A word about beismeyer.

[Doug Carpenter]

Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

[Kent A Bathurst]

[QUOTE=Doug Carpenter;1227655] It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.
QUOTE]

heh-heh-heh - I've apparently had the same problem on occasion since Day 1.

[Stephen Edwards]

Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

That's a great story. It's nice of you to share that with us. Obviously, the gentleman made a long lasting impression on you, as did the quality of the product. Thanks for sharing!

[Joe Jensen]

Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

I have a similar story. I had a Biesemeyer on an old Unisaw I built. There was a sticker on it that said Mesa was the headquarters, just 5 miles from my house. When I bought a PM66, I could only order it with standard rails and I wanted longer rails. I called the local factory to ask if they would sell the rails (to save shipping). The guy on the phone asked why I wanted jut the rails and he said just bring the short ones and he'd swap them. When I got there, it was Mr Biesemeyer. Back before the fence he was a farmer and woodworker who was frustrated by the bump and measure fences of the day so like a farmer, he built his own. Really nice guy, and the didn't even charge me for the upgraded rails. :) This would have been 1990

[John Schreiber]

I was told once that he didn't patent his design and could have made a ton more money. Not sure if he did it out of the goodness of his heart or if he didn't have the business know how. Any truth to that?

[Doug Carpenter]

How often can you just swap something.....

I thought that the guy was really great. I think it was around 1990 as well. He was showing me how he was working with Sears to make one for the Craftsman saws that you could get with your purchase from sears.

I hope the patent thing is just a story. Seemed like a big outfit anyway. One things for sure it has become an industry standard.

For anyone thinking about getting one It is the fence to have. I forgot to mention that when I bought mine one of the replacable fence peices looked funny to me. They sent me a new one right away.

I do need to find a new tape for it though......it's not my eyesight. Rust never sleeps.

[Joe Jensen]

I was told once that he didn't patent his design and could have made a ton more money. Not sure if he did it out of the goodness of his heart or if he didn't have the business know how. Any truth to that?

I don't remember for sure about the patent thing. He was a sharp guy, just started out as a farmer.

[Jeff Bratt]

I was told once that he didn't patent his design and could have made a ton more money. Not sure if he did it out of the goodness of his heart or if he didn't have the business know how. Any truth to that?

Mr. Biesemeyer was issued US patent #4,206,910 (http://books.google.com/patents?id=M7IxAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&source=gbs_overview_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false) on June 10, 1980 for a tablesaw fence system. That patent expired in the early 2000s, which is when other manufacturers (one example (http://woodworker.com/commercial-multi-fence-system-mssu-115-223.asp)) started making copies of the Biesemeyer fence.

[Jason White]

I bought one of the last ones made in Mesa, AZ from Lowe's when they were blowing them out for $80 a piece (actually I bought 4 and sold 3 of them).

I kept one, however, intending to save it for my eventual "dream" saw. Well, I bought a Grizzly cabinet saw last winter and installed the Biesemeyer on it. The Grizzly is not exactly my dream saw, but a very nice machine and the fence is a terrific upgrade!

Jason


Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

[Kent A Bathurst]

When I raised the $$ to get into woodworking, the first 2 things I got were a TS with 52" Biesemeyer, and a CMS plus the Biesemeyer infeed/outfeed tables + stops. 10+yrs later, these are the two go-to items in my shop. IIRC, I had some problems getting parts I needed for the CMS tables, and I called Biesemeyer - "OK - sure - no problem at all - what do you need and where do you want them sent?"

[phil harold]

But the fact remained that his fence was to simple and was obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the area of technology related to the invention that he could endure long legal battles. after all it is just steel tubing and angle iron to make the fence...


After working out the kinks in several prototypes, Biesemeyer applied for a patent on his design in 1978. The approved patent, No. 4206910, was issued two years later.
But after only four years, on the advice of a lawyer, he chose, as he says, "to deny the patent" to avoid any possibility of protracted litigation.
With that decision, he essentially gave up the exclusive rights to manufacturing his design.
What is surprising is that it took over 10 years before word got around and the inevitable clones began to appear source (http://jimnevins.net/woodworking/Fine%20Woodworking/contents/1998/110133050.pdf)


Mr. Biesemeyer was issued US patent #4,206,910 (http://books.google.com/patents?id=M7IxAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&source=gbs_overview_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false) on June 10, 1980 for a tablesaw fence system. That patent expired in the early 2000s, which is when other manufacturers (one example (http://woodworker.com/commercial-multi-fence-system-mssu-115-223.asp)) started making copies of the Biesemeyer fence.

[Bob Slater]

Now I want one. Won't be buying a copy if I have the budget for a new fence.

