Felder KF700 cutting down the long crosscut fence on the outrigger

[Michael Sageryd]

I'm planning on buying a KF700. I want to have the outrigger mounted all the time, but I don't have room for the quite long cross cut fence, so I'll have to cut it down. I want to cut it so it does not protrude more than necessary from the 1100 outrigger, i.e only the tip of the telescopic part will protrude.

The cutting won't be any problem, but I wonder if it's possible to recalibrate the scale on the telescopic part after cutting the fence?
- Is the scale movable?
- Can I purchase a new scale and place it in the correct position on top of the original scale (or possibly peel off the original scale)?

Thanks.
//Michael

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Michael

Since you are having difficulty fitting the KF700 into your shop (both the crosscut fence and the slider), have you considered a smaller slider? First off, what can you fit into your shop? And have you asked Felder if they can provide smaller units for the KF700?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Sageryd]

Yes, I have considered smaller. I do want to be able to cross cut full sheets, so I will need at least a 1550mm slider. I did consider a K500 with a 1550 slider, which would be great at the moment. But there are some problems with this:

- Either I'll have this saw for many many years, or I'll sell it for another in the future. If I'll keep it I don't want it to be too small (I'm seeing myself in a larger shop in 5-10 years). If I'll sell it I think it's better if it is a "mainstream" slider size for the selling value.

- If I order a 1550 slider today I will have it in 14 weeks. I have a good deal on a KF700 with 2050 slider and I can probably get the saw in one or two weeks.

- I really want the overhead guard. This is not available for the 500 series. I also like all the other goodies on the 700 =)

- Going with a 1550mm slider does not solve the problem with the long crosscut fence (it's the same). I'd have to cut it down anyway. The only way to not having to cut it down would be not having one. Having a permanently mounted outrigger with a fence is the number one priority for me with a slider.

The saw I might be buying also comes with an 1100 fence (for use at the rear end of the slider). I could use this fence on the outrigger, but I'd still want to use the telescopic fence and this would be out of calibration for an 1100 fence, which leads back to my scale calibration question.

I'm quite confident that a KF700 with 2050 slider will fit in the shop and be usable for what I want to do with it. I have built a scale model and simulated work in the shop, and I'm already thrilled.

[Mike King]

I'll second the recommendation in the other thread -- just buy the cart for the outrigger and mount when needed. It really does retain the calibration of the crosscut fence.

You can also buy a short crosscut fence for the slider, but the mounting hardware has slop in the attachment to the slider, so it is difficult to calibrate (a Felder technician could not calibrate mine). David Best devised an attachment that removes the slop and makes the short fence calibration replicable, but you will need a machinist to fabricate it. I use an Osborne EB-3 cross cut fence when I want something quick without mounting the outrigger. I fabricated an insert for the T slot of the slider that accepts the miter bar of the EB-3 and fits in the T slot snugly, but does not bind.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

While I've left the outrigger on my slider pretty much full time in recent years because I can, removing it doesn't mess up fence calibration. (I use it for a lot of things besides cutting. LOL) So if you have the space to do that, it's a worthy consideration. As an alternative to cutting down the existing fence, consider getting a second one to cut down for your purposes, retaining the original for future use if you get a larger space or decide to sell the tool. Yes, there's cost involved, but it preserves your options.

[Erik Loza]

...I use an Osborne EB-3 cross cut fence...

Mike, would you mind sharing a picture of your setup for that? Thanks,

Erik

[Mark e Kessler]

Get the cart, super easy and quick to remove the outrigger although i rarely do. Also the most you can cut down from the fence is somewhere around 7-9" as the locking knob for the extension would bump into the outrigger frame. I also thought I would be cutting mine down but in the end decided it wasn't worth the small space savings

Mark

[Mike King]

Mike, would you mind sharing a picture of your setup for that? Thanks,

Erik

Better than that is the guide from the Felder Owner's Group website: https://groups.io/g/felderownersgrou...er%20KF700.pdf

[Jeff Monson]

The scale is moveable on mine.

You can sure cut the crosscut fence if it works better for your space. I prefer to keep my outrigger attached at all times rather than using the short crosscut fence as it doesn't keep square. You can always buy a new fence when you move into a larger shop. I worked in a narrow shop with my KF700 so I feel your pain.

[Erik Loza]

Better than that is the guide from the Felder Owner's Group website: https://groups.io/g/felderownersgrou...er%20KF700.pdf

Thanks, Mike. I'm not a member there but get the gist of what it is. Thanks for sharing.

Erik