Which fence system?

[johntarr]

Does anyone have experience with fence systems?
I've been looking at the Benchdogs system and the UJK System.
Interested in feedback from anyone who has used those or is aware of others.

 

[afish]

honestly Im not a huge fan of either. if i had to choose i would pick the benchdogs. having a piece that extends under the track is a must. I know the ujk has the disk but im not sold on it.  the benchdog hinge also looks like it acts as a backup to the fence extension which I like.  what I don like about either is I noticed there was some slop in the dogs that hold the fence.  Thats a no go for me. I want rock solid fence and hinge.  I would want dogs I can tighten down like the tso power lock.  I used 80/20 with right angle brackets into anchor dogs and 8mm screw before the power dogs came out. I would be using those if doing it today.

 

[MikeGE]

I made my own fence using a length of 30x60mm aluminum extrusion and four (two sets) of Fence Dogs by Benchdogs.  The part of the fence that extends under the FS 1400/2 guide rail is 10mm high.  The fence is rock steady.

 

[afish]

[member=70363]MikeGE[/member] do you secure the dogs with screws/knobs from underneath the MFT? I saw a video from benchdogs and it looked like there was some slop without extra securing from underneath. It all depends on the users need. my MFT was also my tablesaw outfeed so I needed a way to remove/install very quickly.  If it is a dedicated cut station and the fence didnt need o come on off constantly then screwing from underneath isnt an issue.  Eitherway having the option of threaded base on the dogs like the bench dogs have is a must in my book.  I never really understood the tall fence on a mft I prefer low and wide but to each their own. nice job on the 80/20 extension.  anyone who hasnt tried cutting even medium sized pieces with a fence without it doesnt know how vital that little extra piece is. 

 

[festal]

I have benchdogsuk 2.1 fence and it comes with under rail support milled, not attachable like 2.0 version.  No complaints.

[member=73094]afish[/member] I'm using fencedogs to secure my fence into 20mm holes and there is no play once the fence is locked.  I'm using 3 fence dogs

 

[Hotwheels]

honestly Im not a huge fan of either. if i had to choose i would pick the benchdogs. having a piece that extends under the track is a must. I know the ujk has the disk but im not sold on it.  the benchdog hinge also looks like it acts as a backup to the fence extension which I like.  what I don like about either is I noticed there was some slop in the dogs that hold the fence.  Thats a no go for me. I want rock solid fence and hinge.  I would want dogs I can tighten down like the tso power lock.  I used 80/20 with right angle brackets into anchor dogs and 8mm screw before the power dogs came out. I would be using those if doing it today.

Can you explain the purpose/value of having the piece that extends under the track/rail?  Thanks

 

[afish]

its muuuuuch more stable of a cut. without it you have about 7" unsupported.  having the fence support stop that far back creates a pivot point so as the saw starts to push through the wood it wants to pivot the piece which pulls the part away from the fence on he far left side.  cutting large or longer pieces isnt an issue but once you get id say under 24 inches its an issue.

It depends on how the MFT is going to be used too. is it for shop use only and will be used for batch cutting cabinet parts, if so a rock solid fence and good rail hinge is best. If we are talking a more portable unit that will be used more for site work and installs where most of the cuts are made o a pencil mark and dont require dead square cuts then just dogs is fine.

 

[MikeGE]

[member=70363]MikeGE[/member] do you secure the dogs with screws/knobs from underneath the MFT? I saw a video from benchdogs and it looked like there was some slop without extra securing from underneath. It all depends on the users need. my MFT was also my tablesaw outfeed so I needed a way to remove/install very quickly.  If it is a dedicated cut station and the fence didnt need o come on off constantly then screwing from underneath isnt an issue.  Eitherway having the option of threaded base on the dogs like the bench dogs have is a must in my book.  I never really understood the tall fence on a mft I prefer low and wide but to each their own. nice job on the 80/20 extension.  anyone who hasnt tried cutting even medium sized pieces with a fence without it doesnt know how vital that little extra piece is.

[member=73094]afish[/member], I don't use the screws or knobs to secure the fence to the worktop.  I could if it was necessary, since the end of the Fence Dogs are slightly recessed on the bottom surface of the worktop.  However, with four Fence Dogs holding the fence, it doesn't move unless I apply a LOT of horizontal force to the top of the fence.

I could have used a 30x30mm extrusion for the fence, but the top of the Fence Dogs would extend above the fence.  I added more photos showing my fence.

Here is a closeup showing how each Fence Dog attaches to the 30x60mm fence rail.  The milled slot in the Fence Dog doesn't allow me to use two M6 screws to attach it to the fence rail, but I discovered I didn't need a second screw.

Here is a photo showing the four Fence Dogs attached to the rail.

Here is a photo showing the back of the fence and the four Fence Dogs without the guide rail.  With the fence in the position shown, the maximum crosscut width is about 90cm; however, most of my cuts have been less than this, so I move the fence closer to the center of the worktop so I don't have to reach so far.  I used the UJK Parf II kit to cut the holes in my worktop and the Fence Dogs drop nicely into any row of holes without adjustment.

 

[Peter_C]

What's wrong with the fence the MFT comes with? The Bench Dog or some other system can be used to mount it instead of the angle miter bracket.

I went a different route using Woodpeckers track and Precision Rail Dogs. Very quick to remove and install, with zero adjustments required. To set the rail location two dogs gets placed in the field, then the fence is used as a spacer to check that the rail is square. Quick and easy to verify accuracy. Eventually a tape measure was installed and there are multiple ways to set zero. There is also a fence that can be used on the offcut side, and I reversed a couple of stops to be used on the offcut side. To me not having a fence on the offcut side was the biggest downfall of the factory fence.

[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]