36" vs. 52" TS fence rails (if you also have a sliding table)

[Chris Nolin]

I think nearly everyone would advise that, given the choice, I should go with the longer fence rails on my TS. But, I have a 40" Excalibur sliding table I'd like to mount to the left side of the saw. Does this change that "standard advice" in any way? Would the 36" rails now be sufficient for most, if not all, ripping operations?

[Glen Butler]

If you have got the room keep 52." Right now I would gladly give up the 52 for a 36 if I had a sliding table.

[Chris Nolin]

Yes, space is an issue. I don't have enough room for both the sliding table AND the long fence rails. Just need to know what people think is better-36" rails and a sliding table, or 52" rails without the slider.

[Rod Sheridan]

Chris, I just went through this, and decided upon the sliding table, with a 32" rip capacity.

If I need greater than 32" rip capacity, well I have a sliding table, so what do I need large rip capacity for?

regards, Rod.

[Sam Layton]

Hi Chris,

I have both, long rails and sliding table. I like and use both. Your decision will probably be based on what kind of work you do. If space is an issue, can you re-arrange to fit both?

The question is, do you often rip wider that the 36" rails will allow? If I had to only have one, I think it would be the sliding table. That being said, you need a fence for the front, and the rear of the sliding table. A fence on the front of the sliding table allows my to be able to cross cut a sheet of ply. Try to keep both.

Sam

[Chris Nolin]

I wish I could keep both on the saw, but I wouldn't be able to walk around it to get from one side of the shop to the other! :( I haven't made any large pieces of furniture yet, so I'm not sure how often I'll be needing more than 36" of rip capacity. What kinds of projects demand that kind of width on a panel?

[Philip Rodriquez]

My old TS had a 31" fence and an excalibur 49" slider. I never had a problem. My current TS, a ICS SawStop has the same slider and a 52" fence. If you have the room, keep both... if you don't, I doubt you will miss it.