Fix your Table Saw's BIGGEST Weakness And save £275 

The greatness in this video wasn’t so much the end result, but the journey of designing and prototyping and iterating. Something I am constantly doing myself (in the process of making videos of course). The way you take the viewer through your thought process was brilliant, well done.

Cool idea, but at the cost of ply, just get a piece of aluminum extrusion and use it for the straight edge then build your own supports and such off it. Be more accurate, way lighter, stiffer, and likely the same $ if not cheaper in the long run. Also, never clamp directly to the stock fence. They are generally hollow and you can damage them with the clamp shoe denting it. Use a thin piece of what ever full coverage to spread the pressure along the face of the aluminum 😢

Oh, that Bow XT Extender fence is so worth the money. The fence platform is dead flat and so easy to install/remove/store. It has T-slots that allow for easily attaching custom made jigs such as a sliding tenon jig, attaching an L-fence, tall fence for aiding resawing, etc. I can also use the same fence on my bandsaw which is so helpful for resawing long boards. And I can’t say enough about the Bow featherboards- They are superior to the ones with hard plastic tines and perform as good as the fence roller that you featured. Yes- I could have ripped off their design and made this fence myself , but I have a small shop and the Bow fence stores easily hanging on the wall. I already use dovetail clamps for attaching jigs. A sheet of Baltic Birch plywood in my area is $90 You could easily save $40 by making the feed supports which would require a couple scraps of plywood and about $10 of hardware. So for me- it was worth the $$$ and saving my time to make stuff instead of making the fence jig from scratch.

“It’s the fantastic acting that brings you back, isn’t it?” 😂😂😂 Yeah - no. Great video. Funnily enough, I’ve been planning to build one of these, so your timing is perfect!

I went through the same thing recently. I ended up using (POWERTEC 71223 Multi T-Tracks | 36” Long - 3”) and (DCT 5 Star Knobs Kit 1/4in-20 Threaded Knob, Bolt with Knob) to fit my support pieces made from plywood. I use my tracksaw clamps to attach it to my fence. Perfectly plumb straight and attachment friendly. Total cost= Approximately $56 from amazon. I've read some negatives about the Bow system besides the price. Like the track channel isn't standard, and they are sometimes not straight, so that's why I went another route. Always very much enjoy your videos. You add the perfect dose of humor which gets me smiling every time. Thank you.

I really struggle to cut sheet goods on the tablesaw and have been looking for a solution. This fence with its little support area is the perfect solution. Thanks for sharing.

You kept on mentioning bang good whilst I was watching this in the kitchen. My partner made a rare appearance in the kitchen to see what the heck I was watching. 😂

I love that you show the full process, mistakes and all

Your videos (always good) just keep getting better! Seeing the whole process, failures and different prototypes included, really resonate with me. You take a very real problem for woodworkers and walk us through a journey to a viable, affordable solutions! Thank you so much!

Here's a couple of ideas. They are long, relatively straight, sturdy and have openings. These are strong qualities you're working with. You might be able to use the Mk1 and Mk2 as a basis for clamp racks for big heavy corpus clamps. If you have them ofcourse. Another idea is to use them as table legs for a tool stand or something alike, where you can use the inlets to either clamp stuff or use them as compartments for storing stuff. Thirdly, as heavy duty shelves with underslung compartments for things like sandpaper, bits or other small stuff you need to reach easily. Or you can use them as a pencil holder on your desk as a last resort.

"I needed to fail in order to succeed." No truer words have been said, and is one of the annoying aspects of making, but also leads to what makes making a fruitful endeavor. This extension would have been so useful back when I had that exact saw. I remember wrestling sheet goods and long rip cuts and how challenging they were without a second pair of hands. Great solution Mark

A length of aluminium box section is a lot less hassle.

I don’t now nor will I ever be likely to own a table saw, but I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Brilliant demonstration of the constant problem solving involved with woodworking.

This is genius, added to the “need to build” list!

On other RU-vid channels they solve the flatness/squareness issue by using melamine. It’s stiffer than plywood even if it’s weaker and you can use plywood for the other surfaces for strength and mounting things like the top T track. The laminate comes pre-applied that way.