[Dave Lehnert]

I was reading in a magazine once that if you want a true Beismeyer you need to buy the one sold by General. The one sold now by Delta with the Beismeyer name is in fact a clone. The one sold by General, as a clone, is in fact the true Beismeyer designed fence.

The story I remember was Delta was sold the Beismeyer name but anyone could manufacture that style fence.

[Chris Barnett]

I too bought a Lowes special, however, it is still in the box, brand new. I bought the Griz 1023 SLW and do not understand why the Bies would be any better. Perhaps the Griz (actually a Shop Fox) fence is modeled after the Bies, so that I am not missing anything. Can anyone who has used both and is a real carpenter or cabinetmaker etc., explain why the Bies is (or is not) any better.
Doug, hope you related your experience to the company.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

FWIW, Biesemeyer was purchased in 1995 by Delta.

[Doug Carpenter]

I showed my graditude with dollars. I bought the product.:)

And I'm still saying nice things about them 20years later.

[ed vitanovec]

I looked closely at the biesmeyer fence on the new delta unisaw this past friday, its a really nice quality fence. The same store had the powermatic, steel city and woodtek clone versions too, these were nice but not as nice as the biesmeyer fence. I would like to put one on my sliding table saw but the t-bar design won't work with it. I would only be able to get the fence about 5" from the blade before the t-bar would hit the slider. I was thinking about removing the t-bar and having it re welded to an "L" shape. I'm just not sure if I want to experiment with a new fence.

Ed

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

Nice to hear. I love stories like this, makes me proud to have a classic Beismeyer fence in my shop. I can tell you I will never sell mine.

[Jason White]

They're all copies now. Even the ones made by Delta are copies (they bought the brand and closed the Mesa plant).

Jason


Now I want one. Won't be buying a copy if I have the budget for a new fence.

[Jason White]

I have the G1023SLW. I installed the Biesemeyer and sold the Shop Fox fence that came with the saw. Can't say whether the Shop Fox is just as good, but the Biesemeyer sure is great! It also has 6" more rip capacity (to the right of the blade) than the Shop Fox.

Jason


I too bought a Lowes special, however, it is still in the box, brand new. I bought the Griz 1023 SLW and do not understand why the Bies would be any better. Perhaps the Griz (actually a Shop Fox) fence is modeled after the Bies, so that I am not missing anything. Can anyone who has used both and is a real carpenter or cabinetmaker etc., explain why the Bies is (or is not) any better.
Doug, hope you related your experience to the company.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

They're all copies now. Even the ones made by Delta are copies (they bought the brand and closed the Mesa plant).

JasonI have a 20 year old Beis fence and it says Delta on it as well. It is my understanding they have been partners for a long time.

[Frank Drew]

At the time, the fence was almost revolutionary in how much it improved on both Powermatic's and Unisaw's fences, not just in ease and security of setting, but the adjustable hairline cursor directly over the tape made measuring from the blade to the fence a time-wasting redundancy.

I wanted to nominate them for a Nobel Prize or something, that's how much I loved my fence.

[Mark Boyette]

Many years ago I when I was 18, I was in Arizona. I was thinking of buying a fence for my tablesaw. I was just starting out and to me it was a huge purchase. I called Beismeyer and asked if there was someone I could talk to in person about their product. We set a time for me to visit and I drove to Mesa from Phoenix.

To my surprise Mr. Beismeyer was waiting for me when I arrived. He was a very nice man and gave me a tour of his plant. He showed me his products and patiently answered all of my questions. Even though I was a very a young man at the time he treated me with respect. I'll bet we talked for over an hour and when I left I was sure that buying that fence was the right decision.

I bought the fence when I got home from a local dealer. I have had that fence on two saws. I gues Ive had it for at least 20years. It has just gotten to the point where I can't read the tape on it any more.

I'm sure that Mr. Beismeyer isn't around anymore but he sure built one hell of a company and was a true gentleman.

I'm guessing you might already know this but delta does sell a replacment tape for it. also you can get the clear plastic viewing piece.
just a thought.

[Keith Christopher]

Question, will this fence fit on my Hybrid Dewalt TS ?

[Larry Edgerton]

I have three Beismeyers and one Unifence, need I say more.

Great product. Opps, I said more......

[Joe Jensen]

I have a 20 year old Beis fence and it says Delta on it as well. It is my understanding they have been partners for a long time.

Bies started as aftermarket only. In the late 80s, Powermatic did a deal with Bies to make Bies the stndard fence for PM66 saws. Later Delta did the same thing. My gold PM66 had a matching gold Bies fence. I think the Delta versions were grey. The used Unisaw I bought in 1984 had a white Bies fence. I think at that time they were only aftermarket and only white.

