Help with Band Saw Fence design

[lou sansone]

good evening wws

I need to install a fence on my new bandsaw that did not come with one. I was thinking of putting on a fence from a modern Italian BS ( maybe a MM or a laguna ) , but wanted to see what options there were and what you all seemed to like. If you have pictures of your fence please include it in your reply.

for those who want to see what the fence is going on here is a link for your reference

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19846


thanks for the help

lou

[Alan Turner]

Lou,
Don't follow the design of the Agazanni that I have. It will not hold the vertical with any pressure at all on a resaw. I had to jig it to hld a clamp, and it is a bit annoying. For the resaw, I would recommend a taller fence, with a strongly braced 90 degree base, even if it ahs to be clamped in place. Consider UHMW material for the feather board if you have a bit hanging around. Stong, and slippery.

[Mike Cutler]

I don't see any mounting holes in the table edge Lou. It would be a crying shame to drill holes in that saw.
I'm wondering if a piece of barstock could be drilled and tapped to beam clamps, and then have the beam clamps clamp the bar stock to the front. This would give you a structure that would allow you to drill and tap to accept any fence, but not alter that bandsaw.
The only bandsaws I've seen that are that big are Do-All's. The one at work has a fence, but it's nothing to write home about. It slides on a 1" round stock bar, with linear bearings and pillow blocks for guides. It also has a "J" clamp that holds it in place.
Per Swenson once posted a link to site that had engineered extruded aluminum beams. Definitely worth checking out, 'cause I think you're going to have make your own in the end. Hopefully Per posts the link, or I'll post it tommorrow when I'm at my own computer.
Haven't been much help here, maybe only providing food for thought. :rolleyes:

Here is the link I was referring to. http://www.8020.net/

[Jamie Buxton]

Does the concept of lead angle apply to that big beauty? If so, you need a fence whose angle can easily be adjusted to the blade. Fences for smaller bandsaws have this feature. However, if your saw just cuts straight ahead no matter what, you could use a table saw fence like a Biesemeyer. For resawing, I'd build an auxiliary tall fence that kinda hooks over the Biesemeyer, and has outrigger braces down to the table on the left to ensure that it stays vertical.