Left side use on right tilt table saw

[Chris Schoenthal]

Do any of you use the fence on the left side of your right tilt table saw?
Reason for asking, I'm thinking of moving the rail all the way to the right to gain an additional 18" since I never use the left side portion.
Anyone successfully accomplished this?

[Charles Lent]

I use the left side of my right tilt Unisaw whenever I need to make a cut that will trap the wood between the blade and the fence if done on the right side of my right tilt blade. Doing it this way eliminates the need for a left tilt saw, since it accomplishes the same result. The Unifence extrusion easily flips to the opposite side for left or right use, so it's easy to use it either way. I don't need to do this often, but would not want to be without this capability. In fact, I bought an extension piece for my Wixey DRO so it will work for the full length of the Unifence rail. I have attached steel pieces to both sides of my Unifence aluminum casting so the DRO module can magnetically be attached and used on either side of the fence casting too.

Charley

[Bill Adamsen]

+1 to Charles comment. I would only comment that I don't think the Unifence extrusion "easily" flips ... hence (to my thinking) the major value differentiator with the Biesemeyer. It does change sides however it takes a few minutes and few have Charles' elaborate setup thus losing the scales to the left.

[Randall J Cox]

+1 to Charles comment. I would only comment that I don't think the Unifence extrusion "easily" flips ... hence (to my thinking) the major value differentiator with the Biesemeyer. It does change sides however it takes a few minutes and few have Charles' elaborate setup thus losing the scales to the left.


+1 to Bill's quote...

[Rick Potter]

OK, you piqued my curiosity.

I went out and switched my Unifence from one side to the other. I did not try to hurry it, and it took just under a minute. All it takes is to spin off the two wing nuts, slide the extrusion off, reverse the fence holder thingie, put the extrusion on the other side, and tighten the wing nuts. Done. High/Low fence available on either side.

The flat spot for the measuring tape extends all the way across the rail, so one could easily put a right to left tape on that side if desired. I don''t see the value for that though. Usually the fence is on the left side for bevel cuts, and you would probably sneak up on them anyway.

I am not picking favorites here. I have a Beis clone on my SawStop, and I like it too. They are both great fences.

To answer Chris' original question. In 20 years, I think I used the left side once. At least 10 years ago I cut off the left side to put on a Jessem slider unit. Why not just move it and see how you like it? If it doesn't work out put it back.

[Chris Schoenthal]

Thanks for the responses.
I have an old Delta contractors saw and I'm going to build a workcenter with a much larger top.
The 50" rails are ridiculously priced, or I'd just get a new one.
I too, have used the left side only once in 20 years and haven't found a requirement that I couldn't get around a different way.
I'll try moving it, as suggested, and see how it goes.

[Bill Adamsen]

So I guess I didn't really answer the question, just griped. I have a Unisaw with a Unifence (bought new 30 years ago) and when I used that saw for panels, I used the fence on the left of the blade all the time. I frequently do miter wraps (cut miters on panels and either tape fold or lamello) and almost always switch the fence to the left side to do it. I still do the miters on panels (did several this morning) but now use the slider so the panel is still to the left of the blade.

I typically used the Unifence to store arbor wrench and the allen wrench for fence adjustment. So those need to get removed before switching the fence. The T-handles are loosened and inevitably sooner or later one spins the T-handles onto the floor (usually under the saw) or the washers down the blade slot. Then the fence needs to be pulled out, the bracket switched, the fence reinstalled and the T-handles reattached. Can it be done in less than a minute? Absolutely. But it remains an aggravating design. When was the last time you used the formica fence position?

[sebastian phillips]

I use the low fence whenever I'm ripping close to the blade-way more room for push stick etc.
I also use the low fence when I'm ripping re-facing material, or when I'm beveling with the fence on the right.
Don't find a single thing aggravating about the uni-fence, and actually got rid of the biesemeyer fence that came with the saw. TEHO

[Charles Lent]

Bill,

I keep tools on top of my Unifence casting too, but I have added a large rare earth magnet to the top of the Unifence casting. It keeps the tools from falling while I switch the fence extrusion. It also frequently holds a standard pencil by the eraser coupling.

I also have a laser remote control button attached there with Velcro.. It turns on and off a ceiling mounted laser above the saw that produces a red line on my Unisaw table to show the blade cut line. I don't use this laser line for cutting accuracy, since it isn't very accurate, but it has been a great safety device. It keeps me always aware of where the blade will be cutting, especially when DADO or doing non-through cutting. "If my fingers ever have a red line on them, they are in the wrong place." But it also helps to steer a long board being fed into the saw way before reaching the fence while ripping long boards. It's easy to keep a pencil line on the board lined up with the laser line that projects out several feet before and after the saw table as well as across it. When using a power tool, every safety device that I feel improves my chances of being safe is worth using, even if it takes a few moments to activate.

