Extend your TableSaw Fence for Straighter Cuts - 80/20 

Great idea! I have a very small shop and the ability to remove the extension is perfect! Thanks for the additional tips when working with the fence,

You can actually attach a support platform on the bottom of the extension rod on the entry side of the cut/saw to prevent the cut piece from dipping down as the work piece enters the cut.

This is brilliant! So much simpler and lighter than some of the plywood/mdf box options that have been posted. And you can mount featherboards on the outfeed end of the track.

I love your workshop man! Super clean.

Extremely useful! Thanks you. I am new to woodworking and just this weekend I had a need for an extended fence.

Great idea. I had yet to see this anywhere else.

Thanks for all the great suggestions over the years! The RU-vid brain trust is strong :). I started using the suggestion of the support platform and it works really well to extend support for the pieces going in. Can't do without it now.

Nice, I made a 2" X 2" 80/20 fence for my old delta tablesaw years ago. Never thought about adding the same for the Dewalt.

I don't have a Dewalt saw, but mine does have a similar fence. I plan to use this idea. Thanks for posting it.

very nice indeed! I'm going to implement this hack on my DeWalt table saw. I'll consider using 4 bolts, because I will be swapping the 60 mm fence with 150 mm tall fence (to be able to clamp the pieces vertically for tenon cuts for example). with 4 bolts I'll use 2 tracks to prevent the taller fences from tipping. that tracks in the fence allow adding any jig you can think of: stop block to name one. thanks!

Thank you for the idea. I will try this on my table saw!!

This is a nice alternate solution to those boxed-in stock fence methods. Two common t-bolts. Brilliant. Another benefit is that (with the extrusion profile that you’ve chosen) one could attach a support piece to the bottom t track on that extrusion- effectively extending the infeed of the table in addition to the lateral fence. A 3/8” spacer washer on the t-bolt underneath could also accommodate the use of a miter fence.

This will definitely help with straighter cuts. I've been over taxing my jobsite saw (only table saw) with building cabinets. So my main issue with the saw is that it barely cuts 24" as it is now and cabinets are typically 35" or more. What I'm saying is that my saw is already limited with cutting width, and I don't want to limit it any more. Lol.

Great suggestion. Thank you. I suggest adding an attachment (an L shape) to the backside of the extrusion that will provide vertical support to the work piece in advance of the table.

I just finished constructing this terrific mod for my Dewalt saw. I did a couple of changes to the design to meet my needs which added a bit of time to the job. I used 1x 3 80/20 both for the main piece (4 ft) and the backing piece (a cut down 2ft piece). I used the aluminum rather than wood for the back piece to stiffen the fence a bit more. I wanted it to fit over the 4 screw heads in the back to take advantage of the internal plastic fence frame. This involved grinding the rear of the aluminum to fit over the screws. Worth the trouble. As I don't have a drill press, it was not so easy to line up the holes through both aluminum pieces as well as the fence. I used a 90 degree drilling block for that and eventually got what I wanted. I used Star Knobs to tighten the t bolt . They work great.....spin them with your finger. But space is tight on the backside with the aux fence locked in, so I had to Dremel the length of the t bolts so that everything fit. But it all works great and I thank Canadian Woodworker for this video

Much better than the length of steel shelf bracket support that I have been using!

Great idea, thank you! I'm definitely going to use this for my Bosch table saw, although I'm going to drill some vertical holes in the aluminum rail and use fence clamps instead of drilling through the table saw fence. It won't slide, but for my use it's better stationary. (PS this video is best viewed at 1.75x speed ;)

This idea is awsome. I'm goingg to follow you not only because of this tip but also because you have a quality video, a clean shop and because i want to see more of you! See you in your next video man!

I just did this same thing to my Metabo C10RJS table saw, as well as to my Delta Cruzer miter saw. It makes a world of difference, not only with ease of use but with accuracy as well.

Nice work mate!

If you drilled a third hole aligned with the 1/2 inch t track on the stock fence in between the top two holes, would that not solve the issue of over tightening the bolts? Is the 1/64 deflection because the top two bolts overtightened pull the extrusion away from the fence at the bottom?

