After reading a few postings about making your own rails for a Biesemeyer fence I decided I would attempt it.
Background:
Prior to this I found a Unisaw without a fence or rails. Then found a Biesemeyer commercial fence but no rails. The cost of new Bies. rail set was more than I had in the saw and fence. I had never done much with metal other than sharpening a mower blade. Needed a tap and die set, grinder and abrasive wheels which Harbor Freight, my favorite place for buying seldom used tools, just happened to have on sale. Pieced together measurements and specs for barstock and pacement of the rails from Biesemeyer's website.
Here goes:
Raw bar stock from Foil's in Harrisburg.
2X3X60" Rectangular Tube
2X3X60X1/8" angle
2X2X60X1/8" angle
Rough edges, welds, foundry trash ground smooth. Primed and sprayed with Plasti-Kote Industrial Enamel #2359N Machinery Dark Gray (almost exact match to the Delta/Rockwell dark gray) found at Tractor Supply. 2 spray cans at $4.99 ea.
Measured, marked and drilled mounting holes. Front rail requires countersunk machine screws. Rear rail uses the tapped holes in the back of the table. Both front and rear rail require 2 notchs for access to the miter slots. I plan to use an over table blade guard so I did not notch for the OEM blade guard/splitter. The OEM blade guard/splitter require that the rear rail is notched for ~6" to allow for tilting the blade. Holes in bottom of tube are tapped to accept 1/4" hex bolt.
2 hex bolts for back rail: $.50
4 Machine screws w/hex nuts, washers for front: $2.50
Mounting detail. 1/4" hex bolt through bottom of front rail into tapped hole in bottom of tube. Holes in bottom of the rail drilled large enough to allow fine tuning of the position of the tube.
6, 1/4" hex bolts: $.25
Background:
Prior to this I found a Unisaw without a fence or rails. Then found a Biesemeyer commercial fence but no rails. The cost of new Bies. rail set was more than I had in the saw and fence. I had never done much with metal other than sharpening a mower blade. Needed a tap and die set, grinder and abrasive wheels which Harbor Freight, my favorite place for buying seldom used tools, just happened to have on sale. Pieced together measurements and specs for barstock and pacement of the rails from Biesemeyer's website.
Here goes:
Raw bar stock from Foil's in Harrisburg.
2X3X60" Rectangular Tube
2X3X60X1/8" angle
2X2X60X1/8" angle
$27.00 for all 3 pieces:icon_thum
Rough edges, welds, foundry trash ground smooth. Primed and sprayed with Plasti-Kote Industrial Enamel #2359N Machinery Dark Gray (almost exact match to the Delta/Rockwell dark gray) found at Tractor Supply. 2 spray cans at $4.99 ea.
Measured, marked and drilled mounting holes. Front rail requires countersunk machine screws. Rear rail uses the tapped holes in the back of the table. Both front and rear rail require 2 notchs for access to the miter slots. I plan to use an over table blade guard so I did not notch for the OEM blade guard/splitter. The OEM blade guard/splitter require that the rear rail is notched for ~6" to allow for tilting the blade. Holes in bottom of tube are tapped to accept 1/4" hex bolt.
2 hex bolts for back rail: $.50
4 Machine screws w/hex nuts, washers for front: $2.50
Mounting detail. 1/4" hex bolt through bottom of front rail into tapped hole in bottom of tube. Holes in bottom of the rail drilled large enough to allow fine tuning of the position of the tube.
6, 1/4" hex bolts: $.25
Finished assembly, waiting on extension table w/router insert. Boy, I need to clean up that place!:eusa_doh:
Total cost: $40.25
Satisfaction value: Priceless
Satisfaction value: Priceless
Thanks Bruce (junquecol) for the motivation!