DIY table saw fence using sbr rails + bearings?

[manofmanyhats]

I've been considering retrofitting a cabinet table saw (Grizzly1023RL) with longer rails, router table and a DIY automated fence. It currently has a Biesemeyer-style-fence.


I was considering using longer angle iron of the same type currently on the saw (2"x2"x.25")and attaching sbr type linear rails and bearings. I would then attach the actual fence (either large aluminum extrusion, or possible even the current rectangular steel tube fence) I would have to come up with a locking mechanism as well as power transfer to a motor driven screw.


My question is how robust are sbr 20 rails? Is it asking too much of them to hold the fence perpendicular to the blade as well as the biesemeyer fence does? I would likely only drive the fence from 1 screw along the front of the saw. The locking mechanism would only be on the front of the saw as well.

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[wizard]

This is just my perspective but if you want an automated fence I'd implement it completely separate from the Biesemeyer fence.

As for how well would SBR 20 rails work, that is an interesting question as it is all about the details. There has to be at least 100 ways to implement such a fence but in most cases I'd have to say SBR 20's would be too light to do the job. The screw by the way could be driven by a motor with a brake.

[manofmanyhats]

I was planning on spacing the 2 bearings on each rail 10 or so inches apart to help prevent racking.
I would like to have 2 options using it.

• Have it connected to screw with the motor under power, preventing movement, without using the manual lockdown.
• position manually by disconnecting from the screw and making use of the manual lockdown.

I guess the real question is should I expect more than a few thousandths in racking using steel plates/angles, sbr20s and a large beam for a fence? I know that isn't easy to answer. I may wind up getting shorter rails and making a traditional woodworking router table with an automated fence instead, so I can get a feel for the linear bearings. If the fence falls out of alignment, it wouldn't be as disastrous as it would be on a table saw. Alternatively, I could save up and spend more on 15mm profile rail, but I suspect steel angle iron wouldn't be flat enough to for them to be mounted to.

[ger21]

I don't really see the advantage of an automated fence. Maybe a few thousandths more accurate, but much, much slower.

I used to have a VEGA fence, which ran on a large tube, maybe 1-1/2-2" diameter. Smoothest fence I've ever used.

[manofmanyhats]

I don't really see the advantage of an automated fence. Maybe a few thousandths more accurate, but much, much slower.

I used to have a VEGA fence, which ran on a large tube, maybe 1-1/2-2" diameter. Smoothest fence I've ever used.

It probably doesn't have a real advantage. It would be nice to take my designs from the pc and have a cut list ready to go, with the saw moving to each position in its own. I was more interested in automating the router table I planned on building. I came across a ridiculous deal on the table saw ($150) and am deciding whether or not to integrate the router table. This is more of an adventure in teaching myself how to write software than anything else.

[wizard]

I was planning on spacing the 2 bearings on each rail 10 or so inches apart to help prevent racking.
I would like to have 2 options using it.

• Have it connected to screw with the motor under power, preventing movement, without using the manual lockdown.
• position manually by disconnecting from the screw and making use of the manual lockdown.

I guess the real question is should I expect more than a few thousandths in racking using steel plates/angles, sbr20s and a large beam for a fence? I know that isn't easy to answer. I may wind up getting shorter rails and making a traditional woodworking router table with an automated fence instead, so I can get a feel for the linear bearings.

My gut feeling is that 20mm is too small. I've used a lot of fence systems over the years and frankly the better ones have either large rectangular tubing or a nice straight and beefy round rail. We are talking 2" in diameter here.

Now for a router table ( I think about this a lot as my money goes for other pressing issues at the house), I was thinking a CNC router and router table combination. Mainly because I'm starved for space and the two complement each other. The idea is to have a small CNC router say 2x3 feet with a long table which at one end hangs a traditional router table implementation so table with an actual length of say 5 feet. The thing here is that the router fence would be an attachment to the CNC table. It would have to be some sort of moving table design to make router table fence attachment easy. In any event the table would move the fence in and out after being zeroed on the cutter. This would certainly be better than my tap in place fence I currently use. However would it be better than a properly implemented router table fence??????? I really don't know and frankly in my opinion it would come down to an issue of software implementation. That is can one come up with a user interface that makes using such a fence more useful than a good manually adjusted fence.

If the fence falls out of alignment, it wouldn't be as disastrous as it would be on a table saw. Alternatively, I could save up and spend more on 15mm profile rail, but I suspect steel angle iron wouldn't be flat enough to for them to be mounted to.

I wouldn't use angle iron anyways. I have found that some grades of sheetmetal thickness steel tubing to be rather flat. I'm talking sheetmetal tubing like 1.5 to 2 mm thick or in the range of ten gauge sheet metal. Technically most steel tubing is welded up sheetmetal, I'm just talking about the thinner stuff. Remember if you implement as you suggested you only have the one rail to worry about, it doesn't have to be absolutely parallel to another or even in the same plane as another rail. You could likely get away with no linear bearings at all and just clamp the fence like any other table say fence.

Like I said in the previous response there are probably a hundred ways to do this. Some while robust might not be as flexible as you would like.