Great idea Sometimes I need a longer fence on my the table saw in my shop never thought of this. There is a company that makes a fence system that uses these for a fence

Fascinating. Thank you. I, like circa 1720 in the comments below, have a Bosch, but I think it'll work.

Just did this a few weeks ago with 40x80 mm. Rock solid. Took all featherboards I needed for 45 bevel cuts for about 1000 pieces. the factory coupling is however a joke. I hope there's a billet aftermarket replacement in the works

I've been thinking of making a long fence with some mdf. In the meantime, I have attached a four foot level to the factory fence to get that long straight edge. I really like your idea. I also have a jobsite saw, the Home Depot version. I have a basement shop so there's no way to get a bigger saw in there.

Good idea I will try it.

Made one myself with MK-8-3090 T-slot instead of 8020 because of local (Australia) sourcing issues. Thanks for the video.

I opted for 1030 profile which would give me a higher track for mounting featherboards. How high up did you drill the holes in the fence and what size drill bit did you use.

I like your way of comfortable speaking

thank you, have the same problem with a king table saw , fence is to short to rip plywood length wise. i need the 80/20 x72 in length 😊

I have been looking for this solution as I don't have a planer (no room) and lost the tip of my left index finger to a table saw, my carelessness. I am all about safety now. Just clicked an ordered but i got the 60" version. I hope you get some feed back from this. Thank you very much.

This is one one best idea to improve my DW7492 - fence problem as always. I used a bit more massive profile 30x60 mm (20mm looks a bit too light to me). Thank you - cost me less than half of new fence. I measured also using this profile (100 cm long) my table and this is disaster. Table is flying up and down from left to right. From front to top is better but also not perfect. Shame for DW. They should check casting form.

I have gotten the same effect by clamping a 4 foot level to the existing fence on my Kobalt KT1015.

Excellent solution, I am looking to add it to my TS. I was wondering if you were to attach a 6 inch wide x 8 inch long 1/2 inch birch plywood with T- nuts under the infeed end, could it provide an arm to support the longer panels safely? And instead of the 1020 series, using a 1030 extrusion would allow to add anti kickback rollers to the fence?

7:00 you could mount that underneath the aluminium so that the board edge sticks out and gives in feed support.

Did you consider replacing the original Dewalt alu fence with an extrusion, removing the stock, thin walled malleable rectangular pipe with a similarly tall unit.

Another upgrade you can do to the fence it attach a piece of wood to the bottom of the fence to support the material you are cutting. Great idea. I will surely add this to my table saw.

Doing you have more detailed specs for dust shield around saw and the front cover?

I just did this and it is so much better than the short OEM fence. Note if you are doing this for the DW745 you will need to apply a new measuring tape or remove, drill and tap new holes for the sight window. I did the latter and it worked great. Just make sure your new tap holes are on the same level as the originals so the window sits flush.

Good idea as the DW tube fences are contractor and not cabinet grade in terms of flatness/accuracy - then again, so is the saw for that matter although it's a darn good one. Check the runout across your 8020E though as they are not all made equal.

Very helpful, even though I do not have a Dewalt saw.

Did you find that the dewalt fence was not as straight as the extrusion? I adjusted my rip fence with a dial indicator and found a .002-.003 wow in the centre of the fence but aligned at the ends. I am also considering 1.5 x 3.0 80/20 as it is probably more solid than the 1x2 thus avoiding the slight deflection you mentioned.

Thanks for sharing - good video. I ordered a piece and T-bolts. I'll add a small infeed table on T-bolts also. Oh yeah - wax the aluminum!

How do keep your space so clean? It’s amazing! I can’t leave the lid off my coffee mug for more then a minute or I run the risk of thin layer of dust. What’s the secret?

Very good. I have just a new saw not as good as yours I added a metre long aluminium clamp to my really short fence your solution is better but the idea is the same.

This is great. But I would also use track bolts to add a (maybe 2-3 inch wide) flat infeed surface to help the piece going in straight.

I've just made a reversible blockwood fence that works like a charm. This lets me have the long arm either before or after the saws top. I allow an extra 21mm on the rulers and it's 100% accurate when cutting longer sheets. I like the fence shown in your video but the original aluminium fence is in my opinion way to flimsy to bolt through and secure without introducing distortion.

