Dewalt DW744 Table Saw Fence upgrades/improvements?

I've got a Dewalt DW744XRS table saw, and I really like it.

If any of you have this model, or a Dewalt model with a similar fence, my question is ... have you made any improvements to the standard fence that you'd care to share? I'll take upgrades to this particular fence or outright replacement products. Photos of what you've got/done would be great!

My problem/challenge: The standard fence is made of a thin aluminum that, I'm afraid, won't take well to having holes drilled in it in order to attach a sacrificial face or any attachments. C/G clamps tend to always be in the way. I saw a post in a different forum from a person who epoxied a larger face to the fence. (Uh, thanks, but I'll pass on that tip. :eek: )

Thanks in advance!

New guy to the forum,
Randy

Hey Randy ,

I am also a new guy with a DeWalt ts. The only mods I have made are an sacrificial wood fence that I just temp attach with 2 pony spring clamps. If you made a fence mod permanent , the scale would be off.

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Originally Posted by Scott Austin

... The only mods I have made are an sacrificial wood fence that I just temp attach with 2 pony spring clamps ...

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Scott,

:confused: Had to Google "pony spring clamp". :o Yeah, those would certainly be a better alternative to obtrusive g/c clamps. Somebody elsewhere suggested these from Rockler: http://www.rockler.com/universal-fence-clamps

I think these will work just fine for me. I'll be trying them soon. They get good reviews. Just drill a hole in the top of the fence, insert clamp, and clamp to fence. Thanks for the input!

I built my fence out of some scrap 3/4 plywood pieces I had laying around from end cutoffs, so that it would slide over the top of the aluminum one. It was shaped like an h looking at it from the end. It was easy to put on and takeoff and gave me a taller fence face that worked great. By the way I have those rockler clamps and I think I used them once. They worked on but I definitely liked my homemade fence better. The worst part is I sold that saw to my dad and can't remember what I did with the fence. Of course I bought another 744 last year.

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Originally Posted by keith micinski

I built my fence ... so that it would slide over the top of the aluminum one...

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Your comment got me to thinking. Thanks for the idea! I like the idea of a taller fence. Does your original Dewalt fence have the storage clip for the push stick on the back? Did you take that clip hardware off, or just work around it? (A pic here would be worth a bunch of words. :) )

Buying another 744 says a lot to me about your experience with it--i.e., after having a contractor's saw, you didn't go out and buy a full size floor model. Interesting. I bought mine about 9 months ago because of the great reviews and the fact that it was way cheaper than getting a bigger hybrid, but I figured it was a compromise. It was, in a way, because of the smaller table size and the reduced table space in front of the blade for doing crosscuts. (My sled helps mitigate that, and I have an idea about how I can extend the crosscut size by putting a track on my sled.) All said, I'm pretty happy with it.

I don't remember either of my saws having a push stick storage on the fence so I am not sure what you mean. I must also admit this is my travel portable job site saw I take to house's when I am flipping them. I have a grizzly 1023 at home but I do really like the dewalt for what it is and with a good blade on it have made quality stuff. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...hop&highlight=