Exaktor EX26X Fence Help

[Ryan Dyer]

I purchased a EX26X. I got it all setup and dialed in but I have a problem. When the fence is at the front of the table (closest to me), and i adjust it to 45 degrees, the fence dips down on the right end and will smack the table. Its hard to tell if does it on the rear since i cant move the table far enough forward to test real good, but at about 25 degrees the fence looks parallel to the table when at the rear.

The table isn't perfectly flat, its darn close, but the lip on the right side is angled up slightly, and i think whats happening is the fence is coming off the right hand lip and dropping down. I believe the table plane is changing at this point. The table has the same lip in the rear, yet it doesn't seem to effect it...

Anyone else that owns one experience the same thing?

[frank shic]

can you take a picture of the situation?

[Thad McCulloch]

I have their EX60. Sounds like you don't quite have the fence parallel to the surface of the table. Make sure the fence is all the way down against the rest of the structure and, if it is, see if adjusting the height of the legs on the sliding table portion helps get the fence parallel to the tablesaw's surface. I've got my EX60 fence adjusted so that it just barely clears the tablesaw and when I move it from back to front (or vice versa) it will push any accumulated sawdust off the tablesaw to either the front or the back. You can get it that close. Changing the angle setting on mine doesn't affect the clearance between the fence and the tablesaw, so you should be able to get yours the same with some careful tweaks.

[Ryan Dyer]

Fence at Front Parrallel with Table.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qQXlvDEWlqg/T4oVeVTfEfI/AAAAAAAAD0I/EeJ-5RzIz1Y/s800/P1000807.JPG

Fence at Front of Table, with it positioned at rear of table saw.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2WH6aGkmcBw/T4oVjGbswUI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/lV2i455B4Cw/s800/P1000809.JPG

Fence at front of sliding table, at approx 25 degrees, You can see a slight angle between the fence and table saw top

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RPMDwZHgij8/T4oVmcWMytI/AAAAAAAAD0g/wzGNoFRBNBo/s800/P1000810.JPG

Same position just at back of saw

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Odbxha8PMf4/T4oVpt3tc0I/AAAAAAAAD0s/rjHvr8pmeu0/s800/P1000811.JPG

Again, same position, just showing whole table.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S7Bw0f65oq4/T4oVtKLaBPI/AAAAAAAAD00/kagbJ6-4BtI/s800/P1000812.JPG

Fence at 45 degrees, BARELY clearing the table.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-khR2_pXkRm4/T4oVwNrDeTI/AAAAAAAAD08/QjrWqZtuDOE/s800/P1000813.JPG

The gap, that i believing is causing the fence to come off parrallel with the table saw top. Whats wierd is the back has this same gap, and the angle adjustment works just fine. From what i can tell anyway. if it comes off parallel, I definitively can't see it as easy as the when the fence in on the front. Thats a level across the table.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t0MfD-t76k0/T4oV0nNgBaI/AAAAAAAAD1E/iRIUQJ4N3uo/s800/P1000814.JPG

[frank shic]

ryan, i think the problem is that your fence is too close to the table. i have mine set up about 1/16" above the surface so that it doesn't rub against the table or track all the sawdust around. those are great pics! congrats you will love this add-on :)

[Thad McCulloch]

Check the flatness of your floor. Is the part where the sliding table legs sit co-planer with the part where your tablesaw sits? Any slight slope from front to back under the sliding table legs? I put some thin wooden shims under my sliding table legs to get things aligned when I was setting it up.

[Peter Aeschliman]

If it doesn't rub at 90 degrees at any point along its travel but does at 45 degrees, then all I can think is that your table (the orange part) has a slight twist to it. More specifically the piece that has the angles written on it at the left of the table. The far left corner of your table must be slightly high. I think the simplest remedy is to move the sliding table up a little bit to allow for more of a gap between the table and the fence.

The downside of this is that you have to be careful to only apply downward pressure on the workpiece over the sliding table as you're making your cut... Otherwise you'll throw the cut angle off a little in the vertical plane. This can be especially annoying when cuttin dadoes because you'll end up with inconsistent cut depth.

But if we are only talking abou a few thousandths, it shouldn't matter much.

[Ryan Dyer]

If it doesn't rub at 90 degrees at any point along its travel but does at 45 degrees, then all I can think is that your table (the orange part) has a slight twist to it. More specifically the piece that has the angles written on it at the left of the table. The far left corner of your table must be slightly high. I think the simplest remedy is to move the sliding table up a little bit to allow for more of a gap between the table and the fence.

