to close to 52"

You are saying it is still ONLY for ripping ?


I have never seen a sled that large.... and I HAVE looked for other purpose.

Marc

 

[mike93lx]

If I need to rip a sheet of ply in half, I would either rough cut with a circular saw then finish cut on a table saw (with very little to the left of the blade) or finish cut it with my track saw.

Never would I ever cut a sheet of plywood in half on a table saw.

 

[Marctrees]

W extension tables on all sides I have done it many times, no problems.

Yes, I know what kickback is.

Marc

 

[bubinga]

W extension tables on all sides I have done it many times, no problems.

Yes, I know what kickback is.

Marc

 

[mike93lx]

W extension tables on all sides I have done it many times, no problems.

Yes, I know what kickback is.

Marc

Glad it is working for you. I'll keep building stuff on my jobsite saw

 

[Indexmill]

Yes, good table saw fences are big and long and make it a pain in the *** to store or move the saw. That's life if you want good rips. My table saw is the ONLY thing in the wife's side of the garage that prevents her from putting her car in there. Just imagine the **** I get. But, what is the option? There is zero room for it in my side of the garage. I have no out building. I put it in the living room when she was at her mother's for a few weeks. Guess how that worked out when she got back.

Choice #1 - get rid of the saw and never do projects that require a table saw.
Choice #2 - get rid of the wife. nah.
Choice #3 - deal with it.

I imagined a setup where it was simple as pie to remove and reinstall the long fence and always get it back in exactly the same (correct) place. Seems like this should not all that difficult for a smart feller. I guess Choice #3 is not bad enough yet.

PLEASE do not cut a perfectly good fence rail. It just is not right.

 

[Gotcha640]

I'm with the cut it vote. I have a tight garage, but I manage to swing those rails around to tuck in over my rolling table. I only put the fence out there to get it out of the way during a glue up, and I could just as easily pull it off. It's your fence that you bought to put on your saw. If it's not working out in your garage, make it better.

The only reason not to do this, would be if the fence is worth more on Craigslist/what you can actually get for it, than a new/reasonable and AVAILABLE used saw. I had a sliding Bosch that everyone on the forums loved, got for $50, but the trunions were worn and it needed a switch and it would have needed a better fence if I'd got through the rest. Parts would have been $300+. So I bought a big Ridgid for 250 that just needed a cord, and I might go cut those rails down tomorrow.

 

[davewo]

I cut mine down but also made a provision to connect an extension when needed. I support the back end with a roller stand. The decision to cut was easy since the former owner took a sawzall to it.

 

[King Nothing]

I cut mine down but also made a provision to connect an extension when needed. I support the back end with a roller stand. The decision to cut was easy since the former owner took a sawzall to it.

That’s a great idea. I’ll have to look into making it so I can reattach the piece I cut off. Do you use your table saw fence as your router table fence as well?


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[bubinga]

I cut mine down but also made a provision to connect an extension when needed. I support the back end with a roller stand. The decision to cut was easy since the former owner took a sawzall to it.

That’s a great idea. I’ll have to look into making it so I can reattach the piece I cut off. Do you use your table saw fence as your router table fence as well?

@ davewo That's slick buddy!

X 2 Yes, It is a great Idea.

 

[briann898]

I had a Biesemeyer fence on my last saw and shifted the rails all the way to the right for extra rip capacity. It did take up a lot of room and I think I drilled a new set of holes for an intermediate position of just over 36". I think maybe 41". It's been a while. Might have even been stock holes I used.

Another idea is to build a router table extension and justify the extra space with that. Just lower the router when you need the capacity.

I would build a router table as well. But it depends for how many purposes he's gonna use it.