Do It Yourself Table Saw Fence

I bought a small 10" table saw from skilsaw, and I really like it, but the table itself was too small for what I wanted to use it for, so I decided to make a larger table out of 3/4 inch plywood.  The holes in the table really made it easy to bolt the plywood down (using sunk holes of course).  The problem was that this made the fence useless, so I needed to make my own.  I played with a lot of ideas and looked for more online, and as always a simple solution arose as the best.

Step 1: Square Your Table

First thing you have to do is make sure the edges on the new table are perpendicular to the blade.  I did this by putting a level against the blade (be careful not to push against the blade), then a T-square and another level to keep the edges square to the blade.  This will also make sure your table edges are always the same length away from each other, even though with this design its not that important.  Once you have the edges square get the length of your table (from the front to the back).  Mine was 26 1/2 inches.

Step 2: Cut the Pieces

First, cut the main 2x4.  Make it at least a 1/2 longer than the table.  So I cut mine to 27 inches.  Most 2x4's have routed edges, so I took an eighth inch off the bottom so the 2x4 is square against the table.  Next, cut a 5 inch length of 2x4 in half widthwise (so it will be to 2x2's).  Those two pieces will be screwed to the end of the fence, so that all the excess will be on the bottom.  I used 3 inch deck screws, and countersunk for the heads.  Make sure they're heavy duty, because you'll be prying against that every time you tighten the fence.  You can screw on the back piece now, but wait until later to attach the front one.  Now line up the front piece, and mark where you can put a hole so that you will be screwing against the table, and not underneath it. 

Step 3: Insert the Threaded Rod

I took these screw-in nuts out of an old piece of furniture, but you can buy them at any hardware store.  The press in ones work well too, but they require a large spade bit too make it flush.  I also had to break a C-clamp for this threaded rod set-up, which is sad, but you can't make an omelette.....  You also make this set-up by getting a threaded rod, flat knob, and steel dowel (requires drilling a hole in the threaded rod, which is tricky).  Now I drilled a 1/2 inch hole in the front 2x2 and screwed in the screw-in nut using a large hex key.  Next put the threaded rod set-up into the nut, screw on the front 2x2 with two deck screws, and you're done!!  I marked off the table with rulings in pencil, which seems pretty temporary, but I'll fight that battle later.