The downside of this is that you have to be careful to only apply downward pressure on the workpiece over the sliding table as you're making your cut... Otherwise you'll throw the cut angle off a little in the vertical plane. This can be especially annoying when cuttin dadoes because you'll end up with inconsistent cut depth.

But if we are only talking abou a few thousandths, it shouldn't matter much.

Peter,

This is exactly what i was thinking. I have spent probably 10 hours trying different things and staring at it trying to figure it out. While i haven't actually measured the gap between the fence and the table saw top, to my eye, it looks the same at the very front of the table saw top all the way to the back of the table saw. Which like you said, would indicate the unit is level with the saw and their must be some type of twist or something to the sliding table.


Frank,

I know you own this same model. I read your posts prior to purchasing :) Could you take a look at my last pic that i posted and put a straight edge across yours and tell me if you have the same gap under the straight edge. Its probably 1/64". The flange on the right hand side of the orange sliding table slightly bows up. The pic is taken at the front of the orange sliding table between the fence mount and the flange that rides on the inner guide rail.



I am thinking about buying a 1/8" piece of aluminum plate and fabricating a top for the orange table that i can shim/level to be flat. This way the fence has a consistent flat surface to ride on. Exaktor used to put a stainless top on them back in the day but it got too expensive.

[glenn bradley]

I agree that you have a "plane" issue. As the fence angles, the plane it is following is not parallel to the plane your tablesaw top is on. This is one reason I take a bit of time to not only align my tools but (generally) also make them level with mother earth. My shop floor is not flat or level so any fixture needs to be leveled/aligned with any mating fixture. I find this much quicker if I level working surfaces to gravity; this makes one plane of adjustment constant for all surfaces.

[frank shic]

not a problem, peter. i'll do that after i get home from work today... why is your workshop so pristine?!? ;)

[frank shic]

well go figure! i just learned that my sliding table is slightly off parallel with the table saw since the gap towards the far end of the saw is actually larger than the one towards the front end of the saw:

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w316/frank_shic/cf1cd7a3.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w316/frank_shic/077d1997.jpg

[Ryan Dyer]

not a problem, peter. i'll do that after i get home from work today... why is your workshop so pristine?!? ;)

Because everything is brand new and never been used. Basically, I wanted to build some garage cabinets. I enjoy building things so i figured why not. Big mistake, now i have ALOT more tools :)

[Ryan Dyer]

well go figure! i just learned that my sliding table is slightly off parallel with the table saw since the gap towards the far end of the saw is actually larger than the one towards the front end of the saw:

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w316/frank_shic/cf1cd7a3.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w316/frank_shic/077d1997.jpg

Looks like your flange to right is slightly tilted up as well. I have it "good enough" for the time being. It works and clears the table and every but the angle settings is parallel. I dont think the lowering of the fence will effect the cuts anyway its just annoying.

I did make a couple cuts last night for the first time....all i can say is wow, love this thing. For larger panels it rocks! I don't use the clamp though and it deflects the fence.

[frank shic]

yup, my setup is good enough for me - i'm not a caliper woodworker anyways... btw ryan, if you attach a delta unifence to your saw, it becomes ridiculously easy to size panels because you can pull the fence back so that the panels don't bind while crosscutting them (essentially using your fence as a big stop block) and then advance it back to the regular position to rip the last piece. something to consider in the future :)

[Ryan Dyer]

yup, my setup is good enough for me - i'm not a caliper woodworker anyways... btw ryan, if you attach a delta unifence to your saw, it becomes ridiculously easy to size panels because you can pull the fence back so that the panels don't bind while crosscutting them (essentially using your fence as a big stop block) and then advance it back to the regular position to rip the last piece. something to consider in the future :)

Could you elaborate a bit more...I don't quite understand...is it something specific with the Delta Unifence? I have an Incra Fence system on there now.

[frank shic]

ryan, the delta unifence consists of a main body with an aluminum auxiliary fence attached to do it that is easily adjustable forward or backwards by to knobs that hold it to the body of the unifence. installation is really easy as well.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/delta-unifence-sacrificial-board-11670/

this unifence owner has screwed the fence to the main body probably because he doesn't use the sliding feature.