How useful are rails long than 30"?

[Jim Becker]

The real answer come from a question... "How much extraneous stuff to you want to store on your right side extension table?"

Seriously, 52" is nice to have sometimes, but in most situations, those of us who have it almost never use it outside of storing cut-offs, etc., if we are really honest. (That's not true of everybody, which is why I used the word "most"...)

[Rusty Elam]

I agree with Glenn (we have the same saw I think) when I had 30" everything I wanted to cut was 32" or 34". I moved my rails over to get 40" and it is just right for me and it gives me plenty of room for my router table insert without it being cramped. I also like not having to always take the fence off to use my crosscut sled.
You can always make them shorter.

[Peter Quinn]

I have the long rails, I have a router table in the out board, the fence slides over and acts as the router fence for dados in the middle of sheets on the router table, and I use that long rail/fence as a stop system for my cross cut panel sled almost every time I cut wood, a block clamped to it in a sort of euro hybrid fashion. I would be lost with short rails.

Given short rails I probably would have developed other methods, but I can't see any obvious way to do what the long rail does using a TS as simply and accurately.

[Thomas Canfield]

I added the 52" rail to my little Delta contractor saw but rarely use the additional length. I did install a router in the table extension, and store my shop vacuum under the extension. Since the addition, I have added several things to my shop to where a smaller table saw footprint would be an advantage, but I am not cutting the rail anytime soon - just working in a little cramped setting.

I did add a 2" x 2" strip to the outside edge of my left extension set "parallel" with the saw blade back when I had the original cheap short fence. That would allow me to clamp a straight edge under a sheet of plywood or panel and use the strip as guide for ripping large sheets as a suggestion on how to get along without the 52" rail. It worked well.

[John Gornall]

I'll just repeat the idea that 30 inches is just a little short. Cabinets often need cuts 32 - 34 inches. I cut my rails to 38 inches which fits my shop better and I've never needed more.

[Chuck Tringo]

The real answer come from a question... "How much extraneous stuff to you want to store on your right side extension table?"

Seriously, 52" is nice to have sometimes, but in most situations, those of us who have it almost never use it outside of storing cut-offs, etc., if we are really honest. (That's not true of everybody, which is why I used the word "most"...)

On Jim's second point, I only have 32 inch rails and I use the last 12-15 inches or so of the table for storing cutoffs/hand tools/pieces waiting to be cut/etc...

[Tony Bilello]

you will definitly need more than 30 - 32". Rarely does a day go by when I dont use more than 32".

[Ray Schafer]

I just made 42" cabinets and was glad that I had the 52" rails on my Unisaw.

[Danny Thompson]

What Alex said.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I sure would. I love my 42" Beis set up...I actually get 43" of cut. When I had a 1023 I had the 52" rails and I haven't missed them a bit.

It really depends on what you normally cut. Right now as I start a huge kitchen cabinet job....I need the capacity. Next few months as I fire up the furniture company the needs will change and I will rarely use the fence past 30".

That said I will be staying with the 42" rails...might need to build some cabinets for myself someday.