Bent rear rail on Biesemeyer fence system. What to do?

[Stuart Welsh]

I purchased a used Unisaw and started cleaning it up today. To get at the surface rust on the edges of the top and level a slightly out of alignment wing I decided to take the Biesemeyer rails off. The first bolt I took out was the bolt on the rear rail on the far right (when standing behind the saw). The bolt never got finger tight so I had to wrench it all the way out. As soon as I got the bolt out that end of the rail shifted down dramatically while the majority of the rail stayed firmly attached to the table. Removing the other bolts, there was a third bolt installed by the previous owner in the opposite end of the rail. Once the front rail and guide rail were removed I had the opportunity to compare front and rear rails. The difference was dramatic as the rail dipped down 3/4" and inward 5/8".

I can't really tell how this may have occurred. There are no visible signs anywhere on the top or cabinet that indicate the saw was dropped or run into. But what is strange is that the bend is in a portion of the rail that is in complete contact with the top. That the rail could bend inward is really puzzling. The only thing I can guess at is that perhaps this used equipment seller took the Biesemeyer from a damaged saw he was parting out and put it on this saw. I won't spend much time trying to solve this mystery, time to move forward.

My choices seem to be: Do nothing, Bend the rail as close to straight, or buy (or make) a new rail.

My question is this, should I bother doing anything with this other than maybe trying to straighten it? While on the table the rail appeared straight, so apparently the bolts were doing a heroic job of keeping the rail in place. If this were the front rail I'd be more concerned but as this rail will only serve my placing a home made extension to the right of the blade it seems less consequential especially since the damage is on the opposite side of the saw from where I'll be placing an extension.

Any input is appreciated, thanks,

Stuart


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[Kent A Bathurst]

That's not easy to do. Nor undo. WOnder hoe they did THAT??

Me - I'd take it to a local body shop, and get a quote on straightening it - couldn't take long, nor cost much.

[Bradley Gray]

the rail you are concerned with may not have anything to do with the fence system if it is a Beisemeyer - they don't have a rear anything, just the front rail and the fence.

[Matt Day]

The rear rail doesn't do anything except create support for the extension wing, so don't worry about it.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Bruce Page]

Yep, it doesn't do a thing except add support for the crosscut table. I would gently bend it back by eye and mount it.

[Robert LaPlaca]

The rear rail doesn't do anything except create support for the extension wing, so don't worry about it.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Partial credit, supports the extension wing cross cut table and the outfeed table attachment point. The fence itself doesn't lock to it in anyway, so it no where as critical as the front tube..

[CPeter James]

Another option is E**Y. The rails show up there from time to time.

CPeter

[Stuart Welsh]

Thanks all for the replies. I'm just going to do my best to bend it back. To force it back on without doing so would just put stress on the top and may be part of the reason the wing on that end was a bit misaligned.

Bradley you might want to check this link out, Biesemeyer fences can include much more than a front rail and tube ;)

the rail you are concerned with may not have anything to do with the fence system if it is a Beisemeyer - they don't have a rear anything, just the front rail and the fence.
http://documents2.dewalt.com/documents/English/Instruction%20Manual/Biesemeyer/1352432.pdf

[Lee Schierer]

On my Craftsman I don't have the rear rail mounted. In fact I have a 52" rail in my shop leaning against the wall that I could give you if you were close to me just to get it out of my shop.

Instead of trying to straighten the rail. Check the price of a similar piece of angle from a local steel supply house and make a new one.

[mreza Salav]

Looks like the bend is from the section that there is a cut-out (otherwise I don't see how one can bend), so it should be easy to bend it back. Put it somewhere that you can secure it and use some leverage and work gently. Should be able to get it close to straight.

[glenn bradley]

As stated the Biesemeyer fence will work without the rear rail. The fence itself does not contact it nor is it required for the front rail and tube to do their job. I would bend the damaged rail into shape enough to go on without causing an alignment issue with your wings or, replace it with a similar piece of angle iron to perform that function if you prefer. If you scale the replacement rear rail (from common stock) you can even skip having to cut the notches for the miter bar pathway. I would probably just bend the existing rail and be done with it.

[Larry Edgerton]

Bradley is right. I have two Biesmeyer commercial fences and the rear rail does not affect the fence at all. It is just a support for the extension table. Just do what you can and reinstall. If it bent once it can bend again to get it straightened out.

[Peter Aeschliman]

If it were me, I'd just buy a new piece of angle iron that is close enough, drill out the mounting holes and cut the miter slot notches with an angle grinder, wire wheel it, wipe it clean with acetone, and give it a rattle can prime and paint.

If that sounds like too much work or you don't have the necessary tools, then I guess I'd just try to bend it back. It looks like it's bent on two planes, which is pretty strange. Almost like it was bumped with a fork lift while it wasn't installed on the saw or something. It seems like it would take a lot of force to bend it back, so you'll have to get smart about how you rig it up and how to get leverage against it.

EDIT: on second thought... the bend looks like it starts where that deep notch is. So you only have one plane of the angle iron to contend with- that should make it pretty easy to bend back. Not as bad as I originally thought. Just slap that sucker back on and let to bolts do the work, just like the previous owner did. easy peasy.