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

I had really a really good experience with the vega on a craftsman. It was a
28" model, but I'm willing to bet that they have a flavor that meets your
needs. I would buy one again in a moment.

IIRC it's near the bottom of the spectrum of aftermarket fences pricewise.

Here is important thing... *all* the aftermarket fences put the original
carftman fence of the 80's/90's to shame. The difference between the
aftermarkets is minimal compared to the difference from the original.

Beis, Vega, Uni, HTC... They will all perform well.

-Steve



"rockfish" wrote in message
ink.net...
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

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:09:29 GMT, "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
==========================
Well I ordered my Jet Cabinet saw gosh almost 20 years ago now...(how
time flies) and I ordered it with the optional Home Shop Bies
fence...(Delta did not own Biesmeyer at that time and it was an
upgrage option from Jet)...

To be very honest I have NOT looked at fences since... I use my saw
allot and I can not remember when I last adjusted it ...I do know it
has been more then a year...its solid... !

The homeshop is just a little less expensive then the Commercial
version..the fence itself is only 36 or so inches long (but most
tablesaws are only 27 inches deep)..the commercial version is 40+
inches and the rails are bigger...and in MY opinion the rails I have
are not small...

I also offset the rails to the left...as I wanted 20 or so inches to
the left and still have 42 inches to the right... the rails are really
close to 6 foot long..

I have absolutely no need for a microadjusting fence... I can bump it
with the best of them... lol !

Seriously I love the thing and I was also serious when I said I
stopped looking at fences the day I first used the Bies...

Bob G.

In deciding, keep in mind that Vega's customer service does not have a
stellar reputation.

Biesemeyer, on the other hand, is professional.

FWIW.

Chuck

Rockfish,

I have the Accusquare on my older Craftsman 10" saw and absolutely love
it. I like the fact that it has T-slots all around which makes
featherboards or just about any other jig easy to mount. Installation
on the saw was a breeze and the double cursor makes the fence easy to
set for a cut. About the only drawback is that the lock is a turn knob
but I've gotten used to it. As another poster said, any aftermarket
fence is a vast improvement over the Craftsman fence. I like the price
in the Accusquare too, I just couldn't justify spending more money on a
fence to be installed on a contractors saw. Whatever decision you make,
I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Ditto what Chuck says. Vega makes some good stuff, but it's a very
small operation, and they make it clear that they don't want to spend
time with you after a sale. As long as they still manufacture your
model, you can still get parts if you get lucky with their customer
service. If it's out of production, forget it.

H

Keep watch on eBay. I found a nice Delta fence there which was a vast
improvement over the Craftsman fence.

Walt C

"Bob G." wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:09:29 GMT, "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
==========================
Well I ordered my Jet Cabinet saw gosh almost 20 years ago now...(how
time flies) and I ordered it with the optional Home Shop Bies
fence...(Delta did not own Biesmeyer at that time and it was an
upgrage option from Jet)...

To be very honest I have NOT looked at fences since... I use my saw
allot and I can not remember when I last adjusted it ...I do know it
has been more then a year...its solid... !

The homeshop is just a little less expensive then the Commercial
version..the fence itself is only 36 or so inches long (but most
tablesaws are only 27 inches deep)..the commercial version is 40+
inches and the rails are bigger...and in MY opinion the rails I have
are not small...

I also offset the rails to the left...as I wanted 20 or so inches to
the left and still have 42 inches to the right... the rails are really
close to 6 foot long..

I have absolutely no need for a microadjusting fence... I can bump it
with the best of them... lol !

Seriously I love the thing and I was also serious when I said I
stopped looking at fences the day I first used the Bies...

Bob G.

I agree the Biesmeyer is a quality fence but Delta owns both the Biesmeyer
and their own Unifence. The Unifence is usually about $50 cheaper than the
Bies which puts it in the range of the Home shop Bies. For a one man shop
the Unifence offers a lot more options (pulling the fence back for cut-offs
and managing sheetgoods, two different profiles, the ability to raise the
fence off the table to avoid sawdust buildup against the fence, easier to
adjust than the Bies, and easily retrofits to any saw. Some say its not as
sturdy but it boast the same 64th accuracy and I think if you're slamming
things that hard against the fence your biggest worry isn't the fence
moving. Be prepared to spend around $300 but its definately worth a look.
And as for spending that much on a contractor saw, well I have one on a
sears contractor (great fence waiting for a real saw to show up some day)
and I think the fence affects the quality of your work much more than the
rest of the saw as long as trunions can be aligned and the arbor doesn't
have runout.

Also take a look at Delta's new low-end fence, the T2. Its similar to the
Bies home shop in design and size, maybe not quite as sturdy, but a good
little fence for around $200.

