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Thread: What to replace fence pads with?

  1. #1

    What to replace fence pads with?

    I was checking the adjustment on my saw's fence and realized that the pads that used to be on the ends of the T went away at some point. (I have no recollection of that happening. Must have been some time ago.) IIRC these were some sort of UHMW pads. Poking around a bit I can find 1/8" UHMW sheets and between 0.01" and 0.02" thick tape for drawers, but neither of these seems exactly right. Any suggestion on what the right repair would be? (honestly the saw seems to keep decent alignment with just the adhesive there, but it seems like it would be better to have wear strips replaced.

    Bruce
    IMG_20200426_151125.jpg

  2. #2
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    I glued a piece of store gift card on. I got the blank ones at the register with no embossing so it was just flat. Of course that was wehn you could go into a store and touch things.
    Bil lD

  3. #3
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    I think the originals were some kind of teflon about 1/8" thick, mine were heavily worn on my early 80s Biesemeyer and I decided to replace them. I removed all of the old adhesive with a heat gun. I wanted to replace with some 1/8" UHMW but you can't glue the stuff to anything and 1/8" is too thin to use fasteners. I tried several of the commonly suggested tricks to glue UHMW, like passing a torch flame over the surface of the plastic just before gluing, but nothing worked very long, it would always creep and end up exposing adhesive and create a sticky mess.

    Then I tried gluing on a bit of hardwood 1/8" thick and then applying a bit of UHMW tape over that. The wood stayed put but the tape would always end up sliding off the wood, exposing adhesive and, again, creating a sticky mess. So I ended up scraping the tape and adhesive off of the wooden pads, then waxing the wood and just running on those. It actually works quite well, so I've stuck with that. I think I used E6000 glue to glue the wood onto the metal. It was recommended for UHMW to metal. but didn't work well enough for me.

  4. #4
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    The old windmill where I grew up used maple for the main beaqings soaked in oil. It also used maple For the brake shoes. San Francisco street cars and cable cars still use douglas fir for track brakes.
    Bil lD.

  5. #5
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    Your can purchase short strips of UHMW in the thickness and width you need from McMaster-Carr. I keep a piece around and just cut it to length, drill and countersink for the screw when I want a replacement.

  6. #6
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    I have several rolls of UHMW tape that was tossed where I use to work. The adhesive backing works very well, so someone makes an adhesive that will stick to it. I would suspect that some of the acrylic double sided tapes would work or the 3M™ VHB™ Tapes. I did find this link on bonding UHMW to a surface.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
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  7. #7
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    My Biesemeyer came with a piece of formica. It's about due for replacement after ~30 years of service. They don't have formica samples at the stores I usually go to any more, I've discovered.

  8. #8
    Thanks for all the suggestions. I found that McMaster-Carr has 1' strips of 1"x1/16" UHMW with "high bond" adhesive that they say bonds to powder-coated metal. Ordered a strip of that and will try it first. If not that, then will go to trying to attach a piece of 1/8".

    Bruce

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by roger wiegand View Post
    My Biesemeyer came with a piece of formica. It's about due for replacement after ~30 years of service. They don't have formica samples at the stores I usually go to any more, I've discovered.
    Another vote for formica -- gluable & durable

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Lowekamp View Post
    Thanks for all the suggestions. I found that McMaster-Carr has 1' strips of 1"x1/16" UHMW with "high bond" adhesive that they say bonds to powder-coated metal. Ordered a strip of that and will try it first. If not that, then will go to trying to attach a piece of 1/8".

    Bruce

    If your fence is a Biesemeyer ( and most likely clones too), the pads are held in place by two pins made as part of the UHMW. These can be ordered from Biesmeyer as a replacement part.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Lowekamp View Post
    (honestly the saw seems to keep decent alignment with just the adhesive there, but it seems like it would be better to have wear strips replaced.

    Bruce
    IMG_20200426_151125.jpg
    Is the pad on the other side missing as well? Those pads work with the flexible arms they are attached to and the set screws mounted in the angle to to allow you to adjust the fence so it is parallel to the miter slot. If one pad is missing the fence would no longer be adjusted properly. The pads on my Beismeyer fence appear to be nylon not UHMW.
    20200429_153617.jpg
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  12. #12
    The UHMW strip came in yesterday, so I spent a few minutes this morning getting them set up. Heat gun made quick work of the old adhesive, then I cleaned with some goof off and then acetone. The adhesive (3M VHB) seemed to stick really well. I popped off the 3rd pad on the handle as well so I could do all 3 (it came off really easy). A few minutes aligning and it seems to work well (and probably slides better). And unlike other projects, this was extremely easy to clamp

    Thanks for the advice and suggestions.

    Bruce

    IMG_20200430_102935.jpg

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by roger wiegand View Post
    My Biesemeyer came with a piece of formica. It's about due for replacement after ~30 years of service. They don't have formica samples at the stores I usually go to any more, I've discovered.
    Pm me your address along with how big a piece(s) of laminate you want, I have plenty of small pieces to cut out what you need
    Ron

  14. #14
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    Realize this is an old thread but just picked up a used Beisemeyer with missing pads. The previous owner drilled and tapped a pair of holes and installed a pair of bolts with rounded heads so you have steel on painted steel. Allows for adjustment to get the fence faces square to the table but I don't like the idea of steel on paint. My old saw has a Delta T2 fence which uses nylon bolts rather than steel so you have the best of both worlds adjustment and nylon on paint for glide. Seems the Delta T2 which is a Bessy clone has some improvements over the original. It also has a UHMW pad which rides on the rear rail rather than the table top which the Bessy doesn't have instead it has glides riding on the table itself. Nylon toilet seat bolts are cheap and easy to find, should do the job.
    Edit: Just reread the earlier posts and realize the pads they were talking about were on the side not the same ones I was replacing which are on the bottom.
    Last edited by Doug Garson; 09-15-2021 at 4:55 PM. Reason: Added edit comment

  15. #15
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    Look into the electrical department for plastic bolts and nuts. That is what I used to mount a ground bar in an electrical panel.
    Bill D

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