Delta T2 fence construction?

[Dave Cav]

I am considering getting a T2 fence to replace the original fence on my 1949 Unisaw. I have a large commercial Bies on my 12" table saw, and had a Grizzly Bies clone on my Griz cabinet saw. I have never seen the T2 in the flesh but the ads and reviews describe it as a "Bies Lite". It generally gets good reviews, but I have seen some negative comments about aluminum used in the construction.

For those of you with the fence, what parts are aluminum? Just the fences, or the structural parts as well? Are you generally satisfied with the fence? It would be for generally light duty work on my Unisaw, as all of the heavy ripping is done on the 12" saw.

I understand Lowes sells (or sold) this fence. I haven't been to a Lowes for quite some time, but do they still sell them?

Thanks
Dave C

[Norman Pyles]

Only the fence faces are aluminum, all the other parts are steel. Yes it is made lighter and smaller than a Bies, but that makes it slide a bit easier. I have both, and the T-2 is a very good fence for the price. The rear of the fence rides on the rear angle iron, instead of the saw top like a Bies.

[tyler mckee]

I have the t2 on my craftsman contractor saw and i don't have anything bad to say about it. took a little bit to make it fit, but i think it would bolt onto your unisaw. once dialed in it stays square. Its all steel excapt the fences which are aluminum. My fence was straight as can be didn't need to shim anything. I bought mine at lowes and if i remember it was about $130 out the door, a quick search on the lowes site and i couldn't find anything. maybe you could call a couple local stores and see if they have any. cheapest i see it online is at tools-plus.com, $150 and only 6.50 for shipping

Only bies fence i've ever played with was on a saw at sears and i dont know if it was just because it was at sears, but i would rather have my t2 than the one i saw there.

[Wayne Jolly]

I bought the T-2 at Lowes for $125 a couple of years ago and installed it on my Craftsman contractor saw. As you have already heard, the fence faces are the only aluminum parts and the rest is steel. But I think you should also be aware of the tubing used.

I have never had a Bies but I have looked at a couple of them. IIRC, the tubing used for the front beam on the Bies is 2"x3" rectangular tubing. The T-2 uses 2" square tubing. I don't know if that is a big deal or not. I did not use the rails that came with the fence and instead bought some 2" square tubing from a steel supplier and made my own. The stuff I bought has heavier wall thickness than the one that came with the T-2, but I can only assume that the original would have been fine. I did that because the fence came with 30" rails and I wanted a little more. But I did not quite have room for the 50" so I made my own 42".

Someone also mentioned that the rear of the fence requires a piece of angle iron on the rear of the saw to support the fence. That could make it more difficult to attach things to the rear of the saw like extension tables, or whatever.

So the only part of the kit that I used was the fence itself. That part is straight and true. I ran a dial indicator along the miter slot and there was less than .001" variation throughout the entire length. Lastly, and I am not sure about this part either, but I think the T-2 is not quite as tall as a Bies, and not as wide. Something to consider if you have already made a bunch of jigs, etc. for the other saw that you might want to use on this fence.

xeddog

[Dan Friedrichs]

The Al fence faces on mine are not nearly as flat as I'd like (>0.003" variations), and difficult to shim.

Unlike a Bies, the rear of the fence has a block that rides on the back fence rail, with a little clip that goes under the rail. I've heard it suggested that the block/clip could be removed and replaced with a piece of UHMW tape to make it like a Bies.

[Mort Stevens]

Unlike a Bies, the rear of the fence has a block that rides on the back fence rail, with a little clip that goes under the rail. I've heard it suggested that the block/clip could be removed and replaced with a piece of UHMW tape to make it like a Bies.

That clip is there to keep the fence from lifting when there is a feather board or other kind of jig attached to it. My problems with the Biesemeyer type fences (and this includes the Delta T2) is the deflection that exists at the rear and that fine adjustment is accomplished with a partial lock and bump with a palm method - maybe this comes from all the years I've used the original Unisaw fence that clamps at both the front and rear and had a micrometer type knob for fine adjustments.

[Dave Cav]

All good information; thanks for the input. The use of aftermarket 2" tubing to make a longer fence is especially useful. I will stop by Lowe's this week and see if they still stock them, otherwise will probably order one on line.

[Josiah Bartlett]

If you want long rails the Shop Fox classic fence is a bargain. I have one on my Uni.

[Wayne Jolly]

Couple of things: When I did mine I had to buy new angle iron too. The angle iron that comes with the T-2 will not directly fit the Craftsman saw so you will have to drill some holes and (if you do it like I did) bevel the bolt holes too. It will also be too short, but if the square tubing is heavy enough it might work. Depends on how far past the angle iron you run the rail.

Also, I used a 2" angle iron on mine, and if I had to do it again I would use 2 1/2". The 2" worked but made it difficult to get the rail elevation set right. When I drilled the mounting holes, they were very near the top of the angle iron and the angle iron itself is about 1/2" below the table top. The extra 1/2" would have been very nice to have. As it is, the fence was actually too high by about 1/32 of an inch. There are two 1/2" nylon set screws to adjust the height of the fence, but I still had to grind off a little because they stood too high and my wood would ride on them.

But after I got it all done I am quite happy with it. It is very stable and dead accurate. I can post some pics if you are interested.

xeddog

[scott spencer]

Dave - The T2 is probably more like a Biese Homeshop fence or a Shop Fox Alumarip Classic, than the Commercial Biese or SF Classic. Not built quite to the Biese standards but seems like a nice fence for $150....is it legal by Unisaw rules to put one on a Uni?! ;)

[Fred Belknap]

I have a T-2 on a Delta contractor and it is good fence. I didn't use the rear rail , had a outfeed table instead. It is strong enough for most things but if I was doing some heavy stuff I would use the magnetic base off a dial holder behind it. Don't know if I needed to do that or not. I also do it on my Shop Fox classic.

Fred

[Cary Falk]

is it legal my Unisaw rules to put one on a Uni?! ;)

I probably can't be worse than the Shop Fox Classic that is on my Uni.:eek:

[Jeremy Killingbeck]

I don't think that Lowes is still selling the T2 fence, but Menards started selling it. I think that it is a special order, but only takes like 1-2 days to get in. Last time I checked it was about $150, but it goes on sale every now and then. I was lucky and picked mine up when it was on sale for $100. I have been vary satisfied with the fence system. I use it on my Delta contractor saw. The only think I would like is a fine adjustment. I thought about buying one of the magnetic fine adjust from Rockler.

[Dave Cav]

I probably can't be worse than the Shop Fox Classic that is on my Uni.:eek:

It's worse than that- right now I have a Powermatic fence on my Unisaw (heavier and more positive rear lock than the Jet Lock type fence.)