Miter Saw station fence

[Jon Snider]

I’m starting to plan a miter Saw station for my shop. There are many YouTube videos of very nice builds, some with nice plans.

My question concerns the fence. I’ve gotten by for many years w/o any additional fence other than the metal one on the Makita. For this station I’d like to add some stop blocks or flip stops.

It seems there are several options. One is a fixed fence extending from the left, and possibly right of the saw. My preference is to avoid this to preserve the top for other use.

Another is a t track running lengthwise on the countertop parallel with the saw fence to which stop blocks can be added when repeated cutoffs are desired. But no additional fence other than the stock metal one.

Finally, there’s this video, of a radial arm build with the two tracks for the fence which are perpendicular to the metal saw fence, which could conceivably be used for a combined miter and radial arm station (or maybe just for the SCMS alone). The fence with the flip stops could be added or removed as needed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b7mW3JKAqhc

Would appreciate your comments and ideas.

Thx

jon.

[Marc Jeske]

I have a long bed to left and just c clamp a stop when needed.

Not fancy, cheap and simple.

Marc

[Matt Day]

I made this setup for a friend and will do the same for my new shop once I get to that point. The fence itself can move left or right, so if you have a very long board you can still make repetitive cuts. The whole fence can also be removed to use the bench as a bench.

[Charles Wiggins]

I am still planning a SCMS station in my head, but I recently came to the realization that you really only need a certain amount of fence to orient your stock properly to the blade, and my saw already has that. Everything else is a waste, and, potentially in the way for other operations. After all, my portable miter station doesn't have auxiliary fences, just supports and retractable stops.

Then I saw this video from Make Something where he took out his fence and put a stop block system on the surface of the worktop. The one change I am considering would be to set the T-track back further, just out of the path of the stock, and make the stop blocks in two parts with a hinge so I can have flip-stops. They won't be all fancy where I can just slide the stock under them like the Kreg version, but as long as I can flip the front part up out of the way to bypass the stop without having to actually loosen and move the stop, good enough.

[Chris Parks]

I used an Incra Fence with flip stops for one single reason and that was repeatability. I put the fence on two pins, drilled holes in the bench and can lift the fence off the bench completely. Using the T track allows you to align the fence precisely but loses zero for the measuring stops, I overcame that that by putting the saw on a base that can be moved to align the fence to the saw when it is in the pinned position if need be such as when sub fences are needed or not needed.

The Incra comes in three lengths, this is the longest one....https://www.incrementaltools.com/INC...tracksys52.htm

[Steve Reich]

Jon

I posted to the forum a few weeks about my new station that included a dust collection box and also abandoned the idea of the fence, inspired by the same Make Something video that Charles referenced. Here's a picture of what I did. The dust box was inspired by a video by Home Improvement Woodworking.

Miter Station 2.jpgMiter Station 1.jpg

[Marshall Harrison]

I would love something like that but I simply don't have the room. My workbench and Laguna TS are the only tools that don't get rolled out into the driveway for usage. My SCMS is on a Harbor Freight stand so it breaks down into a hand truck type affair and gets rolled out of the way. Works great but not easy to add a fancy fence to. I just added a 1x3x4 to the saw's fence with screws (old school). This gave me a zero clearance slot for the blade and I just measure from the slot and clamp on a block for repeatable cuts.

Driveway woodworking requires finding workable alternatives.

[Jon Snider]

Matt,

can you give some more info info on the fence and stops you’re showing? Thx

I made this setup for a friend and will do the same for my new shop once I get to that point. The fence itself can move left or right, so if you have a very long board you can still make repetitive cuts. The whole fence can also be removed to use the bench as a bench.

[Chris Parks]

You don't really need a fence at all it just makes life easier. Mine sits on two location pins and can be totally removed at any time.

[Charles Wiggins]

I made this setup for a friend and will do the same for my new shop once I get to that point. The fence itself can move left or right, so if you have a very long board you can still make repetitive cuts. The whole fence can also be removed to use the bench as a bench.

Nice setup. If you're gonna have an extended fence adjustable and easily removable is the way to go.

[Jim Becker]

I originally setup my miter station with 48" of "gold aluminum" fence extrusion with a fancy stop, etc. It worked just fine, but over time I've come to realize that I only use the machine primarily for rough cutting down longer boards before processing the material on other machines. A couple of years ago, I removed the right side to provide for another need on that surface where the fence would have interfered. I'm now considering moving the whole machine upstairs near my lumber racks to free up space in my shop-proper and I doubt I'll worry much about how fancy the fence is as long as it provides reasonable support for safety. That said, for folks who use their CMS/SCMS for more precision cutting, having a quality fence at least to the left side with some level of additional support to the right for when that's needed due to the nature of a cut is a good idea . Even there, removable is important for those times when you do need to deal with something odd-shaped or rough where a full fence might be unsafe. You can key the fence into the work surface with pins/dowels once you have it zeroed in to accomplish that.

[Jon Snider]

Thx Charles. I’m leaning this way too.

Do any have some other ideas or links for option for a flip stop, other than Charles’, on a track (w/o fence) in the countertop?

I’d love to use something like these Kreg ones but they require a fence, or at least a block, above the counter level.

https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KMS7801-...r=1-1-fkmrnull

Thx again to all

jon

I am still planning a SCMS station in my head, but I recently came to the realization that you really only need a certain amount of fence to orient your stock properly to the blade, and my saw already has that. Everything else is a waste, and, potentially in the way for other operations. After all, my portable miter station doesn't have auxiliary fences, just supports and retractable stops.

Then I saw this video from Make Something where he took out his fence and put a stop block system on the surface of the worktop. The one change I am considering would be to set the T-track back further, just out of the path of the stock, and make the stop blocks in two parts with a hinge so I can have flip-stops. They won't be all fancy where I can just slide the stock under them like the Kreg version, but as long as I can flip the front part up out of the way to bypass the stop without having to actually loosen and move the stop, good enough.

[George Yetka]

I bought an aluminum fence and brackets from Misumi. Good product and quite a bit cheaper than other extrusion suppliers
https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/mech/M1500000000/

[Matt Day]

It’s pretty much all Woodpeckers. I tried to find a cheaper route with different makers, but in the end I felt the WP system worked well together and was well made. Track is Superttack with their flip stops and knobs and such. I got the Al angle from 80/20 and drilled my own holes. Total price was probably around $200. Superttrack (60”) was $60/side.

[Ole Anderson]

I went with the Kreg precision track and stop system. You make your own fence and add their track and tape measure. Nice flip stop.