Automatic Miter Saw Fence Stop

[Bellevue Woodshop]

I built this automatic fence stop for my miter saw station a couple of years ago.
It was built from salvaged parts only.

I am lucky to work in a field that has some dumpster diving opportunities

On this project I used a 2000mm long linearrail w/bearings, a servo motor and driver, some loose bearings, an AT10 belt an pulley setup (no backlash), an old discarded laptop with win xp, and a working touch monitor from the dumpster.
The only thing I purchase for this project was the 5 axis cnc driver board and a stepper driver off ebay at a total cost of aprox 10 usd.

I have a video on my youtube channel showing it in action, that you can check out in the bottom of the page.

Here is an overview of the system, with the custom interface shown:
I built the operating screen on the base of the open software mach 3, made for cnc.
I fitted my own functions, and graphics.

To use it it is just a matter of punching in the desired length of cut, and the fence will move to the correct position.
It also has the option to use a cutlist, containing multiple cut dimensions



This is a closeup of the linear rail and belt and pulley system.
It is hidden under a cover normally.



There is a homing switch to calibrate the system.



Each end of the rail has double bearing seated shaft and pulley.



The servomotor i mounted under the bench. Because this i a closed loop system, meaning it has position feedback,
it does not matter if you bang the fence, it will always get back to position.



I made a setup to check the accuracy with a dial indicator ( if you want to see more from the test, and its repeat-ability, check out the video)



Here you can watch a video of it in use:

Hope you found it interesting.

Best regards
Roy