[Jason White]

It will fit just about any tablesaw with a cast-iron top. That said, you'll likely have to drill some holes in the tabletop to accept it. Not a big deal. The instructions that came with mine made it very easy.

Jason


Question, will this fence fit on my Hybrid Dewalt TS ?

[Rob Sack]

It will fit just about any tablesaw with a cast-iron top. That said, you'll likely have to drill some holes in the tabletop to accept it. Not a big deal. The instructions that came with mine made it very easy.

Jason


You need to make sure that the front edge of the saw table is exactly at right angles to the top. Twenty five years ago, I bought a Wadkins-Burgreen 10" table saw and added a Biesemeyer fence. I am still using that same combination today. The front edge of the saw was not perpendicular to the top. The Biesemeyer rail had to be drilled and tapped for set screws in order position the Biesmeyer rail at a perfect right angle. It worked great then and hasn't moved after 25 years of daily use.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I was reading in a magazine once that if you want a true Beismeyer you need to buy the one sold by General. The one sold now by Delta with the Beismeyer name is in fact a clone. The one sold by General, as a clone, is in fact the true Beismeyer designed fence.

The story I remember was Delta was sold the Beismeyer name but anyone could manufacture that style fence.Bill licensed General to build fences in Canada. In 1996, at American Woodworker's show in Fort Washington PA, the clones were just hitting the market. General was even offering a clone. I have built several clones myself. I think Bill's invention is one of the greatest inventions of all time, for the wood working field.

[Angie Orfanedes]

I have the Delta version I bought from Lowes on a closeout. It has simplified and sped up my rip setups by about 1000 percent. Love it. Thank you, Mr. Beismeyer.

[Scott Perkins47]

I've never seen one of the Beismer fences close up but
could the fence setup for rips be faster than for the
Dewalt 744 and 745? Is there any kind of adjustment
that gives you microscopic movement when making adjustments?

Do you ever have to worry that the fence is not perfectly parallel
with the blade?

[Joe Jensen]

I've never seen one of the Beismer fences close up but
could the fence setup for rips be faster than for the
Dewalt 744 and 745? Is there any kind of adjustment
that gives you microscopic movement when making adjustments?

Do you ever have to worry that the fence is not perfectly parallel
with the blade?

You never worry about it being perfectly square.

You can set a rip width with the hairline pointer very quickly.

If you aren't happy with the accuracy you can get with a hairline pointer, third parties sell micro adjusters for bies fences. I've been doing this for 30 years, 24 of them with a Bies fence, and I've never needed a micro adjust. I'm pretty picky and work to less than 1/64th precision all the time.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Now there's a comparison I wouldn't have thought of. I am not sure fast is a good word for a fence like the Beis. Accurate, stable, durable yes....fast no.

Parallel? You really don't want that even with a saw like the 744/745. Parallel fences can bind the work, you want a tiny bit of 'slack' after the work passes the blade.

[Vic Damone]

It's nice to hear an anecdote were one meets the designer/developer. I purchased a Beismeyer to replace the original fence on my Father's Walker Turner. The Beismeyer really turned the Walker into a new saw and was a welcome addition at the time.

When I was working as a service representative for Xerox Chester Carlson, the inventor of xerography, showed up at one of my accounts unannounced. You'd think this would have been an awkward moment but he was so down home and easy going we ended up having a great time together. He did the developer change, replaced a few feed rollers. He loved to wrench but he was really interested in servicing tips and tricks.

In his charge the company fully understood the value of highly rated customer satisfaction and that quality service, not the product, is what drove satisfaction. It was a great job right up until Mr. Carlson's death when it sadly became just another copier company run by clerks.

I retired and bought an Incra fence, the beat goes on.

[Neal Clayton]

I'm guessing you might already know this but delta does sell a replacment tape for it. also you can get the clear plastic viewing piece.
just a thought.

lemme guess, delta measuring tape, sticky stuff on the back, part #230982309, $89.95?

;)

[Neal Clayton]

I've never seen one of the Beismer fences close up but
could the fence setup for rips be faster than for the
Dewalt 744 and 745? Is there any kind of adjustment
that gives you microscopic movement when making adjustments?

Do you ever have to worry that the fence is not perfectly parallel
with the blade?

not past initial set up. it's a cam lock, once it's square it stays that way. some T style fences have a micro adjust. vega for example. the vegas have two cam locks actually. one main lock, and another smaller cam lock with a fine adjust knob that you can dial in a width with. i use one of those on my PM66.