Support fence for TS miter gauge?

[Mike Ontko]

This might be a no-brainer, but I'm stumped as to how I would attach a support fence to the type of miter gauge pictured below. Some form of L-bracket is all I can think of, but what type and where to find? I have one of these that came with my G1022ZF, and would like to get some use out of it before I resort to buying an Incra or Kreg.

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[Ben Rivel]

Personally Id ditch it and get an Incra, but if I HAD to keep it, what about drilling holes through the face all the way through to run T Slot bolts and screw knobs? Then the T Slot side of the bolts could go into a T Slotted sacrificial face/fence extension.

[Mike Ontko]

Either an Incra 1000, a Kreg, or the Osborne EB-3 are on my after-holiday shopping list. But I'd like to keep this basic model around for when I resell the saw. And, as long as it's in my collection, I might as well get some use out of it. There are already two sets of holes, which I'm presuming are for securing some form of fence to the gauge face. Two of the holes are on top and two are on each end, left and right. The holes on the ends are threaded, making me think this is where an L-shaped bolt would fit, with corresponding threads that would just fit through an auxiliary fence, to be held by a bolt recessed into the face of that aux fence. Has anyone done this, or am I wasting my time?

[glenn bradley]

Ditto. I would drill 5/16" holes and use 1/4" t-bolts (toilet tank bolts from the BORG if you don't keep jig stock around) at the height used by most aftermarket goodies. My Incra, Rockler and others are about 1" off the surface although the Incra gauge (slots) are usable from 7/16" through about 1-1/4". My daily 'user' has been modified a bit but, strictly bolt-ons.

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I also have numerous sections of 3/4" ply with a t-slot cut along the back that I use and cut down until they're gone, then grab another one.

[Mike Ontko]

I'd rather not drill into the face if I don't have to. Those existing holes must've been intended for securing an auxiliary fence, but I'm just not seeing how that could be done.

[Cary Falk]

I'd rather not drill into the face if I don't have to. Those existing holes must've been intended for securing an auxiliary fence, but I'm just not seeing how that could be done.

The 2 on the ends are for a threaded stop rod for repeating cuts similar to flip stops but less convenient. The ones on top I think are for some kind of hold downs.

[Lee Schierer]

I swapped out a similar crosscut guide for a Kreg guide a couple of years ago and wish I had done it sooner. The Kreg guide has served me very well. The shot pin stops are very accurate and the fence easily accepts shop made jigs.

[Mike Ontko]

Sounds like a unanimous recommendation so far to go get a real miter gauge!

[Frederick Skelly]

If that thing is steel, you could probably use strong magnets to attach a fence. I buy mine from lee valley, but Ive seen them at the BORG.

[Bill White]

Incra 1000 SE here. It is a keeper for sure.
Bill

[Davis Young]

Couple ways to go if you don't want to drill through the face. Easy way is to get a pair of headless f-clamp. By headless I mean what Festool has for their rail clamps. Other companies make them for attaching a sacrificial fence to a table saw fence. You would drill into the edge of your support fence and insert the clamps. Other way is to attach two blocks perpendicular to the back of your support fence. The two blocks should be spaced the width of your miter gauge head. There should be through holes in the support blocks so that machine screws can engage the threaded holes in the side of the miter gauge, thus securing the support fence.

[Ray Newman]

Take a length of shop scrap that will fit the top of miter gauge head, mark it where to bore holes to fix it to the miter gauge head, then glue/screw a sub fence to it?....

[Mike Ontko]

Couple ways to go if you don't want to drill through the face. Easy way is to get a pair of headless f-clamp. By headless I mean what Festool has for their rail clamps. Other companies make them for attaching a sacrificial fence to a table saw fence. You would drill into the edge of your support fence and insert the clamps. Other way is to attach two blocks perpendicular to the back of your support fence. The two blocks should be spaced the width of your miter gauge head. There should be through holes in the support blocks so that machine screws can engage the threaded holes in the side of the miter gauge, thus securing the support fence.

This is what I was thinking of, and it turns out that Peachtree has a couple of universal fence clamps (http://www.ptreeusa.com/clamp_fence.htm) that might just do the trick (and for only $10 a set).

I'm only about 20 minutes away from the Grizzly headquarters in Bellingham, WA, so I can always drop by there to see if they have something specific.

Thanks!

[Bill McNiel]

Mike- Rocklear has a version of those clamps, I think they are "on sale" currently.

[Mike Ontko]

Right you are, Bill. They're listed >here (http://www.rockler.com/universal-fence-clamps)< on sale for $19.99. Thanks for the tip!

