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Fig. 1

This build log describes how I made some stops that I use on power tools that have fences. Two are shown above in both the up and down positions. They are similar to many other designs out there, but mine were made mostly from materials on hand as I had the aluminum rod and wooden dowel already collecting dust. I ended up making a pair for my mitersaw stand (flip top), my drill press table fence, and my router table fence.


Fig. 2

The heart of the design is the barrel. I made these from a one foot length of 1 inch diameter aluminum rod, upon which I used my mill to form a flat surface and drilled a 1/4 hole straight down into the center of the flat. It is certainly possible to make these with only a grinder and a file if you don't have a mill but have some elbow grease on hand. I then cut each one from the rod as shown above on the right. I then chucked each one in my mini lathe (just one of those HF lathes I bought used off Craigslist) and drilled a hole in the end to accommodate a 1/4-20 tap. Again, this could be done with some careful layout and drilling on a drill press if you don't have a lathe.


Fig. 3

After tapping the end hole and doing a bit of sanding, voila! - the finished barrel.


Fig. 4

I prefer handles that tighten to engage the whole hand rather than just relying on fingers in the case of a star knob, but you could certainly use or make a star knob here if you prefer that. You could also make a much more ergonomic handle on a lathe if you wanted to get further down the rabbit hole, but the above is what I settled on.

To make the handles, I cut 3 1/4 inch lengths of one inch wooden dowel, and drilled out an end pocket with a 3/4 inch Forstner bit. I then drilled a 1/4 inch hole down through the center of the handle. I then widened the hole to 3/8 for about 1/2 inch deep into the pocket to accommodate the sleeve of the t-nut. After inserting the t-nut, I sanded the handle to the shape shown on the far right, above. I then sprayed on a coat of satin poly, not shown.


Fig. 5

Above shows all of the parts for each stop. The arm, shown above on the left, was cut, filed, and sanded to shape (length depends on the height of your fence) and drilled with a 1/4 inch drill bit. A section of threaded rod was then cut and screwed into the side of the barrel using some permanent threadlocker. The arm was sandwiched by two 1 inch diameter HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) washers and then two regular washers (1 inch diameter with a 1/4 inch hole), all held in place with a nylock nut.

The reason for the HDPE washers is that when the nylock is tightened to just the right amount, they allow the arm to flip up and down, but yet it stays put whereever you leave it. You can also use teflon for this, but the HDPE washers work well and the best part is that they were free - I cut them from the wall of a milk jug.

To use the stop, the head of the 4 inch bolt slides into the T-track, and the assembled barrel with the attached arm comes down over it, followed by the handle - slide to position, tighten the handle, and Bob's your uncle!


Thanks for viewing this build log!

Comments may be sent to gary at liming daught org.