rockfish wrote:

My father gave me his TS for Christmas. He didn't use it much and I
sure can put it to use. I'm re-setting it up per the manual. It's and
older Craftsman 10". It needs some TLC, a neww belt, and could really
use a new fence. I have been woodworking for a shile and have had more
time than money so I have looked at just about every fence out there.
T-square, Beisemeyer, Vega, Accusquare (and the Rockler clone), HTC,
Jet, Incra, Powermatic, most all of them. I have noticed some
commonalities and some differences. They seem to either be aluminum of
steel with an overlay of some laminate of composite material. They
seem to either have aluminium or steel rails. Some have
"micro-adjusters" and some do not. Some have a lever lock and at
least one hase a turn-knob lock.
I am in search of experiences and rational argeuments as to which
brand or features I will find most usefull/accurate/pleasureable to
use. My criteria are simple: Accurate, I want to set it up then
slide the fence to a increment I specify and cut exactly that
increment. Solid: If it moves when you bang it with lumber, it's
useless. Price: comes in third, but still matters. Dimensions: This
is for a contractors saw, but I want at least 40" to the right and
12" to the left. That's about it. Looking forward to any experiences
and resources you can provide.
Thanks,
Rockfish


So thanks a lot for all the suggestions. One thing y'all have confirmed
is that I need a better fence AND you can spend a lot of money but if
you don't spend the time to set it all up, you are just wastin both.

With that in mind I spent some time on setting up the saw and doing it
without buying anything except a good sharp blade. I found and
corrected the following:

The table (mitre slots) were not parallel with the blade. fixed.

The mitre guage, shich y'all have advised and I agree need replacing,
was not at 90 degrees. It is now. Luckily there is not much slop in the
slots.

90 degrees on the tilt was not 90 degrees to the table. Is now.

The pulleys were not running on the same plane. They are now.

The motor shaft was not parallel with the arbor drive shaft. It is now.

The fence, such as it is, had a number of things that need(ed) tweaking
to get best performance for the design. Still working that.

Extension tables neither flat nor level with main table. Are now.

The belt is stiff and remains a cause for vibration. PowerTwist will be
on order soon.

All in all, the saw cuts a lot better now. I went to get a dial
indicator, but non I found had the accessories to get the job done
right. I passed on that for the time being and simply used by dial
calliber, roofing square, and a level to do my set up. I guess this
shows that time and care have a lot to do with how well your stuff
performs. Additional tools are good, and I will be getting a new fence
and a proper dial indicator, but just taking the time can make a
significant difference. Sort of like that NordicTrack sitting in my
bedroom, it's state of the art but won't lose me a pound unless I take
time to use it.

Thanks for all your advice.
Rockfish--