Charley

[Lee Schierer]

My Beismeyer fence will work on both sides of the blade. I have on occasion used the fence on the left side of the blade. I even made miter cuts on the left side. Since the blade has the wood captive you have to be extremely careful of potential kickback.

[Charles Lent]

Lee,

I use my fence on the left side of the blade on my right tilt Unisaw to avoid trapping the wood between the fence and the blade. That's about the only time that I use the left side of my right tilt saw. It doesn't matter what saw or type of fence you have, you should avoid any cut that traps the wood between the blade and the fence during a miter cut. Just switch the fence and the work to the opposite side of the blade and you don't need to worry about a kick back being caused by this. It is much safer and usually quite easy to do with most saws and fences. I don't know why people think they need left tilt saws to be safe. Their right tilt saw is just as safe if they use it tight.

Charley

[Bill Adamsen]

I also have a laser remote control button attached there with Velcro.. It turns on and off a ceiling mounted laser above the saw that produces a red line on my Unisaw table to show the blade cut line. I don't use this laser line for cutting accuracy, since it isn't very accurate, but it has been a great safety device. It keeps me always aware of where the blade will be cutting, especially when DADO or doing non-through cutting. "If my fingers ever have a red line on them, they are in the wrong place."

That is a fantastic idea - extremely clever!

[sebastian phillips]

If you crosscut bevels a lot with your TS, a right tilt lets you stand on the natural left side, and not have to move your miter gauge.
I used L-tilt saws exclusively for about 25 years, when an excellent R-Tilt fell in my lap.
Hated it at first, but now prefer the R-tilt. Also like that cursor is still accurate w/ dado blade(s).

[Charles Lent]

That is a fantastic idea - extremely clever!

Bill,

I got it from Woodline, but it's not in their catalog any more. They might have a few left though. When you call, ask to talk to Wayne, the owner, to see if he has any left. The two that I have were bought from Wayne after they were gone from the catalog. The second one is on my son's saw.

The ceiling unit has a battery compartment, but comes with a wall wort type power supply too if you have a ceiling outlet near by it would be best to use the supply . Since the IR receiver has to be on all the time, I doubt the battery power source would last very long. I have never tried running mine on batteries. The remove control is about the size of a deck of playing cards, but only about 1/4" thick, and only one push on/push off button on it. I attached the remote to my Unifence casting with a 1/2" square piece of Velcro, so it stays put, but can be removed if the battery in it should ever need replacing. The ceiling mounted part looks like one of the parking assist lasers units that they sell to help you get your car centered in the garage, and one of them might even work for this purpose, if the remote control is wireless. The laser head is a ball/socket mount so it's easy to move it or rotate it until the laser line is where you want it (not very accurate). Like I said, it isn't accurate enough to assist with precise cutting, except to help some with pre-alignment of long rips as you are feeding the board into the saw. At saw level the line extends about 8 ft, so about 4' ahead of and also behind the blade. It's bright enough to see on the saw table or the wood with a lit 6' double tube fluorescent almost directly above the saw

I have relatives in Danbury, CT, so I go there to visit every few years.

Charley

[Charles Lent]

If you crosscut bevels a lot with your TS, a right tilt lets you stand on the natural left side, and not have to move your miter gauge.
I used L-tilt saws exclusively for about 25 years, when an excellent R-Tilt fell in my lap.
Hated it at first, but now prefer the R-tilt. Also like that cursor is still accurate w/ dado blade(s).

Yes !!! I also prefer right tilt and I have used and owned both versions over the past 60 years. I'm also left handed, but I still prefer using a right tilt saw. But since I added the Wixey DRO to my right tilt Unisaw, I never look at the fence scale any more.

Charley

[sebastian phillips]

[QUOTE=Charles Lent;2661081]Yes !!! I also prefer right tilt and I have used and owned both versions over the past 60 years. I'm also left handed, but I still prefer using a right tilt saw. But since I added the Wixey DRO to my right tilt Unisaw, I never look at the fence scale any more.

Charles, I've never considered a DRO for the table saw. It remains accurate when you take the fence on and off the rail?

Let's say you want to come back to 11.25" for a rip. Do you end up spending time chasing the scale between 11.247 and 11.255 for example, or do you get quickly to exactly what you want?

Kind of a clumsy question.
Thanks,
Seb

[Charles Lent]

I can rip a board to a certain width, remove the fence to use the miter gauge or other jig, then put the fence back on the saw, and slide the DRO head back against it, then set the fence using the DRO to the same position reading that it was for the last rip and make another cut. The difference in width of the two boards cut will always be less than .020", and it's usually way better than that. My only complaint with the Wixey DRO is that mine (the original design) uses lithium disk batteries at a rate of about 2 per year. Harbor Freight now sells replacements for these in 4 packs for about the price of one battery from one from one of the big name battery companies, so this helps. I believe that the newer version of this Wixey product now uses penlight cells, but I'm not certain of this. The display shuts off after a period inactivity, but the position measurement part of the electronics remains on, so it is supposed to never forget where it is, until the battery dies, but this is what causes the shortened life of the battery.