I tell u one thing I have learned as a Gen X in this new modern world and that’s how long I can hold my poo. Cuz if I can’t find my phone then I will run around frantically while prairie doggin! Just can’t go without it

I would love more information on your bench and how you integrated the table saw in it. I am especially interested in how you maximize the dust collection with it, I have the same saw and the dust collection is garbage

How high up are the screws drilled into your existing fence?

Have you considered adding a digital readout of fence distance so you can get exact dimensions everytime

Thank you for doing the video. Is one of the "gotchas" the offset than throws your cut indicator on the rack and pinion tape off? Is there enough adjustment in the plastic indicator to adjust for the 80-20 offset? Thanks again for posting!

great video and and great idea. Is it easy to drill the holes in the original fence without damaging the fence in any way. How did you exactly drill the holes?

It’s funny, as a new woodworker and very experienced sim racer, my very first thought when I saw the Bow XT fences was “ya, I can do that with extrusion for like $20” haha!

Hi there, what a great idea. I was wondering how you measure the exact height where to drill the holes?

Thanks for the excellent tip! I'm going to add this to my table saw. You've had this feature for several years now, and I'm wondering if you have any new suggestions? For instance would you go with a taller extrusion such as a 3 inch if you did it over again? I'm on the fence... no pun intended. :)

Also, I thinking of using wing nuts to tighten the bolts. Seems like they would be easier to adjust

I used th 8020, 3034-Lite, 15 Series 3" x 0.75" Aluminum T-Slot Extrusion x 48" available from same store at OP link. 3” tall and no slots on th blade side - which he mentions would be better. Agreed.

Hi, thanks for sharing, any tricks for drilling the existing fence?

Great video, great idea. Also, I could listen to Canadians say words with the "ou" sound all day long: out, about, house

Do you think a flip up platform on the front would help? Maybe an extra foot in front of the saw as a feed to add stability underneath would work? That's always been my sore point with the jobsite saws. Not enough space in front of the blade. Even for crosscut sleds it's hard to have a big enough one to be usable while still being stable. I like your table but I think I would want to extend it so that there is more infeed as well as the longer arm such as what you have. Great idea! thanks for sharing it. What part o-canada are you in? I'm in Kingston. Glad to see another Canadian on here. I'll take a look around and see what you build.

I think this is probably what people want if they have the 7491RS: 8020 Inc, 3075, 15 Series, 3" x 0.75" Smooth T-Slot x 48". I ordered one to try out this great idea.

Hello, I have the same mod on my table saw fence for my DWE7480 and I love it as well. The only differences are that I have a 36 inch extrusion and I filled the stock fence with wood instead of attaching it to the back. I didn't want to affect the straighteness of the fence by overtightening the bolts. I have to rebuild the table that I built for my saw for better dust collection. Does your saw rest on its base or do you have it hanging from its top? From what I can see, your top is really flush and I want to achieve the same result when I make the new table. Thanks for sharing!

Great Idea! I have the same saw and a longer fence sure would help me.

Can you show more details from this yellow door?

At first I thought your custom shroud in front of the saw was powder coated sheet metal and my eyebrows were mega raised. It looks great and would be so much easier to fabricate as ply or MDF. I have this saw and want to do something like this too. Instead of your drawer underneath, I'd want to make that a dust receptacle with vacuum suction. Emptying it would be as easy as opening and dumping the drawer.

I watched you video yesterday and I'm going to put one of these on my new Dewalt table saw. I have a few questions as I am considering doing a few modifications of your method to suit my needs. First of all, I'm thinking of using a 4 ft piece of 1x3 80/20. The price is not that much more for a higher fence. Worthwhile? Secondly, I'm thinking that rather than using MDF or wood as the backing piece, maybe I can find a short piece of 80/20 for the back or the fence (probably the length of the fence. Worth doing? Do you have a link for the type of hardware (T bolts) that will fit this? Thanks Great video, by the way!

Thumbed up just for your use of the word dramatically!

Hello and thank you from Vancouver Island. This is a great idea! I plan to incorporate it into the table I am about to build. I am also very impressed with your table saw - extension table setup. Mind if I ask where in Canada are you located?