Might be in the minority here but I don’t mind a review in a video. I believe you’ll give your honest opinion and quite frankly, who doesn’t want some free stuff?!

4:29 The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome 😂

I made my own table saw fence from scratch. Because I really didn't like the fence that came with my table saw. So I made the guide rail and the whole fence.

Rousseau use to sell a drop in saw stand with a heavy duty fence and accessories approaching the price of the that after market fence. With accessories it is breaching that tablesaw price. Some stuff on the marketplace is just expensive tool bling. Cheers

What an awesome start to Sunday. I love the way you 'overcome and conquer' issues along the way. Great video and excellent result. The proof in the pudding (only 0.3mm variation) is good enough for me. Thank you 😊

I've recently taken a deep dive into woodworking and this video is a bit of fresh air! Working wood is not machining metal. Sub mm tolerances nuts to me.

I've been wanting to make a fence extension. Thanks for sharing your failures and successes; those will make it easier for me to build one.

I did some woodworking a few years ago. Built myself a table saw using an old desk and a circular saw. Used this to make a table and a cupboard for around the house. Then for various reasons I scrapped the table saw and haven't done any woodworking since. I promised myself that if I ever get back into it I would try to buy off the shelf products to increase accuracy. However I know I would be tempted to make fence extensions etc myself to save some money but then I'd be tempted to buy a planer to make sure the boards are straight and before you know it I'll be spending more money than buying the damn off the shelf fence extension.

A great vid shows the whole process and all the mistakes along the way. First one of yours that I’ve seen and I will be watching many more. Thanks for sharing!

I bought the Bow fence. Mine has maybe 1-2 thousands of and inch of runout and has been great primarily as you said for breaking down larger sheets of plywood. I thought about building an aux fence but didn’t really want to spend the time as I’m currently remodeling my wife’s office on weekends

Those 2 over engineered door stops, i'd stick a bottom on one and a french cleat and stick sank disks or grind disks in it, the other i'd use as storage for nail gun nails.

Interesting video! Will bookmark it on my Todo List. Small hint : Those two pieces of laminate you glued onto your fence; If you want to avoid any bumps, then join them with a diagonal cut. Even if there would be a slight bump, it would not catch von the material.

Great video. I appreciate the messups! Very helpful. I like mdf (rather than plywood) for these purposes because it is dimensionally stable.

Another great video showing your process of creating! Thanks for sharing another great example of something that can be made instead of purchased!

Great video, and really enjoying seeing your thought process and mistakes/improvements. Having said that, I think I’ll just buy the bow fence extension. Reckon I could earn that kind of money in a day and therefore it pays for itself

Couple of thoughts.... To lighten the fence, try drilling half way through each piece with a Forstner bit. Evenly spaced rows and columns. Should lighten it up a bit. Thought #2...don't know about the cost on this one, but for the face, use a thinner piece of plywood, then glue a 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) piece of hardwood to the face, then run it through a bench planer. Looks like a great project that I may take up myself at some point in the future.

Mark, I have an 8" Delta contractor saw I've had for about 20-25 years. I bought this saw because most of my cuts are in 2" or less stock & 8" blades were way cheaper than an equivalent 10". Now you can't buy an 8" blade here, but I've accumulated 5 or 6 carbide blades.so I should be all set there. I still have an old 10" Sears table saw & a used 10' chop saw. Even on my 8" Delta, the fence was/is the weakest item. The fence is made with length of rectangular steel tubing, way shorter than useful. I drilled three holes through its length so I could attach a longer 4" wide piece of 3/4" oak It does work okay but is too heavy. Earlier this year I saw some literature on the Bow fence. They look nice but I'm not going to invest more on a fence than the saw cost new. I'm going to try a narrower width of this time 1/2" plywood to cut the weight down. I bought a pair of special clamps so this strip, or any strip, is easily removed. To use these clamps you drill two, I think 3/8", holes in the top edge of the wood strip. Made of steel rod, one end has a length bent downward to go in the drilled holes. The other end of the clamp is bent to go over the top of the fence & down it's backside. On the backside is a screw with a knob to tighten everything up. If this doesn't work as I expect, I'll still have the piece of oak. I use now. I'll just narrow it up to remove some of its weight. This saw i not built into a cabinet, so I'm thinking of running the fence strip long on both ends so I can attach resting pads level with the table surface on the bottom each end. I could look for a lighter weight hardwood to use rather than the plywood or think of a way to lighted the oak. I don't have a clockmaker's Forstner bit but a hole saw could work in strategic places. Good video Mark & a subject I have thought of often lately. I'm starting to look around for an economical track saw that would eliminate most of my use for a table saw. See you in the next video.

