Looking at some of the cheap rip fences on table saws in the local
hardware store, I see why they are too flimsy to be useful. I wonder if
anyone would tell me why rip fences are not much wider (to reduce the
play in the angle at the blade) and 2. use cheap formica instead of
teflon to make the fence easier to slide along the table?
Thanks in advance.
regards,
Hasan
JackD wrote:
>
>
> The answer to your question is in your question itself.
> See the phrase "cheap rip fences".
> Wider is not cheaper.
But AFAIK a fence has to be stiff, and not strong. So surely a truss
can be wide, cheap and use less material than a solid plate.
I wonder why they don't use thin plates for the rest of the saw table
with trusses running underneath. That design would weigh less than a
solid plate, weigh a lot less and may be even stiffer (less deflections).
> Teflon is not cheaper than laminate.
Formica is cheaper than teflon. Most amateur telescope makers use it
for supporting their monster telescopes, and it slides with little
friction, but has with just enough static friction to keep the scope
steady when it needs to be.
> Most of the time you don't get what you don't pay for.
When there are clever engineering solutions to problems at hand, then if
technology comes into play you can sometimes expect pay an order of
magnitude less for similar quality than what you used to. Telescopes
used to be thousands of dollar monsters, but now telescopes much larger
are being built by amateurs for prices impossible to imagine in the old
days. They're still expensive, but not impossible to afford to build
like they were previously.
> In fact that corollary to the more familiar "You get what you pay for" is
> probably more accurate.
>
Hasan
> Looking at some of the cheap rip fences on table saws in the local
> hardware store, I see why they are too flimsy to be useful. I wonder if
> anyone would tell me why rip fences are not much wider (to reduce the
> play in the angle at the blade) and 2. use cheap formica instead of
> teflon to make the fence easier to slide along the table?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> regards,
> Hasan
The answer to your question is in your question itself.
See the phrase "cheap rip fences".
Wider is not cheaper.
Teflon is not cheaper than laminate.
Most of the time you don't get what you don't pay for.
In fact that corollary to the more familiar "You get what you pay for" is
probably more accurate.
-Jack
"Hasdrubal Hamilcar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Hqhjb.116948$ko%[email protected]...
>
>
> JackD wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > The answer to your question is in your question itself.
> > See the phrase "cheap rip fences".
> > Wider is not cheaper.
>
> But AFAIK a fence has to be stiff, and not strong. So surely a truss
> can be wide, cheap and use less material than a solid plate.
Trusses are harder to make. Cheaper to use a big hunk of cheap material.
> I wonder why they don't use thin plates for the rest of the saw table
> with trusses running underneath. That design would weigh less than a
> solid plate, weigh a lot less and may be even stiffer (less deflections).
Would it be cheaper? More parts usually means more assembly expense.
> > Teflon is not cheaper than laminate.
>
> Formica is cheaper than teflon.
Yeah, that is what I said.
> Most amateur telescope makers use it
> for supporting their monster telescopes, and it slides with little
> friction, but has with just enough static friction to keep the scope
> steady when it needs to be.
>
> > Most of the time you don't get what you don't pay for.
>
> When there are clever engineering solutions to problems at hand, then if
> technology comes into play you can sometimes expect pay an order of
> magnitude less for similar quality than what you used to. Telescopes
> used to be thousands of dollar monsters, but now telescopes much larger
> are being built by amateurs for prices impossible to imagine in the old
> days. They're still expensive, but not impossible to afford to build
> like they were previously.
I do not think that there is much room for new technology in cheap table
saws.
Besides if it is a lot better than the others, you can sell it for more and
it won't be cheap anymore.
> > In fact that corollary to the more familiar "You get what you pay for"
is
> > probably more accurate.
> >
>
> Hasan
>
"Hasdrubal Hamilcar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:L8gjb.115920$ko%[email protected]...
>
>
> Looking at some of the cheap rip fences on table saws in the local
> hardware store, I see why they are too flimsy to be useful. I wonder if
> anyone would tell me why rip fences are not much wider (to reduce the
> play in the angle at the blade) and
Well, cheap is built cheap.
2. use cheap formica instead of teflon to make the fence easier to slide
along the table?
Actually the formica is probably slicker than your saw table top and your
saw table top normally makes more contact with the wood your are ripping
than the fence does.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> regards,
> Hasan
>