Saw Stop Rails

[Beau Cassidy]

Right now I have the SS PCS 3 HP with the factory 32 inch rails. I have never been happy with them as I as I have never been able to get the fence tight enough on the rails to prevent slippage. I have taken the fence off multiple times trying to fix it to no avail. I have actually stripped one of the soft bolts holding the rail onto the brackets. Grrrr. I have decided to go to a 52" rail system. I have read online where SS will not sell their rails separately or else I would just get a new set of 52 inch rails from them. I can't find any online for sale.

I know the Biesemeyer rail bracket holes do are not compatible with my saw without redrilling everything which I am not a fan of so that one is out.

What other rail systems are compatible with the SS? I am mainly looking at the Vega. Having looked around about the only other rails I have seen is the Incra which I actually have in the 32 inch model at home but don't like it. How about Grizzly? I have seen their rails for sale separately but again, I am not sure of the screw hold pattern for the rail brackets.

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this. It looks like some calls to Grizzly and Vega are in order today.

Thanks.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I have a sawstop and never had a problem with my fence slipping but if you are set on a few rail and fence system. Incra has one that seems very nice (I'm thinking of getting it) and it will fit the sawstop. The offer it in 32" and 52"

[Beau Cassidy]

I will add that I also have the PCS and the rails on it are rock solid.

To reiterate- I already have the Incra TS-LS system at home. I have had it on the saw and don't like it. It is- well- just different.

[glenn bradley]

This is a warranty issue . . . wait, is this the T-Glide or the "premium" fence that is causing trouble?

[Jebediah Eckert]

I will add that I also have the PCS and the rails on it are rock solid.

To reiterate- I already have the Incra TS-LS system at home. I have had it on the saw and don't like it. It is- well- just different.

Did you try contacting SS about the fence? I have the exact same setup as you for 3 years now and it is as good as any fence system I have ever used, rock solid and easy to adjust. I'm just wondering if there is something wrong that can be replaced.

[Dennis Cloutier]

Have you called Sawstop? I recently bought one of their early ICS saws used and wanted to replace/upgrade a couple of parts. They were extremely helpful. The guy I talked to knew the history of the saws very well and could tell me exactly what has changed in the newer models. It was a refreshing change from most of the customer support types I have dealt with lately.

Edit: Looks like Jebediah got there just ahead of me.

[Ben Rivel]

You read online that they wouldnt sell rails?! Why havent you CALLED them and told them your situation?! Id do that before I even considered putting another brands rails on my SawStop.

[Frank Pratt]

If you've got the shorter rails (assuming you mean 30", not 32") then you have what is strangely called the "Premium" fence. It's anything but. The T-glide is the one you want. I can't imagine that SawStop wouldn't sell you one. That makes no sense at all. Give them a call.

[John Schweikert]

If you have an issue, contact the company to work through solutions.

As I understand it, you can't just add a t-glide fence to the the rails used by the premium fence. The square tube rail has a larger profile for the t-glide fences.

There are adjustments in all directions for the premium fence, to lock it tighter to the rail you turn clockwise both parallelism adjustment screws on the fence (shown in the fence installation instructions, page 8). If those are the ones you stripped, then just get replacements and see if problem is solved.

A possible hack solution is adding a thin adhesive strip to the cam itself to squeeze the fence mount to the rail.

[John Schweikert]

The Premium fence is heavy, locks solid, no flex and quite accurate. Not just my experience but said by others as well on this forum.


If you've got the shorter rails (assuming you mean 30", not 32") then you have what is strangely called the "Premium" fence. It's anything but. The T-glide is the one you want. I can't imagine that SawStop wouldn't sell you one. That makes no sense at all. Give them a call.

[mreza Salav]

As many have said, call and talk to them. They have one of the bests (if not the best) customer service I have ever seen.

[Beau Cassidy]

This is not a warranty issue. My Professional 3 HP already has the T-Glide 32 inch rail. I am familiar with the 30 inch rails because that is what is on my PCS. I just spoke with Saw Stop. They were not going to offer me the rails for sale directly (which I had already researched to be true) until they realized that I already owned the saw. They want $229 for just the rails plus $50 for shipping. Before I go that route I want to make sure there is not a better fence that will fit my saw.

