I used to swear by pre-tensioning my table saw fence, but not anymore

I finally saw the before-and-after difference on some 3/4 inch plywood rips. Over three test cuts, skipping the pre-tension gave me cleaner edges with zero drift. Anybody else find that trick actually introduces more problems than it solves?

2 comments

2 Comments

henry19628d ago

Wait, people actually pre-tension their fence? Ive been doing it wrong this whole time apparently. That's wild that it actually made things worse for you though.

-2

daniel_martinez9227d ago

I hear you on the "that's wild" part, but I'd push back on the idea that pre-tensioning is always a bad move. In my experience, if your ground is super soft like sandy soil, pre-tensioning can actually help the fence settle evenly rather than sag in random spots later. I tried it on a chainlink section last year and it held up fine through a windy spring, no issues at all. The trick is not to go overboard with the tension like I see some people do with a come-along. Just a light snug, then let the posts and concrete do their thing. Your mileage may vary depending on what you're working with.