Save a Unifence.

[Joe Bunn]

I am new to Sawmill Creek. I joined this forum because it seems to be the one that comes up as I google.

Last weekend I bought a Unisaw (34-802) that I have since found out was built in 1991. It has not been well cared for, but not over used (according to the previous owner's son). I got a great deal IF I can save the Unifence with the 52" extension.

The cursor is broken, seems they no longer exist.

My real concern is if it can be made to slide easily and lock down properly. I don't want to order the nylon pads only to find out this thing is done for. It would lock in some places on the track, but not in others. Now, the extension table needs to be rebuilt, the black frame the saw sits on is bent and the particle board top is done for. Also, my first job this weekend is to get rid of rust on the table top. Both of those problems affect the working of the fence.

I only learned what a unifence is a couple weeks ago. Any words of wisdom about how I can decide whether to put more money into this? A good website with videos and pictures? I don't want to start rebuilding the extension table until I am sure I am keeping the aluminum track.

Any help getting started would be greatly appreciated.

[johnny means]

You need to inspect the extruded rail. These are, in my opinion, the original sin of the Unifence. It taints everything that is great about the entire system. Anyway, if the extrusion is worn and gouged on the inside locking surface, it's toast, and will almost certainly never work well.

[Bill Space]

Where are you located?

[Joe Bunn]

I live in the Chicago burbs, but the saw is 2.5 hours west of here, I will only see it on weekends.

[Joe Bunn]

That is what I was thinking. How to know? If the area close to the blade feels rounded over more than the ends, then it is done for?

[Tom M King]

I bought a Unisaw cheap, a long time ago, that also was missing the nylon pads. Looking at the cost of those pads, and didn't really get excited about that fence anyway, I just bought a Biesmeyer for it. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably buy a https://vsctools.com/shop/table-saw-fence/, and make the rail for it by their plan.

[Mike Kees]

Joe, I have messed with a lot of Unjfences. Occasionally there will be a small burr that needs filed down but that is the worst I have had to deal with. Check to see if the rail is straight. It would take falling off a truck to bend one of these things. On the head of the fence I have a bag of nylon set screws from Mcmaster-carr to replace the wear screw in older Unifences. I have also found new cursors on the auction site. It is my favorite t.s. fence.

[Peter Rawlings]

I think there's two different ones depending on vintage of fence.

Google shows some resources and images. Google "Unifence Plastic Cursor" I tried to link but no joy, not sure why. I found both.

[Edward Dyas]

Those fences often don't clamp down parallel with the blade. I think you would be better off to upgrade to a more modern fence like the Biesemeyer fence they are using now. I know it's more expense but it really adds to the value of the machine.

[Peter Rawlings]

Those fences often don't clamp down parallel with the blade. I think you would be better off to upgrade to a more modern fence like the Biesemeyer fence they are using now. I know it's more expense but it really adds to the value of the machine.

The fence changed because ownership of Delta changed, if I'm not mistaken. They have their weaknesses but so do all. BTW, they're adjustable. Had the same fence since 1980 and I run about .015 wider at back. Never a problem reaching and holding that tolerance.

[Cary Falk]

Amazon has a cursor for sale as well as ereplacmentparts. There are 2 different versions of the fence depending on the age. I don't remember how to tell but I think the information can be found on the OWWM website. I would inspect the rail for any obvious problems. I used the Unifence on a friends saw and hated it. The locking of the fence was unnatural to me and didn't always get it to lock down right. It may be you just aren't used to the motion. It could also be that you need to adjust the fence locking mechanism so that you have a little more clearance for it to rotate and lock.

[Joe Bunn]

Thank you. Found one, everyone I found said discontinued.

[Rob Charles]

Joe, I have messed with a lot of Unjfences. Occasionally there will be a small burr that needs filed down but that is the worst I have had to deal with. Check to see if the rail is straight. It would take falling off a truck to bend one of these things. On the head of the fence I have a bag of nylon set screws from Mcmaster-carr to replace the wear screw in older Unifences. I have also found new cursors on the auction site. It is my favorite t.s. fence.

I share Mile's opinion. I like my Unifence. The cursor inserts are readily available.

[Edward Dyas]

I think every shop I worked for had that model Unisaw. Most of the time they would lock down parallel with the blade but you always had to measure the fence at front and back to be sure. I bought a Unisaw nineteen years ago which came with the Biesemeyer fence and it's never failed to lock down parallel with the blade. Now this Unisaw I bought, the rest of the saw I was pretty dissatisfied with it. The arbor is a little oversized to where when I get a new blade I have to take a grinder and enlarge the arbor hole. Then the wooden extension is made out of particleboard and they neglected to make a way to fasten it to the cast top. It's suspended from the fence system and now sags quite a bit in the middle.

[Ray Newman]

I ran a Uni-saw and Uni-fence for almost 30 years. 'Nevva' had a problem with the fence not staying/being parallel when locking or locked down. The trick is to pull back on the locking handle, them lock it down.

[Mike Kees]

I have a saw with a Biesmeyer commercial fence. Geat fence on my jobsite saw where the gorillas who work for me smack stuff into it all the time. A Unifence is more precise,adjustable and versatile. The ability to slide the fence forward or back as well as the two positions,up or down give a lot of options. Can not figure out the guy who claimed he had to measure to the blade slot front and back... The fence is fully adjustable. Also the adjustment comes into play with the locking mechanism,get it right and it works great. I like the bies too,but my favorite is a Unifence.

