Left side use on right tilt table saw

[Chris Schoenthal]

Do any of you use the fence on the left side of your right tilt table saw?
Reason for asking, I'm thinking of moving the rail all the way to the right to gain an additional 18" since I never use the left side portion.
Anyone successfully accomplished this?

[Charles Lent]

I use the left side of my right tilt Unisaw whenever I need to make a cut that will trap the wood between the blade and the fence if done on the right side of my right tilt blade. Doing it this way eliminates the need for a left tilt saw, since it accomplishes the same result. The Unifence extrusion easily flips to the opposite side for left or right use, so it's easy to use it either way. I don't need to do this often, but would not want to be without this capability. In fact, I bought an extension piece for my Wixey DRO so it will work for the full length of the Unifence rail. I have attached steel pieces to both sides of my Unifence aluminum casting so the DRO module can magnetically be attached and used on either side of the fence casting too.

Charley

[Bill Adamsen]

+1 to Charles comment. I would only comment that I don't think the Unifence extrusion "easily" flips ... hence (to my thinking) the major value differentiator with the Biesemeyer. It does change sides however it takes a few minutes and few have Charles' elaborate setup thus losing the scales to the left.

[Randall J Cox]

+1 to Charles comment. I would only comment that I don't think the Unifence extrusion "easily" flips ... hence (to my thinking) the major value differentiator with the Biesemeyer. It does change sides however it takes a few minutes and few have Charles' elaborate setup thus losing the scales to the left.

+1 to Bill's quote...

[Rick Potter]

OK, you piqued my curiosity.

I went out and switched my Unifence from one side to the other. I did not try to hurry it, and it took just under a minute. All it takes is to spin off the two wing nuts, slide the extrusion off, reverse the fence holder thingie, put the extrusion on the other side, and tighten the wing nuts. Done. High/Low fence available on either side.

The flat spot for the measuring tape extends all the way across the rail, so one could easily put a right to left tape on that side if desired. I don''t see the value for that though. Usually the fence is on the left side for bevel cuts, and you would probably sneak up on them anyway.

I am not picking favorites here. I have a Beis clone on my SawStop, and I like it too. They are both great fences.

To answer Chris' original question. In 20 years, I think I used the left side once. At least 10 years ago I cut off the left side to put on a Jessem slider unit. Why not just move it and see how you like it? If it doesn't work out put it back.

[Chris Schoenthal]

Thanks for the responses.
I have an old Delta contractors saw and I'm going to build a workcenter with a much larger top.
The 50" rails are ridiculously priced, or I'd just get a new one.
I too, have used the left side only once in 20 years and haven't found a requirement that I couldn't get around a different way.
I'll try moving it, as suggested, and see how it goes.

[Bill Adamsen]

So I guess I didn't really answer the question, just griped. I have a Unisaw with a Unifence (bought new 30 years ago) and when I used that saw for panels, I used the fence on the left of the blade all the time. I frequently do miter wraps (cut miters on panels and either tape fold or lamello) and almost always switch the fence to the left side to do it. I still do the miters on panels (did several this morning) but now use the slider so the panel is still to the left of the blade.

I typically used the Unifence to store arbor wrench and the allen wrench for fence adjustment. So those need to get removed before switching the fence. The T-handles are loosened and inevitably sooner or later one spins the T-handles onto the floor (usually under the saw) or the washers down the blade slot. Then the fence needs to be pulled out, the bracket switched, the fence reinstalled and the T-handles reattached. Can it be done in less than a minute? Absolutely. But it remains an aggravating design. When was the last time you used the formica fence position?

[sebastian phillips]

I use the low fence whenever I'm ripping close to the blade-way more room for push stick etc.
I also use the low fence when I'm ripping re-facing material, or when I'm beveling with the fence on the right.
Don't find a single thing aggravating about the uni-fence, and actually got rid of the biesemeyer fence that came with the saw. TEHO

[Charles Lent]

Bill,

I keep tools on top of my Unifence casting too, but I have added a large rare earth magnet to the top of the Unifence casting. It keeps the tools from falling while I switch the fence extrusion. It also frequently holds a standard pencil by the eraser coupling.

