Fix your Table Saw's BIGGEST Weakness And save £275

The greatness in this video wasn’t so much the end result, but the journey of designing and prototyping and iterating. Something I am constantly doing myself (in the process of making videos of course). The way you take the viewer through your thought process was brilliant, well done.

Cool idea, but at the cost of ply, just get a piece of aluminum extrusion and use it for the straight edge then build your own supports and such off it. Be more accurate, way lighter, stiffer, and likely the same $ if not cheaper in the long run. Also, never clamp directly to the stock fence. They are generally hollow and you can damage them with the clamp shoe denting it. Use a thin piece of what ever full coverage to spread the pressure along the face of the aluminum 😢

“It’s the fantastic acting that brings you back, isn’t it?” 😂😂😂 Yeah - no. Great video. Funnily enough, I’ve been planning to build one of these, so your timing is perfect!

Oh, that Bow XT Extender fence is so worth the money. The fence platform is dead flat and so easy to install/remove/store. It has T-slots that allow for easily attaching custom made jigs such as a sliding tenon jig, attaching an L-fence, tall fence for aiding resawing, etc. I can also use the same fence on my bandsaw which is so helpful for resawing long boards. And I can’t say enough about the Bow featherboards- They are superior to the ones with hard plastic tines and perform as good as the fence roller that you featured. Yes- I could have ripped off their design and made this fence myself , but I have a small shop and the Bow fence stores easily hanging on the wall. I already use dovetail clamps for attaching jigs. A sheet of Baltic Birch plywood in my area is $90 You could easily save $40 by making the feed supports which would require a couple scraps of plywood and about $10 of hardware. So for me- it was worth the $$$ and saving my time to make stuff instead of making the fence jig from scratch.

I really struggle to cut sheet goods on the tablesaw and have been looking for a solution. This fence with its little support area is the perfect solution. Thanks for sharing.

You kept on mentioning bang good whilst I was watching this in the kitchen. My partner made a rare appearance in the kitchen to see what the heck I was watching. 😂

Your videos (always good) just keep getting better! Seeing the whole process, failures and different prototypes included, really resonate with me. You take a very real problem for woodworkers and walk us through a journey to a viable, affordable solutions! Thank you so much!

I've been wanting to make a fence extension. Thanks for sharing your failures and successes; those will make it easier for me to build one.

"I needed to fail in order to succeed." No truer words have been said, and is one of the annoying aspects of making, but also leads to what makes making a fruitful endeavor. This extension would have been so useful back when I had that exact saw. I remember wrestling sheet goods and long rip cuts and how challenging they were without a second pair of hands. Great solution Mark

Great video. I appreciate the messups! Very helpful. I like mdf (rather than plywood) for these purposes because it is dimensionally stable.

This is genius, added to the “need to build” list!

I went through the same thing recently. I ended up using (POWERTEC 71223 Multi T-Tracks | 36” Long - 3”) and (DCT 5 Star Knobs Kit 1/4in-20 Threaded Knob, Bolt with Knob) to fit my support pieces made from plywood. I use my tracksaw clamps to attach it to my fence. Perfectly plumb straight and attachment friendly. Total cost= Approximately $56 from amazon. I've read some negatives about the Bow system besides the price. Like the track channel isn't standard, and they are sometimes not straight, so that's why I went another route. Always very much enjoy your videos. You add the perfect dose of humor which gets me smiling every time. Thank you.

What an awesome start to Sunday. I love the way you 'overcome and conquer' issues along the way. Great video and excellent result. The proof in the pudding (only 0.3mm variation) is good enough for me. Thank you 😊

Mark, I have an 8" Delta contractor saw I've had for about 20-25 years. I bought this saw because most of my cuts are in 2" or less stock & 8" blades were way cheaper than an equivalent 10". Now you can't buy an 8" blade here, but I've accumulated 5 or 6 carbide blades.so I should be all set there. I still have an old 10" Sears table saw & a used 10' chop saw. Even on my 8" Delta, the fence was/is the weakest item. The fence is made with length of rectangular steel tubing, way shorter than useful. I drilled three holes through its length so I could attach a longer 4" wide piece of 3/4" oak It does work okay but is too heavy. Earlier this year I saw some literature on the Bow fence. They look nice but I'm not going to invest more on a fence than the saw cost new. I'm going to try a narrower width of this time 1/2" plywood to cut the weight down. I bought a pair of special clamps so this strip, or any strip, is easily removed. To use these clamps you drill two, I think 3/8", holes in the top edge of the wood strip. Made of steel rod, one end has a length bent downward to go in the drilled holes. The other end of the clamp is bent to go over the top of the fence & down it's backside. On the backside is a screw with a knob to tighten everything up. If this doesn't work as I expect, I'll still have the piece of oak. I use now. I'll just narrow it up to remove some of its weight. This saw i not built into a cabinet, so I'm thinking of running the fence strip long on both ends so I can attach resting pads level with the table surface on the bottom each end. I could look for a lighter weight hardwood to use rather than the plywood or think of a way to lighted the oak. I don't have a clockmaker's Forstner bit but a hole saw could work in strategic places. Good video Mark & a subject I have thought of often lately. I'm starting to look around for an economical track saw that would eliminate most of my use for a table saw. See you in the next video.

I love that you show the full process, mistakes and all

A length of aluminium box section is a lot less hassle.

I don’t now nor will I ever be likely to own a table saw, but I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Brilliant demonstration of the constant problem solving involved with woodworking.

Great video, and really enjoying seeing your thought process and mistakes/improvements. Having said that, I think I’ll just buy the bow fence extension. Reckon I could earn that kind of money in a day and therefore it pays for itself

Great video as always Mark I have the same DeWalt contractor saw and I’m planning on building an out feed table with the saw built right in just like you did after I move. I’ve also been thinking about the fence love the look of the Bow system but just can’t see spending the money either. So I will definitely be rewatching your video and making my own. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep up the great job.

I've recently taken a deep dive into woodworking and this video is a bit of fresh air! Working wood is not machining metal. Sub mm tolerances nuts to me.