Best Fence for Powermatic 66

[Jon Middleton]

The title says it all. The Accufence that the saw came with deflects quite easily, so my rips aren't smooth. As in 1/32" with not much pressure. The saw is ~15 years old and has plastic sides. A rear lock kit would be okay, though not very convenient. Is there a better option? Beisemeyer? Incra? Vega?

[Earl Rumans]

I have a Jet Xacta saw with the Incra fence system on it and I love it. The Incra is very easy to install, on about any saw and extremely accurate.

[Harold Weaver]

I have the Vega Pro 40 on my 66. Rock solid with no deflection. Very easy to install and no table necessary since the rear of the fence glides on top of the rear rail. I highly recommend one, still USA made too.....

[Brian J Smith]

The title says it all. The Accufence that the saw came with deflects quite easily, so my rips aren't smooth. As in 1/32" with not much pressure. The saw is ~15 years old and has plastic sides. A rear lock kit would be okay, though not very convenient. Is there a better option? Beisemeyer? Incra? Vega?

I have a Powermatic 66 and I installed the Incra fence system, and I love the system.

[joe maday]

I have the original biesemeyer style fence on my PM66 very pleased. A relative has the Accufence on his PM2000, it does not deflect as you describe. Is the movement incured from just the fence tube "bending? Are the rub points adjusted correctly? Maybe the wear pads are worn off and need to be replaced? I would look into adjusting the fence you have first, Then maybe a universal Biesemeyer from CPO or Grizzly.

[Tom M King]

Something is wrong with that fence. If you can figure it out, you should be able to save yourself several hundred bucks.

[joe maday]

Yes I agree with Tom, maybe I did not say it well enough, there must be somting worn, loose, missadjusted. that fence , if I remember , has an even beefier locking arm than the biesemeyer, I have seen the front rails collapsed from over tightening the lever (and they can be replaced), The accufence is a nice one when set up properly. It should not deflect as you describe.

[Jon Middleton]

Yes I agree with Tom, maybe I did not say it well enough, there must be somting worn, loose, missadjusted. that fence , if I remember , has an even beefier locking arm than the biesemeyer, I have seen the front rails collapsed from over tightening the lever (and they can be replaced), The accufence is a nice one when set up properly. It should not deflect as you describe.

I looked at it a couple of days ago and it looks fine. Seems like the locking lever isn't very tight. The front rail is fine. It seems like there should be a way to adjust tension on the locking lever? I'd rather not replace it because I have a router table on the saw.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If you already have a router insert in your saw, then I would say the Incra is THE best fence. You can do amazing things with it and the router.

You can Google and find out how to adjust your Bies. It should lock rock solid.

[Peter Quinn]

There are two screws on the back of the angle iron that rides the fence rail for adjusting the tension on the locking lever. I recently had to adjust a jet built similarly for a similar reason, quick adjustment and it's rock solid. The accufence is very strong, I run a power feed off of my 66 without deflection. When you make the adjustment you have to check for parallel to the blade simultaneously.

[Jon Middleton]

There are two screws on the back of the angle iron that rides the fence rail for adjusting the tension on the locking lever. I recently had to adjust a jet built similarly for a similar reason, quick adjustment and it's rock solid. The accufence is very strong, I run a power feed off of my 66 without deflection. When you make the adjustment you have to check for parallel to the blade simultaneously.

Thanks! I'll take a look. My dealer told me that the tension wasn't adjustable. That should really help.

[joe maday]

John
Check out some of the parts houses/sites for a diagram of the fence set up. you will see the two set screws that Peter has posted about. They not only adjust the locking lever tension but also the alignment with the blade. you will need to go back and forth to get them set right...a little trial and error. eg: turn one side and the fence moves left or right in relation to the blade...turn both equally in/out to increse/decrese the tension of the locking lever. Some fences have two additional plastic set screws on top of the angle bar of the fence to change the front clearance to the table (the rub pads are set to provide the clearance at the rear of the fence) and to make sure the fence is 90 degress to the table. Harder to explain than do.

[Jon Middleton]

John
Check out some of the parts houses/sites for a diagram of the fence set up. you will see the two set screws that Peter has posted about. They not only adjust the locking lever tension but also the alignment with the blade. you will need to go back and forth to get them set right...a little trial and error. eg: turn one side and the fence moves left or right in relation to the blade...turn both equally in/out to increse/decrese the tension of the locking lever. Some fences have two additional plastic set screws on top of the angle bar of the fence to change the front clearance to the table (the rub pads are set to provide the clearance at the rear of the fence) and to make sure the fence is 90 degress to the table. Harder to explain than do.

I remember adjusting the fence angle when I initially set it up, but never realized the tension could be adjusted. I'll take a look at it when I can. Need to put a coat of varnish on tonight, so it will have to wait a bit.

[joe maday]

here is a link to PDF of the accufence, the adjustment is explained at 5.6.3 , page 10
http://content.powermatic.com/assets/manuals/2195075Z_man_EN.pdf

[Scott Stafford]

Maybe wiping your rails with a mild solvent dampened cloth will help? I went from an Incra fence back to a Biesmeyer style fence last year and the new Powermatic rails had a bit of wax or oil on them making it impossible to lock the fence in place. It was also recommended to me to lightly scuff the faces of the rail with wet/dry sandpaper and then clean again with mild solvent.

Good luck!

Scott in Montana

[Jon Middleton]

here is a link to PDF of the accufence, the adjustment is explained at 5.6.3 , page 10
http://content.powermatic.com/assets/manuals/2195075Z_man_EN.pdf

Thanks, Joe. I looked at it and it's a very simple adjustment. I think maybe the pads just wore over time. I'll fix it soon and hope my rips improve. Don't know why the dealer told me there was no adjustment. I'm sure I have the original manual for the fence. Thanks, All!

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks, Joe. I looked at it and it's a very simple adjustment. I think maybe the pads just wore over time. I'll fix it soon and hope my rips improve. Don't know why the dealer told me there was no adjustment. I'm sure I have the original manual for the fence. Thanks, All!

They do wear over time and are fully adjustable. Perhaps the dealer sells fences too?

[Jon Middleton]

Simple adjustment. My rips are much better. Thanks, All.