Anyone cut the left side of Kreg bandsaw fence rail to ease blade changes?

[Kevin Perez]

I have a G0555 that I've owned since 2003. I really like the saw, and am not interested in getting a newer, better saw. That said, I've done some minor upgrades over the years, including adding a Kreg fence. The fence is great, but changing blades is a bear of a task; the left side of the fence rail extends far enough past where the maximum opening of the doors is that I need to curve the blade fairly sharply to clear the rail and doors. I hate the idea of cutting the rail, but I don't really see a better way of making blade changes easier. Has anyone done cut their rail to solve this problem? Any other ideas? Thanks!

Kevin

[Steve Wurster]

I'm interested in this as well. I have the same saw, the same fence, and the same annoyances during blade changes.

[Lee Schierer]

I have the original version of the Kreg fence on my bandsaw and the rail is made in two pieces so I can slide the rail left and right.

I would say that it appears that Kreg has now made their rail as a one size fits all saw models and sizes. With that said, any part of the rail that is to the left of the throat opening of your bandsaw is essentially useless since you can't slide your fence any further to the left than the column.

[Dan Jansen]

If you have no intention of upgrading the saw and keeping the fence then I’d vote for cutting it.

You can cut aluminum on your table saw and with a fine tooth carbide blade and going slow, you will get a clean cut. It’s a great fence and I don’t see why cutting it would do anything but make it work better for you.

[Kevin Perez]

If you have no intention of upgrading the saw and keeping the fence then I’d vote for cutting it.

That’s the problem; while I have no present plan to replace it, who knows what’ll happen down the road. I guess the price of a new fence isn’t such that I can’t just get a new one later.

[Dan Jansen]

Let’s operate on the premise that the new bandsaw will have a fence and the old one is worth more with a custom fence. Now, time to trim!

I guess you could always contact Kreg about a replacement rail. Might be cheap enough to keep in reserve.

[Kevin Perez]

Let’s operate on the premise that the new bandsaw will have a fence and the old one is worth more with a custom fence. Now, time to trim!.

I think we have a winner! I’ll get to cutting.