[Robert Engel]

I'm only about 20 minutes away from the Grizzly headquarters in Bellingham, WA, so I can always drop by there to see if they have something specific.

Thanks!Seriously? I'm betting Grizzly has some proprietary attachment system for a stop block or something.
My experience is not worth fooling with because manufacturers miter gauges are usually not very good. The one that came on my Jet was a piece of crap.

[David Helm]

Seriously Mike, I don't think anyone would care if the original equipment mitre gauge was still there at the time of resale. Most people realize those are junk. I have the Incra 1000 and would never go back to the original. Did you feel the small earthquake last night?

[Mike Ontko]

Hi David, No - I missed the earthquake last night :( My alarm clock goes off at 4:30am, so I'm usually in bed by 10:00...and we've got a good Sterns & Foster mattress so I didn't notice any movement. But...this gives me incentive to recheck my emergency water supply and then restock some other essentials in the event that the "Big One" happens while I'm still living and breathing.

Thanks everyone for the replies and recommendations--I've already made up my mind to buy a better miter gauge (it's a toss-up between the Incra 1000HD and the Osborne EB-3). I recently shelled out $750 for some new project lumber (cherry and CVG Douglas fir), $130 for a Razertip pyrography set, and $90 for a 36" Veritas straight edge, so I'm holding off on any further spending for a while...mainly until the LOML calms down a bit ;). But the LOML has a horse so anytime that my shop related spending becomes an issue, I just bring up the subject of boarding, hay, and shoeing. We'll probably retire poor as thieves, but we'll at least be happy thieves...with a house, shop, ...horse, and garden...and four bewildered offspring :)

Really though...rather than just donate it to the local landfill, I've been more interested in trying to do something with the plain-ol' cast iron miter gauge that I've got (a Grizzly G5799). I don't recall ever drilling through cast iron before (lots of steel though) and wasn't sure I wanted to or had the gear to do it properly, especially through about 1-1/2 inches of it. But I've read that CI drills fairly easily and at relatively low temperatures, so a good carbide bit together with solid vise or hold-down on my drill press should do the trick. I've seen a couple of postings describing how to attach a sliding fence using something like toilet flange bolts (which was one of the earlier recommendations in this thread). The project wood I just bought has a week or two to acclimate before I'll start milling it, and that should give me enough time to give it a try and still be able to make that purchase if I fail miserably.

[Bill McNiel]

Mike - If you are ever near Issaquah give me a shout. I have a bunch of the Rocklear clamps and would gladly give you a couple. Might have to charge you a beer. I also have the 1000 HD you could look at / play with.

[Davis Young]

Keep in mind for the fence clamp, there can't be too great of a difference between the height of your support fence and the height of your miter gauge head. Of course, if you needed a taller support, you could attach another support fence to the clamped one. One thing if you haven't done so is to make a crosscut sled. Between my sled and the stock miter gauge, I have so far eluded the need to buy a fancy aftermarket gauge.

[Mike Ontko]

... One thing if you haven't done so is to make a crosscut sled. Between my sled and the stock miter gauge, I have so far eluded the need to buy a fancy aftermarket gauge.

I have made a crosscut sled and a panel cutting sled/jig, but both are only used for cuts that are 90 degrees to the blade. But I'm still in need of something for making repeatable miters for picture frames and the like that can't be done as accurately with my DW705 CMS.

[David Helm]

I live just south of ferndale. If you want to test run the Incra PM me.

[Mike Ontko]

Mike - If you are ever near Issaquah give me a shout.

Bill, Thanks for the offer! I haven't kicked around your neck of the woods since I moved up to the Bellingham area. Now that Mt. Baker is in our backyard we don't get to the Snoqualmie Pass/Ski Acres area as often as we used to. But I was just down at Crosscut Hardwoods in Seattle this past weekend, and could easily of made the side trip next time I head down that way.

[Monte Milanuk]

Hello Mike,

For much the same reasons, I got an Incra 1000SE + Miter Express for my Ridgid 4512 TS shortly after getting the new saw a couple years ago. I 'retired' the stock miter gauge for a while, then repurposed it (with a sacrificial fence) for use when cross-cutting with the dado head (rough tenons, etc.) that the Miter Express sled was ill-suited for. It works pretty well... but in all honesty, the stock gauge seems so sloppy compared to the 1000SE that I might put a V27 on my next birthday/Christmas wish-list... ;)

The only problem with the Incra stuff that I've found is that they tend to grow on you... a miter gauge leads to a TS fence, leads to router table stuff... :D

Monte