For a set of bookshelfs I decided to slice up a 4*8 sheet of cabinet grade plywood.
First I broke down what would form the sides I intended the shelves to be 6 inches deep for DVDs and 45 inches tall.
Using a 48x27 inch sheet cut out of the larger board I routed out the dados and rabbets while a single sheet so I was sure every thing would line up. I set my table saw to 6 inches and started cutting me sides blissfully confident that my rip fence would let me make consistent sides and shelves.
what I got was a set of oddly bowed and tapered boards.
I think what happened is I was applying too much side pressure against the fence causing the cheap fence on my contractors saw to flex out on the rear of the saw.
I know my fence is normally straight and I also know I can push the back about 1/2 an inch
What can I do to mitigate this? Can I clamp the rear of the fence safely?