BTW, I know of a cabinet shop owner who bought one of those trick fences
with a micro-adjuster and his workers broke the damn thing off about the 3rd
day.

"Bob G." wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:09:29 GMT, "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
==========================
Well I ordered my Jet Cabinet saw gosh almost 20 years ago now...(how
time flies) and I ordered it with the optional Home Shop Bies
fence...(Delta did not own Biesmeyer at that time and it was an
upgrage option from Jet)...

To be very honest I have NOT looked at fences since... I use my saw
allot and I can not remember when I last adjusted it ...I do know it
has been more then a year...its solid... !

The homeshop is just a little less expensive then the Commercial
version..the fence itself is only 36 or so inches long (but most
tablesaws are only 27 inches deep)..the commercial version is 40+
inches and the rails are bigger...and in MY opinion the rails I have
are not small...

I also offset the rails to the left...as I wanted 20 or so inches to
the left and still have 42 inches to the right... the rails are really
close to 6 foot long..

I have absolutely no need for a microadjusting fence... I can bump it
with the best of them... lol !

Seriously I love the thing and I was also serious when I said I
stopped looking at fences the day I first used the Bies...

Bob G.

Max Mahanke wrote:
I agree the Biesmeyer is a quality fence but Delta owns both the Biesmeyer
and their own Unifence. The Unifence is usually about $50 cheaper than the
Bies which puts it in the range of the Home shop Bies. For a one man shop
the Unifence offers a lot more options (pulling the fence back for cut-offs
and managing sheetgoods, two different profiles, the ability to raise the
fence off the table to avoid sawdust buildup against the fence, easier to
adjust than the Bies, and easily retrofits to any saw. Some say its not as
sturdy but it boast the same 64th accuracy and I think if you're slamming
things that hard against the fence your biggest worry isn't the fence
moving. Be prepared to spend around $300 but its definately worth a look.
And as for spending that much on a contractor saw, well I have one on a
sears contractor (great fence waiting for a real saw to show up some day)
and I think the fence affects the quality of your work much more than the
rest of the saw as long as trunions can be aligned and the arbor doesn't
have runout.

Also take a look at Delta's new low-end fence, the T2. Its similar to the
Bies home shop in design and size, maybe not quite as sturdy, but a good
little fence for around $200.

BTW, I know of a cabinet shop owner who bought one of those trick fences
with a micro-adjuster and his workers broke the damn thing off about the 3rd
day.

"Bob G." wrote in message
...

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 02:09:29 GMT, "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

==========================
Well I ordered my Jet Cabinet saw gosh almost 20 years ago now...(how
time flies) and I ordered it with the optional Home Shop Bies
fence...(Delta did not own Biesmeyer at that time and it was an
upgrage option from Jet)...

To be very honest I have NOT looked at fences since... I use my saw
allot and I can not remember when I last adjusted it ...I do know it
has been more then a year...its solid... !

The homeshop is just a little less expensive then the Commercial
version..the fence itself is only 36 or so inches long (but most
tablesaws are only 27 inches deep)..the commercial version is 40+
inches and the rails are bigger...and in MY opinion the rails I have
are not small...

I also offset the rails to the left...as I wanted 20 or so inches to
the left and still have 42 inches to the right... the rails are really
close to 6 foot long..

I have absolutely no need for a microadjusting fence... I can bump it
with the best of them... lol !

Seriously I love the thing and I was also serious when I said I
stopped looking at fences the day I first used the Bies...

Bob G.





My Grizzly ZF series contractor's saw came with an upgraded Shop Fox Fence.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G4722

I bought it about 8 years ago and added the long set of rails. This is
the only fence I have used since my old 8" Sears table saw that the
Grizzly replaced, so can't really compare it to the Beis or Vega. I know
that it has performed flawlessly since I've owned it and it STAYS in
alignment. The only time I had to readjust it was when I went back and
readjusted it to be dead on with the miter slot and blade instead of the
1/64th off recommend by some folks. Only minor complaint I have is that
you have to remove a screw and rubber stop from the end of the rail to
remove it. But, with the long rails, that isn't needed very often (in
fact I can't remember the last time). This might be a problem for
someone who can't accomadate the long rails in their shop and needs to
remove the fence a LOT, but it actually only takes a few moments in any
case. Or, you can use it without the stop, but you have to remember not
to slide it off the end.

I remember when I was buying the saw and deciding on whether to get the
upgraded fence, one of the ww mags had a review of fences and it was
viewed quite favorably. Only complaint I remember was that it was a
little tedious to set up the first time.

-jj

--
Remove BOB to email me

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--

Oneway makes a great jig and dial indicator for setting tablesaws,
jointer blades, etc. It's actually good enough to use for metalwork
setup which requires a lot more precision than wood. About $ 80.

rockfish wrote:

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--