Thank you for showing your mistakes. It helps me mentally.

As we like to say on the farm, near enough is perfect!

Excellent work! I enjoy following your process. And yes, it's ok to change directions (or stop altogether). I made a fence extension similar to yours, only mine has the horizontal support on both ends. I secure it to the original fence with some Milescraft fence clamps. The Bow extension would be great, but I can't justify the cost. Why buy when you can DIY? Keep up the great work!

Great video love to watch the thought process and by the way I would have probably been on mark 6 before I got it to work .

Great video, just found your channel so now subscribed and watching all the others. I have the battery Dewalt table saw so will be looking with keen interest at how you built yours into your bench.

12:10 just goes to show that you never throw out anything in a workshop 😊

Great video as always Mark I have the same DeWalt contractor saw and I’m planning on building an out feed table with the saw built right in just like you did after I move. I’ve also been thinking about the fence love the look of the Bow system but just can’t see spending the money either. So I will definitely be rewatching your video and making my own. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep up the great job.

I know it's too late now but you could have just got a length of 80/20 aluminium extrusion and slapped it on . Costs less than a sheet of 18mm ply

15:48 they make strong floating shelves 😊

The major thing missing from your table saw is the guard. This, of course, should ALWAYS be fitted. (Yes, there are times the standard guard needs to be removed, but some guard should always be there.) T/V slot aluminium would have cost you £21 for a metre of 80mm x 20mm. Straight, strong, and with grooves for clamps, guides, rollers etc etc.

Great video! I always struggle with prototyping things. I feel like I'm wasting materials when it goes wrong.

6:00 Close enough for breaking down plywood 😊

Hi Mark, I wish I had a table saw this look a great idea and a big saving can't believe with all those accessories for a saw guide and the add on's your looking at nearly £400. It's a good idea to build your own and I think you done a good job it works well and it does the job. As always a great video Take care

Nicely done, but having purchased the Bow system alongside my contractor saw, it is pretty awesome if you aren't as skilled at prototyping.

Nice job mate that looks spot on and let's be honest if we're .3mm out well square enough don't think it'll get much better than that. Those rollers look interesting must say but a still maintain the feather board from bow look like better option although there is a cheaper version the hedgehog ones just saying 😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍

Just a word from an old timer, In the old days table saws had a fence that only went as far as the centre of the blade , No lateral support after the cut, because it wasn`t doing any thing. |If the short fence can lock only at one end and do so accurately , that is all it needs., Better to extend the front end of the fence as this stops the lateral swing when feeding it in,Any part of the fence that is beyond the cutting teeth is pointless. You just need to stop the back from swinging side to side. An adjustable portable roller support holding the cut portion is also more versatile., Probably stems from accurate single ended clamps are more costly to make.

You will be surprised but expensive ply isn’t perfect either. With mdf clamped to a straight edge i get very good results.

or a quick and easy solution... Aluminium SHS (Square Hollow tube) is cheap as, and more importantly straight. Drill hole in top to allow clamps to slide into middle section to hold again fence. Or many use a long level, as have onsite already.

Hongdui makes some very good wood working products. There is another RU-vid woodworker who has been doing reviews, of tools from Banggood, for some time now. He has achieved a, non paid, consulting relationship, with Hongdui. You, probably, know him and I will leave it to you, to mention his name, if you wish to. 😁✌🖖 P.S.: I, almost, for got to mention, Great idea and build! 👍👍 I have a Rigid table saw. It's called a contractor but it is Not portable. This would work well, for it, too. The addition, of the laminate, is perfect. As you said, there is no need, for expensive materials. 😁✌🖖

I love watching your videos so this is offered in the spirit of supportive comment. One should absolutely NEVER use a rip fence and a miter gauge concurrently as you did in the early part of your video. The potential for kick back is massive. Everybody warns against this. Crosscut sled with a stop black for such cuts.