I see what you’re saying with this longer piece, but the problem I have here is that well it may adjust the fence according to the clamps that hold it to the a rack and pinion, and that longer piece of metal the metal is secured to the shorter base, which is still off set, and to adjust that you have to take the entire fense a part. However, I agree that the longer piece gives an extension that can be useful, but only need a lot of that extension on the fence at the very beginning of the table. And what’s the use of having the extension out over the table if you don’t have support for your wood? Do you need almost a foot of support in front of the saw just to keep the peace that you’re cutting from kicking up if you’re going to be that extend it out to use the fence. The only way I could see the suspense. Being useful is to support the backend on longer boards.

Well, I think your obviously on to something there. Bigger is better... at least “That what she said.”😏 I think I’ll just stick with my old, shorter, toed-out fence. It’s got me quite a few good cuts thru out the years🥱

I dig it!

Very nice your shop is! How much costs your table saw? Can I have it in India?

tip hat to the master

I could see losing rip capacity as an issue on many projects...

How did you know where to drill the holes?

Nice addition, The 80/20 extrusions don't seem to be that expensive compared to a new fence.

brill ,you could probly put a feather board on to this for downwood pressure

Subscriber N° 141

Genius. Subscribed. I'm in CA.ON.Cambridge, are you close enough for a beer?

Great idea! Very simple yet effective. By the way, is your original DeWalt fence truly square to your table top? If you take your straight edge and lay it on the table top at different locations with varying angles with reference to table top, you may be surprised to see that the table top is not that flat. So jobsite saws accuracy is good enough for construction industry and may not be accurate for fine woodworking. So what is the point of these improvements from fine woodworking point of view? That being said, your shop and its layout is fabulous. You may want to consider a SawStop JSS... just saying. Thank you for sharing. Liked & subscribed.

Actually aluminum has no memory. So if it’s bent it won’t go back into its original shape as steel would. But 8020 can take a lot of pressure. Also if you add more t slot bolts to the original fence and that should take care of the spacing. When using only two mounting points it can creat a bow in the 8020

just by looking at the extrusion I think that's a 20x40 mm

Domo arigato mr roboto

I hear your brother good job

You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ru-vid.comUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.

This was a great idea. Do you still use this saw / fence? I have a DeWalt DWE 7485 and I am looking at upgrading the fence. Anyways, you have a new sub ;-) If you have the inclination, stop by my tiny channel and say hi! Cheers.

That's 2040 ?!??

Possibly adding an in-feed extension base to the 80/20 might also help with larger sheets. You can bolt it on to the bottom of the rail with a rest to sit on the crossfeed for support.

I feel dumb

Are you sure that's 80/20? Looks like 20/40 to me.

Nice casual-cool-sexy-dj-voice-posturing bro.

Al-oooooo-minum all the way.... I thought it was pronounced Al-u-minium

Neat and effective idea. And it has the bonus of providing a better(?) way of mounting your Table Saw Stock Guides, in a similar way to my copy of your system lumberjocks.com/projects/402393 - although my fence had TWO T slots already.

Это не 80х20. Скореевсего это 60х20

7:48 for starters, the bigger saws have flat surfaces, and straight fences. Not sure what year your Saw is, but since 2018, Dewalt has snowballed in terms of quality. (Theyre now little more than a slightly better "Craftsman". ) Now, with all current jobsite saws, whether $99, or $2800, im yet to see a decent flat surface, or a good fence on any of them. So, while a longer fence might help, the truth is, for precision woodwork, you will need to joint and plane your boards/stock. This saw just isnt built well, so it wont do what you might see other saws do.

Ahhh ahhhm and ahhh ahhh aahhhm aahhh ahhhm?

You say ummmm to much bro

One of my many quirks / idiosyncrasies is the verbalization of ahh’s, umh’s & uhs of which you have managed to prolifically utilized! I will mute your video & 2x the speed in hope of getting through your rendition of an interesting concept.

Sorry for the thumbs down dude. I'm sure the video was on point and very useful, but the drrraawwnnnout opening monologue was just too drawn out for me to pay attention. Like I said, it might have been a very good video but in my viewing experiences, whenever I came across a slow opening, usually the person is more into themselves than the info they're giving. That and they may also know far less than most people are already aware of.