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Aluminium extrusion machine fences

Walter

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I have posted this on the Woodworkers Institute Website and have added it here in case anyone finds it useful.

In Woodworking Plans and Projects Magazine (Issue71) I showed how a pillar drill could be converted for light morticing using an after market morticing attachment (from Axminster) and built a mounting table that could also be used to mount a fence, vices and jigs. This also featured in my article on pillar drills in WPP80 along with my shop-built fence.

This set up has worked well, but the design of the fence meant that it sometimes got in the way of the drill press handle when working with thin pieces and the support plate at the back of the fence limited its rearward travel.

I recently decided to upgrade the fence on my band saw by replacing the existing fence with an aluminium extrusion. This has t-slots on all four faces and can be used to attach all sorts of jigs, hold-downs and stops in the manner of some (expensive) after market fences. It occurred to me that a similar fence would also work well on my pillar drill table.

The new fence gives me about 50mm more depth to work with on the drill table, can be attached to the top of the band saw fence when a taller fence is needed for re-sawing and the slots on the back allow clamps and fixtures to be stored on the machines when not in use.

This has all proved so useful that I am now working out how the fence on my table saw can be replaced with aluminium extrusion too which will open up further opportunities for the development of fixtures and jigs.

I hope this is of some use to someone. If nothing else the total cost of the aluminium extrusions for two fences was about one third of the cost of a single after market fence.

Here are some photographs of the fences in position:


PILLAR DRILL FENCE

DSCF1045 by walter.hall, on Flickr

BAND SAW FENCE

DSCF1046 by walter.hall, on Flickr

DOUBLE HEIGHT FENCE ON BAND SAW

DSCF1048 by walter.hall, on Flickr

STOPS ETC. STORED ON BACK OF FENCE

DSCF1047 by walter.hall, on Flickr
 

Jimjam66

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Walter, where did you get the t-slot track that you set into the pillar drill table? I have looked around for the stuff but never found it! Love the extrusion idea - lots of people build CNC machines using it because it's so easy to get 90 degree corners, and it's very rigid for it's size and mass.
 

Buckeye

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Thanks for the information, ideas and links. It will come in very handy.

Peter
 
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