Sliding table saw crosscut fence position: "front" or "rear"?

[Warren Lake]

only had one so far but this older SCM has great adjustment possible and its dead on with on and off. LIkely the same way as the full size largest models of the time.

[Rich Markiewicz]

Hi Derek - Who manufactures the cam holddown in your last photo of this post? I have the Felder holddown for my Hammer C3 [it is a beast], yours appears different. Thanks, Rich M.

[Derek Cohen]

Rich, I am not sure that this will help ...

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ding-table-saw

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rich Markiewicz]

Thanks Derek , I'll check it out....

[mark mcfarlane]

...There may be some higher end saws that make recalibration unnecessary.

Just to re-clarify my previous post. My Minimax CU300 does have an adjustment meant to allow removal and replacement of the outrigger and outrigger fence, but there is a tiniest bit of slop in the bearing collar used for registering the fence. Results in about 1mm width difference along an 8' cut depending on how much forward pressure you exert on the fence when you tighten it down.

[Warren Lake]

mark when the fence goes back on this one the fit is very tight. This saw is likely 30 years old and had a ton of use before I got it. There is no play. I wonder if they use the same system still. The slider set up on this one is the most primitive of all their saws. I think I saw it in an episode of the Flintstones. Still it works nicely and is light years past what I used before.

[Jim Becker]

Some sliders come with two crosscut fences. I think that is standard on all Minimax's sold in the USA, just part of the base bundle.

Agree...and it certainly helped with my decision to remain with the brand when I bought the new slider for the new shop. I really "covet" that smaller miter fence as I noted above. It's a very important part of my personal workflow.

[derek labian]

I usually have my slider crosscut fence on the "front", such that when you push the slider forward, the wood is pushed against the fence. This seems safer and more consistent.

Attachment 487626

However, the outrigger arm runs out of travel and limits the distance between the fence and the blade in this configuration to something quite short (3', maybe?). To use the full slider stroke, the fence needs to be moved to the "rear".

Attachment 487629

Dumb question, but: is that "normal" and just the nature of the design of the outrigger?

Are my concerns about the wood being pushed against the fence valid? Or is it typical to have the fence in the "rear" position?

As someone else mentioned, I think this is very saw specific. The `front` position on my saw is the only position that works for variable angle cross-cuts (with the compex). The `back` position is for 90 degrees only, so I keep the fence in the `front` position. I find this position convenient if nothing else.

compex.jpeg