Woodworking is a cornerstone of DIY projects. Whether you’re making furniture or cupboard doors, or any job around the house, a table saw is an essential part of your toolkit. Table saws are versatile and powerful, and are used for many cutting jobs, but what you do need is a good quality table saw fence. This is a straight edge – often a metal piece or a length of wood – that is fitted to the bed of the table saw, and that keeps the cut line straight and neat. Should you buy one – they can be quite expensive but will do a great job – or make one?
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We’re here to talk about making your own but before we do, we recommend you read the review of table saw fences that gives you great information on those you can buy. They are ready to go, all you need to do is fit them as per instructions, and are accurate. So, buy or build? The choice is yours, so let’s run through how to make your own table saw fence for very little money, and that will do the job.
Building Your Own
Building your own table saw might be the way you want to go, but you should be aware it is not something that takes just a few moments. This is a job that you will need to do with plans – you can download sets of plans from the internet on many websites – and that you need the right tools to complete effectively. A basic table saw fence can be created from plywood, and involves cutting the pieces to size and screwing them together, but it must be done accurately as this is a tool that needs to be accurate.
Are you up for the job? If you are competent at DIY this should not be a difficult job for you. You will need to be competent at accurately measuring your wood, at cutting and drilling, and also have the patience to follow the instructions. We recommend you use tools that have been sharpened and are fresh for use, as you need the edges to be trim and aligned. If you’re interested, there is great advice on how to make one here that takes you through the whole process, so settle back and have a read and watch the video, and see if it’s a job you want to take on.
Buying a Table Saw Fence
Like all tools and implements that you use for DIY, you want your table saw and fence to provide a quality finish. If you follow the plans correctly, use the right wood and do everything as instructed, you’ll have your own, home-made table saw fence. But, is it worth the effort, or should you buy one that you simply fit and get going? The choice is yours, of course, but if it’s accuracy you want, and if you need to get going soon, it is perhaps best that you buy one off-the-shelf to fit your table saw.
We have given you a link here https://sawadvisor.com/best-table-saw-fence-reviews/ of the best examples on the market and we reckon that among those there should be one for everyone. This is an item that once you buy – or make – will be used a lot so check them out carefully before you make your decision. If you do decide to make your own, there are many examples of plans and methods to try on the internet, so have a look around at those, too. We hope we’ve helped you understand the difference between making your own table saw fence and buying one.