The point of my question is does anyone know offhand if other brand rails fit the SS?

[John Schweikert]

Beau,

Contact the Woodcraft in Franklin and see if they will sell you just the rails you need. If in stock and not a special order then you won't have to pay shipping just tax. They do order Sawstop stuff every few weeks so you can add an item to their main order so that no shipping cost will be charged to you. Their bulk order is shipped by rail from California which is the reason for any delay.

[mreza Salav]

sorry, I am confused. You say you have the 32 inch T-Glide fence/rail but then you say you have the 30 inch rail that goes with the aluminum fence :confused:
Did you ask them about the issue of slippage on the T-Glide (I am assuming that's what you have issue with)? I have it and have had no problem adjusting the bolts on the "fence" to get it lock tight on the rail. If the issue is your fence not locking why do you want to change the rail?!

[John Schweikert]

There is no 32-inch rail. There is a 36-inch T-glide or 30-inch Premium, only options at the shorter sizes.

[Beau Cassidy]

sorry, I am confused. You say you have the 32 inch T-Glide fence/rail but then you say you have the 30 inch rail that goes with the aluminum fence :confused:
Did you ask them about the issue of slippage on the T-Glide (I am assuming that's what you have issue with)? I have it and have had no problem adjusting the bolts on the "fence" to get it lock tight on the rail. If the issue is your fence not locking why do you want to change the rail?!

I have 2 different saws- the Professional and the 1.75 HP model. Looking back the Professional rail is 36 inches. I was considering a longer rail and the stripping of the bolt is the last straw. I have had the rail on and off so man times it isn't funny. The bolts are super soft anyway. I was wanting a longer rail and this is a good opportunity to get one. Drilling out and tapping the existing rail isn't a problem. I just want a longer rail.

John, Thanks for the advice. I didn't think about calling Woodcraft.

[Jebediah Eckert]

Beau-

I'm sure somebody has the answer or has already researched it, but you need to clarify what saw. Your last post says you have the Professional 3 hp with T glide and 32 inch rails, and 30" rails on your PCS? If you have a second SawStop, and that's what you are talking about with "PCS", that stands for Professional Cabinet Saw, or at least that's how the current model goes. I'm just confused if you have two SawStop Professional Cabinet Saws but with different fence configurations?

you posted as I was typing, but it is still unclear. Sawstop has a 1.75 hp and 3 hp PCS. But both are Professional Cabinet Saw?

[mreza Salav]

If you just want to get a long rail for the T-Glide fence I'm sure any sawstop dealer can order in the part for you.
If your issue was fence not locking properly on the rail and want that to be solved (again I'm assuming you are talking about T-glide fence) that's another thing...

[Ben Rivel]

Other than going with something like an Incra table saw rail system I cant think of anything that would be better then the SawStop T-Glide system that comes with the 36" and 52" setups.

[Frank Pratt]

The Premium fence is heavy, locks solid, no flex and quite accurate. Not just my experience but said by others as well on this forum.

Sorry, I worded that badly. Comparing the T-glide & Premium only, the T-glide is clearly the superior fence. Compared to fences in general, the Premium is a pretty good fence.

[Charles P. Wright]

I know they'll sell the rails separately. Before I built a router table into my extension, I called and asked for pricing on just a table, and the front/back rails in case I had an "oops" that I couldn't live with. I got the pricing, and don't remember quite what it was for the rails; but the extension table was ~$100 and the rails were more than that (though I didn't think I would damage those beyond repair, so wasn't as concerned).

[glenn bradley]

The Premium fence is heavy, locks solid, no flex and quite accurate. Not just my experience but said by others as well on this forum.

Also, just for clarity. My question about the premium was not to imply quality. I have the T-glide and so could only comment on that. I didn't want to tell of my experience and find out I was talking about apples instead of oranges ;-)