I have the same table saw and my biggest issue is setting angles. If it's just a 90 or 45 then it's okay but when I want a odd angle it's a pain. I like your handmade fence extension.

Great video, I was in the same headspace 6 months ago!

Wow, those guide rollers look EXACTLY like JessEm's, Im sure at half the cost. Counterfeit FTW!

I find that cutting anything longer than my contractor saw table is difficult so will incorporate your iterations into my next foray as well as the bang good rollers; didn’t know about those. Might want to reconsider their offer…

really enjoyed this lesson, thank you. I have the same saw but the motor has blown and I am unable to buy another 240v or get it repaired.

6:00 Those are only necessary for precision dados and to prevent kickbacks 😮

Hi, thank you for all the effort you put into your video. You could perhaps replace the ply with furniture board (cheap contiboard), it already has a slippery side to it and can be waxed if needs be and from my experience at least has quite good thickness consistency.

Great video. Honestly, I went through pretty much the same process in my head and ultimately decided to save myself the headache and I bought the bow fence extension kit. It is still on my Dewalt saw and I love it. Yes, it is a bit overpriced, but this is wood working, after all, so what's new?

Good video Mark, very entertaining. stay safe and enjoy.

Hi Mark, Up to your usual standard, brill. But I think your way past the 85% on this one.As nothing in this world is perfect ill go with 95%😂😂. Oh by the way,put the rap on My build today, Windows and doors next. Have a great time till the next one. Cheers Peter.

Yes rkid I was gona do one out of mdf got to make a radiator cover for my Daughter this wood defo come in handy this cheers mark love your vids 😂keep it up

So I need to understand how you value your time in making this. An hourly rate to produce something that will not be anywhere near as good. I agree with you, I love making jigs that bypass expensive commercial models. But, sometimes, mmmm, you gotta 🤔

Interesting, thanks for sharing this.

Meant to say.. fast forward to 33:35 👍🏻

Hi Mark, nice video as always. I think it's good to see the slight hiccups along the way👍 l built mine over my existing fence as I still wanted to use the table saw gauge. I love my Hongdui clamps, infact they also do an excellent mitre fence should you be interested. One of the best accessories I've bought for my man cave/garage/dust haven😅

There MUST be a use for those torsion boxes in your shop!

If you are trying to get your new extension fence even straighter, can't you shim between the fence and your auxiliary extension fence? Maybe only the thickness of a piece of paper or two is needed.

In the US this style of table saw is know as a jobsite saw, a contractor table saw is a saw with a large cast iron top that isn't a full fleged cabinet saw. I am wondering if this is a difference in the lexicon of the two countries and if so what do you call contractor table saws?

Great perseverance 😀

Why did you not just buy a length of square section extruded aluminium with T slots, costs around £35 for a metre length, perfectly straight, made for purpose.

You stated you were going to share a video of a refurbished table saw?

I wonder if there’s some patent infringement with those Jessem rollers. Mine work great.

