rdwood Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Hi I'm new here and have a problem I could use some help on. A few years ago I got in an accident and ended up with a paralyzed right arm. So I have finally been able to get back to woodworking and have decided a sawstop would be a very good idea. The problem is getting the fence extension to the left side of the saw. I asked sawstop about it and they told me a list of conversion I would need to make and it sounds as though the accuracy will go right out the window. So I have started looking for aftermarket fences that are to the left and have come up empty. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I see no reason why most fence rails couldn't be put on going to the left instead of the right. Vega makes a nice fence. Mine goes right but I get about 16" to the left as well. Setting your scale and tape to the left should be the biggest change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Agree with Steve.. I have a Biesemeyer and it works just fine on the left side of my blade. I only tested it there once but, I found it to be just as accurate. As for the measurements, mine seem to be accurate but, I still always measure to the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 What are the conversions that need to be made that you are concerned about for accuracy? They probably just want you to drill some new holes in the existing fence rails? If so that is pretty easily done and you should not worry about accuracy. I think you will find their existing holes are made over-sized on purpose so you can adjust the fence to be exactly where it needs to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tarbell Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I did a quick search and also came up empty for fence systems with the majority of the rail on the left side. IMO the main concern with using your left hand on a right-mounted fence is that you have you are forced to choose between standing too far from the power button or standing in front of the blade so you can reach the board. An alternative could be to get a typical table saw with the predominately right-sided fence and just move the power button to the right side of the saw. This way you can still control the board with your left arm, stay out of the way of kickbacks and turn off the machine with your hip. Both the Delta saw and the Ridgid saw have a loose power switch that you could relocate without much trouble. Smaller saws seem to have it integrated into the saw's chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tarbell Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Oh, and welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdwood Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 This is what I got from sawstop: Moving the table and fence system to the left hand side of the saw is possible, but there are problems that would need to be sorted out. For instance: · All new holes would need to be located and drilled into the fence rails · Reliefs would need to be cut into the top of the rail in new locations so that the miter gauge could be used. · What is normally a very accurate tape measure on top of the rails would be of no use. · Where the extension table normally mounts to the right hand side of the cast iron table, there is a adjusting mechanism. This would not be usable on the left. · There are probably other small things that need to be figured out… One option that may be interesting to you is our new Sliding Crosscut Table. http://www.sawstop.com/crosscut The crosscut looks like nice but at a $999.00 its out of my price range. The saw I have now is 25" left and right and I have found that its more natural and seem a lot safer working to the left as well as I'm able to use my left hip to help keep longer board were I need them. I have been taking great care in how I setup my cuts using feather boards, crosscut sleds and jigs to stay safe but only having five fingers I can't loose any of them, so a sawstop seems the answer. Sounds like my best bet would be to get a Vega or Biesemeyer and just re-tape it. Thanks for the help, I'll post when I get the saw in a month or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Call the folks at Vega! Great customer service, I bet they can help. What version of the Sawstop are you looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdwood Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I was just going to get the contractor one with cast iron wings. I'll get the cheap fence, throw it away and put on a good one and that should work out well I think. I'll contact Vega and see if they can help in any way, that's a good idea. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tarbell Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 You could probably put that fence on ebay and get $30-50 out of it instead of throwing it away. Or just give it away for free on craigslist. I'm sure someone could use it for something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Reselling the existing fence would help recoup the cost of the new fence. That being said, the only real issues are 1) drilling new holes, and 2) cutting away reliefs for the miter gauges. Both are pretty easy and wont affect the accuracy of the fence in the least. You don't need to worry about the extension table issue unless you decide you want to buy the 50 inch extension table and for that to be located on the left of the saw. Frankly if you are cutting something more then 20" away from the blade it probably doesn't matter what side of the blade you are standing on. Removing the existing tape (which is not that great BTW) and replacing it with a new one (which can be picked up for less then 20 dollars) is also pretty easy. They are self adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdwood Posted December 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Throwing away the fence was a figure of speech(I don’t throw away anything tool or wood related, I have a hard time even selling it ) My original idea was to get the 36" extension table and t fence. So unless I find a fence that is already left sided it seems it going to be about the same either way, so best choice will be quality vs. price, it seems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotscott Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 With the steel t-square type fence systems (Biesemeyer, Biesemeyer Lite and clones), it's pretty easy to slide the front rail farther to the right to gain some capacity, so I don't see why the same technique couldn't be used to gain some capacity to the left. Depending on how much capacity you're looking to get, you may not need to drill any new holes. Instead, it's often possible to mount the angle iron bracket in the stock configuration per the instructions, and just to slide the front rail tube farther to the left, ultimately using one or two less bolts to hold the rail down. ..as long as there are 2 or 3 that are secure, it should be fine. The rail ends up just cantilevered a bit beyond the bracket....not usually a problem unless you go too far or there are some other complications....haven't never gone to left, I can't say from personal experience, but have slid many a front rail to the right. Gain rip capacity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 April Wilkerson has a Sawstop and moves the fence to the left of the blade. She didn't mention having to make any adjustments. You could ask her about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.