Here is a detailed description of the Wixey table saw DRO copied from the Amazon website -

From the Manufacturer
This easy-to-install Wixey WR700 Saw Fence Digital Readout kit comes with all the mounting hardware needed to retrofit Biesemeyer, Delta, Vega, General, Ryobi, Ridgid, Jet, Powermatic, and almost any other round rail or rectangular rail fence. As in other Wixey digital readouts the full function display measures in inches with fractions or millimeters. It has both absolute and incremental measuring modes and retains the calibrated setting even when turned off. The unit can be calibrated to either the left or right side of the blade and the auto shut off function preserves the battery. The WR700 has a resolution of .005”, 1/32”, or 0.1mm along with an accuracy of .002” per ft. of measuring length and a repeatability of +/-.0025”. It utilizes the patent pending “Precise Fraction Technology” used in many Wixey products which gives the displayed fractions an accuracy of 1/500” (.002”). The WR700 comes with 63” of track which is attached to the bottom of the existing fence rail using the supplied self threading screws and drill bits. The digital readout can be attached to either the left or right side of the fence and attaches using a unique magnet system which allows the fence to be removed leaving the readout in place and calibrated at all times.



To mount Wixey DRO to my Unifence, I cut short pieces of 1/2 X 1/2 square steel tubing and drilled 3 holes in each, 2 for mounting to the fence rail and one to mount the DRO extrusion. Then I cantilevered them out from the underside of the Unifence rail, Drilling and threading holes in the bottom of the fence rail to mount them. Then I attached the DRO extrusions (upside down - mounting side opposite from Wixey instructions) on top of the ends of these pieces of square tubing. The encoder strips were then peel-and-stick glued into the DRO extrusions "right side up". Mounting it this way puts the display at just the right height to attach magnetically to the Unifence casting, but since the casting is aluminum, I had to attach a small piece of steel to each side of the casting. Wixey supplies a strip of steel for this, which I cut in half to make pieces for both sides of the Unifence casting.. I attached the pieces by drilling and tapping holes near the bottom of the Unifence casting to attach these steel pieces using small bolts.

The Wixey DRO rails are 30" long each and two are supplied with the DRO. I bought a third extrusion and encoder strip direct from Wixey to extend the encoder strip and encoder extrusion to the full length of my Unifence rail. The DRO head can read longer than 60", but the encoder strips supplied in the package only reach 60", the normal length required if only using the DRO on one side of the blade. An additional 30 " extrusion and encoder strip is too long for the remaining length of the Unifence rail, so I had to cut it off to fit, but only the left excess length can be removed. These encoder strips are designed so their ends fit together to allow the DRO module to bridge the junction of the strips without loosing count. You cannot join a hack sawed end of a strip to the end of a full length strip and not loose count as the DRO module passes over this junction. The manufactured ends of these strips must be joined with an exact width gap for it to work without loosing count and Wixey supplies a special spacer to get this right.

I don't have any kind of micro adjustment capability on my fence. I just tend to bump and read until I can lock the fence and have the DRO reading that I'm looking for. It doesn't take me much, if any, more time than bumping back and forth to get a close reading on the original ruler scale, but when getting the same exact reading on the DRO each time, I know that I'm getting a more repeatable and accurate fence position, with no paralax error in the reading. The fence has a tendency to move just slightly as it is locked, but it's always the same amount and in the same direction. This is what usually causes me to have to unlock and repeat the positioning, but since it's always the same amount it's usually easy to get it right on the second try. I originally worried about the magnetic link between the fence and DRO module causing errors, but this doesn't even enter my mind any more. It just works, and works good.

To zero the DRO I place the fence against the blade, check that the blade is just touching and the blade can still can be moved easily by hand, then I zero the DRO. I can cut all day without needing to zero the DRO again, and probably all the next day too, but I'm in the habit of doing it before I start using the saw each day. If I move the fence to the left of the blade, I'll re-zero the DRO with the fence against the left side of the blade, before making any cuts. I also re-zero the DRO if I decide to move the DRO module to the other side of my fence, but it only takes 30-45 seconds or so, each time to re-zero it. I only move it if what I'm doing makes it hard to see the display. Otherwise, it's always on the right side of my fence.

I have gone digital with almost every tool and measuring device in my shop now, and it has greatly improved the quality of my projects. They fit togethe much better and I don't have to make "pairs" of anything at the same time to get the same dimensions any more. Wixey and IGaging have each made several hundred dollars off of me, but it has proven to be one of my better woodworking investments.

If you still have any questions, post them and I'll be happy to help as best as I can.

Charley

[sebastian phillips]

Thank you Charles for a great description, with the repeatability you describe, a DRO is on the list.
Greatly appreciated,
Seb