I'd suggest getting a roller stand instead, for only about $30(£25), its a much cheaper, simpler and more versatile solution. Like you, and many others, I spent a long time looking at this problem from what I consider to be the wrong perspective, and even tried a few makeshift fence extensions, too. But, in my opinion, the real problem is at the tail end of the boards, not the front!!! Have you noticed where your right hand is? Always at the tail end of the board, far from the fence and table, trying to balance the weight of the board, while pushing it through in a straight line, which never works well because there is nothing back there as a firm guide or support, so your rear hand wobbles around, and that I think is the real problem with long boards and sheet goods, no rear support!! I got tired of trying to balance boards and tried a roller stand, and the short DeWalt infeed has been surprisingly more than sufficient since. Place a roller stand about half the length of the board from the front of the table saw. It will fully support the board, leaving both hands free to guide and push the board firmly against the fence and straight through the cut. An extended fence, even with a fixed support piece, only works for just so long and/or wide of a board. Get a big enough board and you will just want a bigger fence again, which is probably why you made the Mark1 so big in the first place, while a roller stand can be placed at any distance or left/right position for any length board or width sheet goods. I'd say your video was a good attempt, but it seem maybe, like me, you got mislead by a lot of other videos to go down the road of extending the fence. Not to completely dismiss fence extensions, they can be helpful in other ways, but if you still have a spare £25-30, try a roller stand for basic long board and sheet good cuts. And get a solid roller, not the ball ones, cause those wont support really narrow strips of wood. On the other hand, your left side extended infeed did give me some good ideas, I like the barrel nut idea so it can be removed, I might use that idea, but that would be more for miter gauge and cross-cut sled support. Good making, and I enjoyed the video! PS! When I want a long glue up to be really straight, I clamp the boards to a long 6ft(2m) I-beam style aluminum level, or some other hefty board that is known to be super straight and won't flex.

Another very informative share Mark.

This is very useful. Thanks

Kudos for not just reaching out to bow for a sponsorship

Cheers, Mark! You've hit the big time, you've got Lee from Busted Knuckle Wood-works giving kudos. Keep up the great work! So, working a plan is better than just winging it? If only I had known this years ago when I started; you're way ahead of most of us. BTW, free stuff is good stuff. Also, happy accidents are great; hence the Hongdui extension rollers as part of your fence. Soon you will be building a new shed to house all the jigs and attachments you are creating. Big thumbs ups, as always.

Interesting idea

Biggest extra is an extension under the fence addition to give support before the table?

3:29 Maybe you can't 😂

Two words: extruded aluminium.

I just stick a nice straight plank on my fence with double sided tape. Does me OK.

Hi, Mark. At 10:11, I couldn't help but notice, the "exit" end of the, metal, fence slipped a bit, to your right, as you slid the ply, for your test. You need to adjust the clamping pressure. .3 mm off. I'll take that. Damned straight! ( pun intended ) 👍👍 P.S.: glad to see you have switched, from blue bags, to black bags, for your "porta-loo" trash catcher. 😁✌🖖

Do you not just clamp on a 2M spirit level or even a tracksaw rail ?

Has the cost of 18mm birch ply come down yet?

Do you feel like the rollers get in the way of your right hand as you push a piece through - making you have to place your right hand further to the left (which is closer to the blade)?

Is there a link for the dial gauge and jig? Thanks

Biggest weakness on your table saw is the lack of crown guard - would fix that first!

did you ever play the drums and sing with a band called genesis?

Save 275 British pesos? Is that a lot in real money?

1:02 No, it's not 😂

By the time you have all that just buy a track saw and it will be perfect too.

By the time you purchase the ply, clamps, all accessories, sundries and tools required to make your fence, plus labour, it'll be more cost effective to just purchase bow fence.🤦‍♂️ Good vid tho.

a job site table saw's biggest weakness = using it anywhere other than the job site...

Between the plywood and clamps, easily afford the fence system. But we all fall into this. I can out smart the smartest others. They just haven’t thought of it yet or figured out how to sell it. If the idea is that good, you can almost always find a way to sell it. It’s actually not hard for most. But the rest of us waste our money on prototyping others ideas and fixes. Btw. Some people are smarter And find a way. Steve Jobs. He fixed something we didn’t even know was a problem. Elon. Same. Bowflex, I think that’s the name, that creator, stopsaw creator, he found a known problem bUt refused to be told we ain’t interested in your way of fixing it.

You lost me at the first shot of ripping the ply. The dust a table saw generates is just too much for an enclosed space. I’ve switched to a track saw and in 99% of cases it replaces my table saw. Dust collection is near perfect and the accuracy of cuts is way higher. It’s far safer too. I use a Bosch system. Cost was about £500 iirc, but it’s the best money I’ve spent in a long time. Oh, and to cut a 2.4m length you just need a 2.4m workshop, not a 4.8m like with a table saw.

It’s not a contractor saw. It’s a job site saw.

👍