Grizzley Fence

[Dave Dionne]

So not that I have seen the light and am going to wait to get Grizzley Cabinet saw instead of a contracter saw, just how good is the fence that comes with it?

Will I have to upgrade it eventually or is it good enough to just stick with.

Thanks Dave

[JayStPeter]

The ShopFox Classic is a pretty darn nice fence. I think you'll be happy with it.

Jay St. Peter

[Tim Morton]

The fence is great...and so is the mobile base. But you might want to shop for the longer rails as i think the stock rails are only 27" wide which if you are doing cabinets might be a little narrow.

[Dave Dionne]

Thanks guys


I have already started to look at the longer rails and I think the assec. board and legs are on sale now for less then $70.00 bucks so I think Ikwill buy it now and just put it away.

Thanks again

Dave

[Kent Cori]

Dave,

There are actually two versions of fences on the Grizzly cabinet saw. The Shop Fox Classic is a Biesmeyer clone and comes on all but the "Z" version of the saw. I have one on my SL and find it to be excellent. I see no need to ever upgrade this fence assuming it is the type you like.

The Shop Fox fence on the Z model is the older style that locks at the rear as well as the front. This style has its proponents as well. However, a few years ago one of the woodworking mags evaluated the saw with this type of fence and had some unfavorable comments about the fence itself. Unfortunately, I can't remember which magazine it was or I would steer you to it.

I have been extremely satisfied with my SL for the past two years. No matter which version you buy, I think you will be quite happy too.

[Jerry Ingraham]

Thanks guys


I have already started to look at the longer rails and I think the assec. board and legs are on sale now for less then $70.00 bucks so I think Ikwill buy it now and just put it away.

Thanks again

Dave
Dave, I think what you're looking at for that price is just the table board and legs. The rails come as a kit for $149.00. I did find that the rail tube is available as a replacement part for $45.00.

[scott spencer]

Ditto what Kent said. The SF "Classic" is very popular and gets alot of favorable comments, although I've read about a few that had uneven UHMW faces (that problem can apply to any fence using UHMW plastic. The fix was to face plane it flat or shim it.) I've used the Classic a couple of times and liked it.

The SF "Original" gets more criticisms and doesn't typically review well, but there are people who like it. It has to be rolled off the rails to remove it, and will bump into the blade guard mounts which limits how close you can move it to the blade.

[Paul Downes]

I got the griz with the classic fence (extruded aluminum) and it is a real solid and accurate fence. I also got the rail exstensions at the same time. In hindsight the only regret I have is that because the fence is on rollers on both sides of the saw I cannot butt a table extension flush on the back side of the saw. I will be adding a table extension but it will have a 4-5" gap with the saw table.

[Chris Padilla]

I'll go against the others here. I did not like the Shop Fox fence my 1023Z came with.

I am a big Incra fan and pretty much love all their products so I have their fence on my 1023Z right now. I am limited with the current rails to 32" crosscut but that has only impacted me once or twice...not too bad.

[JayStPeter]

I'll go against the others here. I did not like the Shop Fox fence my 1023Z came with.

I am a big Incra fan and pretty much love all their products so I have their fence on my 1023Z right now. I am limited with the current rails to 32" crosscut but that has only impacted me once or twice...not too bad.

Note I specified the Shop Fox Classic. I haven't ever had a chance to use the Shop Fox from the 'Z', but I don't like any fence I have used/seen that locked in the back also. I have used the Classic fence and found it very comparable to my Bies. My commercial Bies is somewhat beefier, but the SF classic is not wimpy by any means.
I was told that some effort must be put into shimming the fence faces. I wish I could do that on my real Bies as neither the original or replacement really has a nice flat face. I think some of the clones have surpassed the original in this case. Putting my own replacement face on is somewhere on the to-do list.

Jay

[JayStPeter]

I got the griz with the classic fence (extruded aluminum) and it is a real solid and accurate fence. I also got the rail exstensions at the same time. In hindsight the only regret I have is that because the fence is on rollers on both sides of the saw I cannot butt a table extension flush on the back side of the saw. I will be adding a table extension but it will have a 4-5" gap with the saw table.

That's not the "Classic", it is a bies clone with no back rollers. You've got the original Shop Fox fence.

Jay

[Chris Padilla]

Note I specified the Shop Fox Classic. I haven't ever had a chance to use the Shop Fox from the 'Z'....

Jay
Correct, Jay. I should've noted that. The fence on the 'Z' is black. The only reason I don't like it is lack of repeatability with finding a specific spot...it isn't easy to nudge a hair or two. Incra's indexing is far superior to most fences out there, IMO, for that reason.