LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

I've been wanting a micro-adjuster, but the ones for sale seemed expensive for the functionality, and the ones I had found plans for were fancy projects with t-track, dual fences, and the like. I knew there had to be a clean and simple way to get the same functionality without either paying an arm and a leg or spending two days in the shop. This is what I came up with.

Run a 3/8"-16 carriage bolt through a tee-nut in a scrap of plywood anchored to the side of the table. Make a place on the fence for the head of the carriage bolt to rest against, across the fence from the bit opening. Add a real handle to the other end of the bolt, instead of the acorn nut, which was all I had on hand.

Connect the fence and anchor for the bolt with a spring to maintain tension against the bolt head. My fence pivots on one end; if you have sliding fence you may have to make adjustments to the design.

Now turn the bolt 1 turn for each 1/16" adjustment you want, or a quarter-turn for 1/64". It also makes sneaking up on a perfect fit easier and big bits you want to cut in several passes are made as simple as turning a knob between passes. Total cost: a spring and some other bits from the scrap pile and the hardware drawer.

I made mine removable for those times I use the table without the fence.

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
626 Posts
Hellofagood idea. The spring is a excellent add on.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,183 Posts
Pretty slick.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,833 Posts
That'll work, well done.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
77 Posts
Nice, simple and functional. Good job.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,179 Posts
Just exactly what I needed , I had been over thinking how to do this after seeing some of the ones for sale.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
0 Posts
Sweet thinking outside the box.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,911 Posts
Including this on the table I am building right now.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
4,714 Posts
Good project, for better results in your shop!

I see that you are a believer in the KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid, principle!


A U.S. Navy acronym from the 1960's!

The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complex; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson (1910-1990). Wikipedia
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1 Posts
The spring isn't just an add on. It is an essential feature if you want accuracy. The Tee nut and bolt will have a lot of backlash. The spring takes up that backlash so the fence stays at the same place when the knob is turned to the same place.

This is extremely clever in it's simplicity.

Paul A.

Hellofagood idea. The spring is a excellent add on.

- Mark
 
Top