john moorhead wrote:

Folks -

Any Jet Cabinet Saw users/owners out there? How do y'all like the fence,
esp compared to a Bies. Amaz*n has the cab saw/router combo on sale today
for a nick over $1,600.... Feedback??

John Moorhead
Lakeport CA

I purchased the JTAS-10XL about two years ago. When I placed the order Jet
had just come out with the "Deluxe Commercial XactaFence with the
Micro-Adjust" fence (made by HTC and sold as their "Commercial Multi-Fence).
Although this fence was advertised on their web site, Jet technical support
knew nothing of this fence. I ordered it anyhow 'cuz it sounded neat.

The saw shipped with Jet's Home XactaFence. When the error was reported Jet
then sent the Commercial XactaFence. When I reported that it was still the
wrong fence they sent the proper Deluxe version fence. Jet DID NOT want any
of these three fences I received returned (plus Rockler gave me a $100 gift
certificate for the problems, but that's another story).

Here's the scoop on the fences:

All three are Biesemeyer clones. All three have UHMW side panels and a
magnified anti parallax cursor window.

The "Home" version is constructed of a lighter gauge steel than both of the
"Commercial" versions. The cam mechanism of this fence is not as beefy as the
others. That said the fence performs well. The side panels on this fence are
secured to the fence by bolts through the UHMW panels. I have found that this
mounting system slightly distorts the UHMW panels making them not perfectly
flat. This was only detected during alignment by using a dial indicator and
should not prove to be a problem (unless you're anal retentive, like me).
This fence was given to a friend for use on his Craftsman contractor saw. He
loves it and says it was a major improvement over the fence that came with his
saw.

The "Commercial" version is built like a tank and rock solid once properly
adjusted. In the short time I used the fence I did encounter a minor problem
with the small pads that ride on the front rail on the cam clamp. The
adhesive Jet used allowed them to slide around. I removed the pads, cleaned
them up and epoxied them in place. They no longer slide around. The side
panels are secured to the fence in the same manner as the "Home" version and
present the same "non-problem". This fence will be incorporated into my next
router table. Of the three fences this is the "work horse".

The "Deluxe Commercial XactaFence" uses the same heavy gauge steel as their
"Commercial" fence. The micro-adjust feature uses a saddle that rides the
rail that is "locked down" by tightening a spring loaded, quick lock lever.
Once this saddle is locked down, the fence can be micro-adusted by the 16 TPI
mechanism. The cam lever is then used to secure the fence once fine tuned.
Because of the micro-adjust feature this fence APPEARS to be less solid than
the straight "Commercial" fence. Despite its appearance, It's still rock
solid and is my preferred fence. The "Deluxe Commercial XactaFence" features
clip mounted UHMW side panels which can be quickly removed by "bumping" the
panels towards the front of the saw. This panel mounting system allows for
quickly switching over to a sacrificial fence, jigs, etc. The clips used to
mount these items can be purchased for about $8.00 per set. I've tricked this
fence out with "Board Buddies" and it will primarily remain on my saw.

In short, all three fences will serve the hobbyist well. It's a personal
thing, but on all three fences I do not like the magnified anti parallax
cursor window because I can't get used to the magnification (... are those
marks 1/8, 1/16 or what?).

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
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