Biesemeyer fence rail mounting hardware to PM 66 table

[Phillip Mitchell]

I recently bought a early - mid 90s Powermatic 66 from a fellow forum member and am in the process of cleaning/lubing internals, building a dust chute, and other similar things under the hood before I mount the cast iron table back on the cabinet and dial it in for square.

Unfortunately, none of the Beis fence hardware could be located at the time of the sale. I am trying to piece together what bolts, screws, nuts, washers, etc I need to mount the fence rails to the saw. I will be building a wooden extension table to the right of the blade to accommodate the full 52" ? fence rail/tube, but I would like to at least get some bolts/screws in the threaded holes in the front (and back) of the cast iron table and ext wings.

It appears that the threaded holes in the front edge of the cast iron table are 5/16" coarse threaded. The holes in the fence rails are slightly smaller than that, bc the 5/16 bolt that I tried the other day was just a bit too big to go through the rail holes.

I'm trying to find bolts that have the tapered heads (like wood screws) that flush up with the tapered holes in the fence rail so that the fence itself slides smoothly along the tube and rail and doesn't catch on anything sticking out. Do I need the bolts to be sized properly to be threaded into the holes in the side of the table or can I go undersized and use a crush washer and nut on the back side?

Just to be clear, I am assuming the thicker of the 2 fence rails belongs on the front of the saw, correct?

I currently have a Bies fence set up on another saw but there is a wooden "rail" on the underside of the table that extends into the side extension table. The entire fence rail is mounted into the wood rail with wood screws with the heads flushed up into the tapered holes in the fence rail.

What am I missing here? I'm not very experienced with setting up a Bies fence directly to the cast iron table. Looking for any direction.

I can provide pics later if helpful.

Also, what fasteners should I use to secure the fence tube to the rail? The tube already has 3/16"? holes drilled into the bottom of it at different points.

Thanks!

[Jerry Miner]

The Biesemeyer fence installation manual can be downloaded here (http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=4208).

I believe the rails are intended to be bolted on with 1/4-20 flat-head machine screws (available in any hardware store)-- you can drill and tap the cast iron of your saw or drill through and through-bolt with a nut on the back side if there is room.

The angle-iron-to-tube rail should also be a 1/4-20 thread pattern-- factory screws are hex head 1/4-20 x 1/2"

[glenn bradley]

Flat head machine screws with washers and nuts behind for the front rail. The rear rail is less critical. The tube rail has to be initially adjustable. My stock setup was 5/16" screws in 3/8" holes. I changed to hardened 1/4" screws to allow a greater range of adjustment for my situation. If the tube rail and tube are not aligned well to the saw top, your fence will not be perpendicular to the top over the full range of the fence. It only takes a little linger to do this step right. I used an included template to assure distance and height but, a double square or shop made template would do.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Thanks to both of you. The manual was definitely helpful to download and reference. I've got the fence installed properly now and currently building side extension and outfeed tables for support.