I also have a laser remote control button attached there with Velcro.. It turns on and off a ceiling mounted laser above the saw that produces a red line on my Unisaw table to show the blade cut line. I don't use this laser line for cutting accuracy, since it isn't very accurate, but it has been a great safety device. It keeps me always aware of where the blade will be cutting, especially when DADO or doing non-through cutting. "If my fingers ever have a red line on them, they are in the wrong place." But it also helps to steer a long board being fed into the saw way before reaching the fence while ripping long boards. It's easy to keep a pencil line on the board lined up with the laser line that projects out several feet before and after the saw table as well as across it. When using a power tool, every safety device that I feel improves my chances of being safe is worth using, even if it takes a few moments to activate.

Charley

[Lee Schierer]

My Beismeyer fence will work on both sides of the blade. I have on occasion used the fence on the left side of the blade. I even made miter cuts on the left side. Since the blade has the wood captive you have to be extremely careful of potential kickback.

[Charles Lent]

Lee,

I use my fence on the left side of the blade on my right tilt Unisaw to avoid trapping the wood between the fence and the blade. That's about the only time that I use the left side of my right tilt saw. It doesn't matter what saw or type of fence you have, you should avoid any cut that traps the wood between the blade and the fence during a miter cut. Just switch the fence and the work to the opposite side of the blade and you don't need to worry about a kick back being caused by this. It is much safer and usually quite easy to do with most saws and fences. I don't know why people think they need left tilt saws to be safe. Their right tilt saw is just as safe if they use it tight.

Charley

[Bill Adamsen]

I also have a laser remote control button attached there with Velcro.. It turns on and off a ceiling mounted laser above the saw that produces a red line on my Unisaw table to show the blade cut line. I don't use this laser line for cutting accuracy, since it isn't very accurate, but it has been a great safety device. It keeps me always aware of where the blade will be cutting, especially when DADO or doing non-through cutting. "If my fingers ever have a red line on them, they are in the wrong place."

That is a fantastic idea - extremely clever!

[sebastian phillips]

If you crosscut bevels a lot with your TS, a right tilt lets you stand on the natural left side, and not have to move your miter gauge.
I used L-tilt saws exclusively for about 25 years, when an excellent R-Tilt fell in my lap.
Hated it at first, but now prefer the R-tilt. Also like that cursor is still accurate w/ dado blade(s).

[Charles Lent]

That is a fantastic idea - extremely clever!

Bill,

I got it from Woodline, but it's not in their catalog any more. They might have a few left though. When you call, ask to talk to Wayne, the owner, to see if he has any left. The two that I have were bought from Wayne after they were gone from the catalog. The second one is on my son's saw.

The ceiling unit has a battery compartment, but comes with a wall wort type power supply too if you have a ceiling outlet near by it would be best to use the supply . Since the IR receiver has to be on all the time, I doubt the battery power source would last very long. I have never tried running mine on batteries. The remove control is about the size of a deck of playing cards, but only about 1/4" thick, and only one push on/push off button on it. I attached the remote to my Unifence casting with a 1/2" square piece of Velcro, so it stays put, but can be removed if the battery in it should ever need replacing. The ceiling mounted part looks like one of the parking assist lasers units that they sell to help you get your car centered in the garage, and one of them might even work for this purpose, if the remote control is wireless. The laser head is a ball/socket mount so it's easy to move it or rotate it until the laser line is where you want it (not very accurate). Like I said, it isn't accurate enough to assist with precise cutting, except to help some with pre-alignment of long rips as you are feeding the board into the saw. At saw level the line extends about 8 ft, so about 4' ahead of and also behind the blade. It's bright enough to see on the saw table or the wood with a lit 6' double tube fluorescent almost directly above the saw

I have relatives in Danbury, CT, so I go there to visit every few years.

Charley

[Charles Lent]

If you crosscut bevels a lot with your TS, a right tilt lets you stand on the natural left side, and not have to move your miter gauge.
I used L-tilt saws exclusively for about 25 years, when an excellent R-Tilt fell in my lap.
Hated it at first, but now prefer the R-tilt. Also like that cursor is still accurate w/ dado blade(s).

Yes !!! I also prefer right tilt and I have used and owned both versions over the past 60 years. I'm also left handed, but I still prefer using a right tilt saw. But since I added the Wixey DRO to my right tilt Unisaw, I never look at the fence scale any more.

Charley