Rant: my router table fence slipped mid-cut and ate a $70 maple board

Was cutting a 3/4 inch rabbet on a maple rail for a face frame job down in my shop, and about two thirds of the way through the pass the fence on my router table shifted on me. Heard the bit grab, then the board kicked and I got a nice stair-step gouge right where the joint was supposed to sit. Board's junk now, that piece of hard maple ran me close to $70 and I had already milled it square. Turns out the two bolts holding the fence to the table had worked loose, and I never checked them because I always figured a factory fence stays put. I stood there for a minute just staring at it, then went through and snugged every bolt on that table. Now I'm wondering if I should just drill and tap it for bigger knobs, or bite the bullet and build a proper fixed fence with a T-track slot. Any of you run into a creeping fence like this, and what did you do to lock it down for good?

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miles7983d ago

Ouch, sounds like the shop gremlins demanded a maple tax today.

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