[Curt Harms]

I think every shop I worked for had that model Unisaw. Most of the time they would lock down parallel with the blade but you always had to measure the fence at front and back to be sure. I bought a Unisaw nineteen years ago which came with the Biesemeyer fence and it's never failed to lock down parallel with the blade. Now this Unisaw I bought, the rest of the saw I was pretty dissatisfied with it. The arbor is a little oversized to where when I get a new blade I have to take a grinder and enlarge the arbor hole. Then the wooden extension is made out of particleboard and they neglected to make a way to fasten it to the cast top. It's suspended from the fence system and now sags quite a bit in the middle.
I don't have an answer to the oversized arbor except to replace it. I added a router table extension to the right side of my Griz 1023. I put the vertical part of an L shaped wooden piece against the saw table then rested the extension on the horizontal part of the wooden piece. It doesn't move or sag, been fine for years.

[Charles Lent]

A Unifence came on the mid 80's Unisaw that I bought and at first I didn't think I would like it because at work they have a Biesmeyer. Well, after cleaning and tuning up my Unisaw and Unifence I find it far superior to the Biesmeyer. I added a Wixey DRO to my Unifence shortly after setting it up and now rarely use the ruler scale and plastic guide to position the fence any more. I really like the ability to move the aluminum fence extrusion to make it a short European style fence or make it long. The ability to swap it from side to side easily for left and right side cuts, and the ability to turn it 90 deg for a low fence has great uses too. I found that Peachtree Woodworking www.ptreeusa.com sells a square aluminum fence extrusion in several lengths for the Unifence. This extrusion has an HDPE insert for the wear point and T slots both on the top as well as the face side for attaching featherboards and other accessories, and they also sell a short 16" length of this same extrusion for use as a short fence stop to use when cross cutting material to length while using the miter gauge. I now have both of these extrusions and like their ability to be quickly changed with the original fence whenever I find the need.

Keep your Unifence, if at all possible, and clean it up. I'm quite certain that once you have used your Unifence and explored it's capabilities, you will thank me.

I have a Unifence manual somewhere in the shop, but this link will get you a copy http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=5397 . Learn how it works and how to adjust it. I think you will quickly grow to like it, as I do.

The flake board extension table isn't anything special, but you should put a laminate top on the replacement, whether it be flake board, plywood, or whatever. The thickness does need to be kept pretty close to the original, but exact isn't necessary. The original surface laminate is textured, and this makes work slide easily over it, but smooth laminate will work. Just keep it waxed with Johnson's Paste Wax or something equivalent that does not contain silicone. A bent angle piece in the frame can be straightened easily with a vise, big adjustable wrench, and a hammer. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Charley

[mark kosse]

I'm in the "It's a great fence" camp. No better or worse that a Biesemeyer, just different. I keep a saw with each and I'd try it before I got rid of it.

[Jim Becker]

Those fences often don't clamp down parallel with the blade. I think you would be better off to upgrade to a more modern fence like the Biesemeyer fence they are using now.
That's really not a true statement. The Beiemeyer and clones don't clamp at the back side, either. The assembly that rides on the front rail, UniFence or Beisemeyer is designed to clamp the fence securely. Any alignment issues come from not having it setup properly relative to the blade face, not because of the clamping mechanism. The UniFence is actually more versatile, IMHO, and of the same general design that you'll find on most every sliding table saw sold today. "high/low" is a big advantage with cutting as is the ability to slide the fence face back and forth for certain operations. The tee-square design of the Beisemeyer and clones can certainly be very robust and easier to "jig up", but it's also a simpler design, not a more "modern" design.

[Joe Bunn]

Thank you everyone for your comments, I'm learning a lot. Leaving now to spend the weekend with the saw. Going to do my best to keep what came with the saw. I'm sure I will be back with more questions.

[Edward Dyas]

The arbor size isn't a lot but you have to really work at it to be able to slide a blade on it. Without modifying the blade it takes a couple of seconds to be able to put the blade on the arbor. I've been taking a dremel tool with a grinder stone and enlarging a new blade just enough for it to work normal.

If I had time to work on it or was working with plastic laminate where the dip on the extension was the problem I would make a metal frame to where I could bolt it to the saw top. The extension just should have been made to bolt to the cast top at the factory when it was made.

[Charles Lent]

"The arbor size isn't a lot but you have to really work at it to be able to slide a blade on it. Without modifying the blade it takes a couple of seconds to be able to put the blade on the arbor. I've been taking a dremel tool with a grinder stone and enlarging a new blade just enough for it to work normal."

Don't do this.

A table saw blade needs to precisely fit the arbor. If the center hole is enlarged, the saw will vibrate very badly, and you won't get the cutting accuracy that the saw is capable of. Spend the extra few seconds to get the blade at a perfect 90 deg to the arbor and it will slide on with no problem.

Charley

[Charles Lent]

If you give up on the Unifence and decide not to use it. The parts of the Unifence that aren't damaged still hold significant value. There are many Unifence
owners who need replacement parts for their Unifence that would be grateful if you offered to part your Unifence out. You can probably get most of the cost of your replacement from doing this.

My Unifence is 52" and my shop is too small for it. I would love to get a 32" front rail or a damaged 52" rail that had 32" still good so I could cut it down. I can't bare to cut my good rail down, so the extension table end of my Unisaw is up against the wall of my shop between the passage door and garage door and I walk around it the other way. The shop is too small to break down full sheets, so this is always done outside on a cutting table with straight edge clamps and a circular saw.

Charley

[andrew whicker]

I have a Unifence. At one point, we were having a hard time with it clamping in the common range (2" to 6"), so we made a new thicker washer between the handle and the head. It works great. The backside of that lip can get squished, chewed up, etc.

The good news, like has been said above, is that the two screws on either side of the head really set parallelism. The locking mechanism on the inside is really just pulling those two screws towards the flat face on the outside of the track. I should check my parallelism since I haven't done that in a while, but I don't have to much problem with it.