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October 2, 2011 By

A fence for the cast iron router table

 

 

I thought it was easy to install the cast iron router table on my Unisaw. What a pleasure it was to install the fence on the router table!

Installing the fence:

  1. It is best to start by laying out all the parts for the fence on the router table.
  2. This is a great time to take inventory of the package, to ensure all parts are present and accounted for. If not, notify Laguna Tools immediately.
  3. The very first step is to mount the fence on the T-slot guides, and screw on the large knurled handles.
  4. Notice that the fence can be adjusted over a large angle, made possible by the long slots on the bottom extrusion.
  5. The T-slots allow installation of the fence either parallel to the Unifence and the saw blade on the Unisaw, or parallel to the fence rail on the table saw. You have the choice on how to install it, depending on your current project.
  6. The telescoping plastic fence halves can be moved in close to the bit, to provide almost zero-clearance to the router bit. They are held in place by the anodized extruded fence base.
  7. Although I have never been a fan of using a router table as a jointer, the fence comes with two shims, which can be inserted behind the outfeed plastic half, to provide two jointer settings.
  8. For safety, the fence comes equipped with a nice, clear bit guard. There won’t be any excuse not to use it; unless, of course, you truly wish to defeat it.
  9. The clear plastic shields on the dust collection adapter (will) provide a very good idea how well the chips are moving out of the bit and into the collector. I was unable to try this, as no adapter came with the fence to allow hooking up the port to either a ShopVac or to a larger dust collector. I will be shopping for an adapter early Monday morning.
The video shows some of the details. I hope to use the table in use in the next installment.
  • Do you use a good fence on your router table?
  • Is it shop-made, or an industrial model?
  • Do you wish it was better, somehow?

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, Laguna Tools Tagged With: , , ,
March 1, 2011 By

The Laguna DriftMaster fence is no longer available at October 2010 prices

Reviewing old posts on the blog, I realize I must reconcile current pricing on the Laguna Tools’ DriftMaster with an old, October 2010 Special price available last year.

In October 2010 I announced that Laguna Tools was conducting a promotional special on the DriftMaster fence system. That was a limited-time, special, and strictly promotional pricing. For a short time you can buy the DriftMaster for $325 – a new promotion, and $70 off retail prices! In addition, Rockler and Woodcraft now carry the DriftMaster fence system.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

— Al Navas

The Laguna DriftMaster Fence.

Filed Under: Blog, Laguna Tools, Resaw fence, Tools Tagged With: , ,
June 7, 2010 By

First time using the Driftmaster fence

Recently I installed the Driftmaster fence from Laguna Tools on the band saw. I finally had a chance to try it out: yesterday I grabbed some walnut and some cherry laying around the shop, and started resawing thin pieces 90 to 100 mils thick (0.090″ to 0.100″). In the video below, I don’t talk much — I simply grabbed some wood, made some adjustments to the band saw and fence, and started slicing.

I knew from past experience that resawing on the band saw is demanding; for example, if the band saw is not set up properly to correct for drift, or if the blade tension is not set correctly, or the blade is not the right type, or… (you get the idea), the results of resawing will be less than acceptable. I have published in the past several articles on resawing on the band saw.

This has changed: A few months ago I bought a ¾-inch wide Resaw King blade from Laguna Tools; I reported results here. The second major change involves using the Driftmaster — Laguna Tools sent me a unit for evaluation; I installed it, and I am happy. Why? Because I can get terrific results in resawing, results like never before.

I always did the resawing by cutting the thin slices nearest the fence. With the Driftmaster, the thin slices now fall off on the right hand side, while the bulk of the wood rests against the fence. This is possible due to the micro-adjusting capability of the fence.

What does this mean? For one, the resawn pieces are quite even in thickness, typically within 0.005″ (five thousands of an inch!) across the width and the length of the cut pieces. The new fence allows adjustment for drift very easily; in fact, the built-in cam is designed to do this without the use of any tools. Once installed and adjusted, the Driftmaster is a great accessory on my 17-inch Grizzly band saw.

Disclosure: Laguna Tools is a sponsor of my blog. On occasion, I receive tools and other components for evaluation; I maintain total editorial freedom of the comments and reviews I present on the blog. Plain and simple, I never receive or accept cash for anything I review. You also must know that I don’t receive any income if you click on the links I provide for any of my sponsors or Affiliates; the only source of income I receive is from Google-sponsored ads, and from actual purchases through my Affiliates (a small percentage of the purchase price).

Download this episode in *.avi format
In Windows, Right-click | Save Link As…
Duration: 8:36 minutes (Size: 166 MB)

In a future episode I will cover in detail how I use the Driftmaster in the shop. Meanwhile, you can watch the four videos on this fence at the Laguna Tools video web page for the fence system; simply click on the video tab for the page.

All the music in the video is courtesy of my friend, Jason Riley.

— Al Navas

Filed Under: Blog, Resaw fence, Tools, Video Tagged With: , , ,