Thread: rip fence orientation

Judging by your quote from the "old woodworker" I must have the right setup. My rip fence is on the right of the blade and I do my crosscutting with the mitre gauge on the left of the blade. My saw is also a left tilting blade so that would have some bearing of where the operations are done. You wouldn't want to be ripping with the blade on an angle towards the fence as the angled piece would be trapped between the blade and fence. Always angle the blade away from the fence if not doing 90° rip cuts.

Some saws have a fence on the right and some on the left, and some do both left and right. Having a saw with blade tilt capability where the fence can be used both sides is one thing I'm glad I have . I first had this years ago with a basic Carbatec Table saw. Then later upgraded to a restored Wadkin Bursgreen 10 AGS and made it do the same . I have jigs that need to be used on one side or the other . One jig that fits to the fence when its on the left of blade cant be used on the right because of the tilt direction. And having that set up saves me hours of work. That saw normally has the fence on the right for all ripping work. If I didn't have it, drawer bottom bevel work and panel work would be have to done on the spindle moulder. Changing the spindle moulder around is time consuming and in some cases wouldn't do as good a job as what I do on the saw with the jig.

As far as safety goes with fence on left or right. The main things to remember. You just stick to the same rules of having guards and riving knife fitted when possible. Standing out to the left or right of the line of fire if you get a kick back . Never ever reaching over the saw line behind the blade EVER. Using push sticks . Tailing out the right way. And anything else down the long list . Medication , Alcohol, Bla Bla Bla.

Basically there isn't a safer side unless your psychically better equipped on one side or the other.

thanks Dallas and Auscab
the 45deg tilt is not something I can do with the triton and if I tried it wouldn't be a happy result
it definitely makes sense what you've said regarding the blade angling away from the fence and its something I'll always take note of

I've always avoided standing behind the timber being ripped so I've got that part right
It feels more natural for me to be working with the fence to the left but that could be just a tritonism

I'm wary of the TS and its kickback potential and any safety tips are appreciated

cheers
Hodgo

How about some photos, Hodgo; my Triton has the rip fence on the right.

Originally Posted by Hodgo

... the 45deg tilt is not something I can do with the triton ...

You can, actually, but it does involve repositioning the saw in its cradle so that the blade still clears the table, and then fine tuning. A right royal PIA, unless you have a compelling job to do....

Hi Graeme

mine is the same as this :Triton Woodworking Equipment I dont think the measurements on the fence gauge make much sense if fitted to the right

as far as tilting the saw and repositioning go, it is what you say , a PITA, I spend enough time making sure its all aligned perfectly to be changing everything for a once in a blue moon cut, I have the triton bevel fence too but I'm not that big on it either

upgrade seems like the go when I find the right one

If you are right handed it is much more convenient to have the rip fence on the right of the blade. Thumb pressure keeps board against fence. Outer fingers can be hung over the fence to keep feeding hand away from blade. Fence can be moved without having to take a step sideways.

Originally Posted by Hodgo

Hi Graeme

mine is the same as this :Triton Woodworking Equipment I dont think the measurements on the fence gauge make much sense if fitted to the right ...

Au contraire - especially if you are right handed.

And Bunnings couldn't be wrong:

Triton.jpg

interesting

do the measurements on the fence scale correspond to real dimensions

if used like that the maximum width of the material you are ripping is less than to the left hand side

my instruction booklet shows it to the left side

and then there's bunnings

The T2000 is primarily designed for use with the fence to the left hand hand side. You can however use it on the right if you really really want to… they were originally supplied with a pair of silver stickers with a printed arrow printed; you zeroed the fence to the blade and then positioned the stickers to align to the zero marks on the fence scales.

I always use the Triton with the fence to the left of the blade.

If you are "wide ripping" using the extension table in the "locked" mode with the (extension table) fence parallel to the blade it HAS TO be used on the left.

I remember the little silver stickers Chief Tiff mentioned for using the fence to the right of the blade. I put them on when I set it up but they have long-since worn off.

I ran this one past a mate who is a retired Work Safety Inspector. His answer, Left handed left side. Right handed right side. Ive seen more accidents than I could count with cross overs.

Originally Posted by rustynail

I ran this one past a mate who is a retired Work Safety Inspector. His answer, Left handed left side. Right handed right side. Ive seen more accidents than I could count with cross overs.

Did he have anything to say about whether it's a left or right tilting blade?

Wasn't mentioned.

Originally Posted by rustynail

Wasn't mentioned.

Then I would disregard the information on the basis that either the full question wasn't asked or the full answer wasn't given.