Thread: Bent Compound Mitre Saw Fence

This is just an idea to get the conversation going. Could you attach a wooden fence to the saw replacing the original metal one.

Originally Posted by Christos

This is just an idea to get the conversation going. Could you attach a wooden fence to the saw replacing the original metal one.

Definitely an option. I'd need to embed nuts for the mitre locks, but otherwise it's possible.
(First, though, I'd have a go at straightening the original. If it broke, I'd make a whole fence.)

I'm leaning toward trying to straighten it. If I support it on two 1/4" wood blocks, then hit the middle with a mallet, it shouldn't be able to travel too far and break, hopefully. I'll raise the blocks slightly and repeat until it's straight.

A replacement could also be made from large angle-iron.

Hermit,

Hitting with a hammer/mallet it will definitley break. It's cast metal and it won't like that. You could try clamping it to a piece of angle and heat it up and apply more pressure and it might straignten.

I pick up a saw from a throw out and tried to straighten the fence by hitting it....it broke with the first gentle tap...in the end just used a 100x100mm piece of angle and had to cut out the piece where the blade went back. Tedious job. Used the original as a template.

Originally Posted by The Bleeder

Hermit,

Hitting with a hammer/mallet it will definitley break. It's cast metal and it won't like that. You could try clamping it to a piece of angle and heat it up and apply more pressure and it might straignten.

I put the mallet aside. I don't have a source of heat, (unless a lighter counts), but instead of hitting I rested the fence across two blocks of balsa, then clamped another down across the centre of the fence with a pair of 'F' clamps and slowly tightened them. I've got it tightened to where the bend is equal and opposite to the original bend, but haven't released the clamps yet. Just wondering if keeping it under stress for longer will help. If only I had a gas torch.

I got away with it. It's not perfect, but close enough to finish with paper glued to a sheet of perspex.
Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

That does look better. Now on to the arm strengthing exercise.

That looks heaps better. You could shim both ends and have another go. might come out dead flat.....

A little elbow-grease and it's almost perfect. I purposely added vertical scratches for grip when I was finished, rather than polish it like I'd normally be tempted to do. (The surface previously had vertical milling marks.)
Now back to setting up the saw.....

Great recovery Steve.

Originally Posted by The Bleeder

Great recovery Steve.

Thanks, mate. I was lucky.
This is only a cheap GMC saw, but with a bit of messing around is now set up perfectly. Tested it this morning with a pair of 45° mitre cuts and a pair of 45° bevel cuts - they fit perfectly with absolutely no gaps.
I'll just have to keep re-checking it, I guess, since it's a cheap POS. Same with the fence.

Cheap and Quality Control is not one of their strong points.

But now you have got it to where it is functional and doing the job required.

Even with my LS1212 I check it every time before the cuts. Habit I think.