Good Source for Extruded Aluminum

[Larry Fox]

Anyone know of a good source for extruded aluminum that would be rigid and precise enough to build a solid cross-cut fence from. I recently bought a slider that has a REALLY long fence on it and I don't need that long of a fence 99.9% of the time but don't want to cut it down for the times when I do. My thought is to just buy a piece of extruded aluminum and make a shorter fence that will stay on the saw most of the time.

I am aware of 8020.net but their stuff seems most geared towards building structures from it - like a really cool erector set. My concern would be the precision but, other than how they market it, I have no basis for this concern.

[David Kumm]

www.framingtech.com. I've made fences from 60x60 Bosch style and gotten pieces from them. I use the heavy extrusion so i can mill a slot for the tape and they have been willing to look in their bin for cut offs. Be sure to ask for an assortment of T nut stock too. I get lengths and cut to small pieces. Dave

[Cary Falk]

E-bay. I got a piece from Rocklerwith a 20% coupon for a Drill press fence. It was super straight when put against my straight edge

[Matt Meiser]

There was just a thread about a commercially available fence that uses an 80/20 extrusion for the actual fence. You could always add a plywood subfence and shim that if you needed but but based on ways I've seen 8020 used in manufacturing, I'd have to guess its pretty darn precise.

8020 has an Ebay outlet store under the name 8020inc. As an example, I found a 1x2x48" extrusion which would run about $36 shipped.

[Larry Fox]

Wow - that was fast. Thanks guys, I will look at some of these. I will give 8020 a call and ask them about rigidity and accuracy as they do seem to have good prices in their eBay store (which is where I first ran across them).

[Mike Wilkins]

Or you could get a length of Incra fence and attach it to your existing miter gauge for the slider. I have seen others use this type of fence, and it is what I went with. I currently have a 36" length of Incra fence with the length stop that flips up. It stays on the machine 95% of the time, since I don't often need the outrigger. Got mine from Woodworkers Supply.

[pat warner]

"My concern would be the precision but, other than how they market it, I have no basis for this concern. "
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Specs on extruded aluminum are anything but precise.
The stuff is cheap but precision extrusions require remachining and that's where the money is, serious money.
Very precise (http://patwarner.com/images/router-X-cut-jig.jpg), (>+ or - .001") can be had from ground stock.

[Mark Burnette]

The 8020 stuff is excellent and a good value--especially when compared to similar extrusions available in pretty gold or blue colors ;)
They have many of their patterns available in light or heavy-walled. The only issue I have with using it in the shop is their slots are intended for their tapped "nuts" and a regular bolt head is a little too thick to fit. Spin the face on the grinder or belt sander & it'll slide right in!

As for precision--it's truer than any piece of wood in my shop.