Powered Fence Pushers for Sliding Table Saws
Woodworkers speak highly of automated fence setups on sliders. September 26, 2009
Question
Tigerstop makes a fence pusher that you can put on an Altendorf sliding tablesaw. I am familiar with the Tigerstop that travels on the sliding side but have never seen the one for the fence side of the blade work. Can anybody fill in the blanks here? Does it work for you? What exactly is the mechanism that drives the fence?
Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor J:
I have an older TigerRip fence installed on a SawStop table saw with Biesemeyer type fence. It uses an acme type screw to move the fence and a pneumatic cylinder to lock and unlock the fence lever. Sorry, I don't know about the newer models...
From the original questioner:
Thanks. How well does it work? Do you think it would push an Altendorf type fence without binding?
From contributor J:
I had a Razorgauge rep in my shop a couple of weeks ago who used to work for Tigerstop. He said that on old rusty Altendorfs, the system had issues because the lever action tends to shift the fence slightly, which kicks the Tigerstop into re-adjusting itself. On a smooth gliding fence that is adjusted to stay close to parallel as it moves on the rail, this is not an issue. But as a solid wood guy, I do not have much experience on a slider and none on an Altendorf.
From contributor J:
Oh, and mine works very well.
From contributor A:
I ran a Paolini slider for several years with a power slider on the rip side. I was not sure of how useful it was going to be because I had a very standardized cutting setup with the old saw. Within weeks I was creating new cutting orders and saving myself great amounts of time and energy. The biggest benefit is being able to reset back to an exact measurement whenever desired.
There was a long metal bar with teeth running perpendicular to the blade and a moter with matching teeth and a swing over arm. It was easy to calibrate and seldom went out of alignment, but I would check every morning anyway. The biggest benefit is being able to tell it where to go and it listens! Great investment and I would not go back.
From contributor H:
I have had mine for 4 years on a Casolin Digit slider. Love it! Easy to learn and use and deadly accurate. The new models come with their own fence, which replaces the one on your saw and is easier to set up. It spoils you for anything else.
From contributor B:
I've had one for 10 years and counting on an F-45 Altendorf. It's the best money spent since the saw. Mine is belt drive and dead accurate and has no trouble moving the factory fence. It takes about 3 hours to install and calibrate it. It required no modifications. I also have the Tigerstop that goes on the left side on the slider and love it. I highly recommend both.
