Fence for Craftsman Table Saw 113.29920

[Dave Wills]

Greetings!
I recently purchased this saw, but it came w/o a fence. It is in good working condition, including both wings, making the table 27"x40". Someday, I will replace the saw, but for now, I would like a decent budget-friendly fence. Most of the use will be for ripping 2"x6"x6'+ stock. Most of the fences I have seen are $250 and up, which is more than I paid for the saw. I would really like to find a fence for less.
Any/all suggestions are appreciated!
TIA!
- - Dave

[Jim Becker]

Dave, unless you can find a used fence to retrofit, the cost you stated for an aftermarket unit is likely about what the market is, especially since it's a relatively small market. The Google search I just did support that.

Oh, and welcome to Sawmillcreek!

[Dave Wills]

Thank you, Jim!

[Lee Schierer]

The original craftsman fence wasn't very good, because it wouldn't always clamp down parallel to the blade. Do a search on Craigs List, there appear to be several fences for sale in the Florida area, including a craftsman fence. Craftsman Table Saw Fence 113.29903 - $75 (Jacksonville)

I removed the OEM fence and installed a Beismeyer years ago that has made my 113 Craftsman saw an accurate machine.

[Rob Sack]

I still have the original Craftsman 10" table saw I learned on when I was 12. The fence was always marginal at best. I replaced it with a Delta T-Square fence, which I believe is the Biesemeyer home shop fence, only re-badged as a Delta since Delta bought Biesemeyer years ago. I ordered the fence through Rockler and paid somewhere around $200.00. The fence was easy to mount onto the saw and works perfectly. It has turned that old Craftsman into a precision piece of equipment that I use for making drawers and occasional dados since switching the brake on my Sawstop is kind of a pain.

[Earl McLain]

A lot of folks seem to get caught up in the cost of an accessory compared to the price of the tool it's used with. In this case--fence for a table saw. A solid, accurate fence can make an "okay saw" into a "good" or "very good" saw...maybe even better. And once a good aftermarket fence is acquired--it can be used with almost any future saw, or if not needed--sold for relatively good money. 6 or 7 years ago, I put an Incra system on a $700 retail saw that i paid $350 net for. Made a mediocre TS very usable, and when i see a Holy Grail come up--i don't have a concern about the fence with it. And if i get one with a top quality fence--i could sell my current fence for at least what i have in it so my net cost of use would be the time value of the money i paid.

It's tough to reconcile the relative value of the accessory when it seems totally out of line compared to the tool price--but a crappy fence will be tougher to work with, and potentially add some extra risk to the equation. Good luck in your decision!!!
earl

[Brian Biela]

I was in a similar situation and just replaced the fence on my Jet with a Vega from Rockler and I am VERY happy with it. As others have said it makes a world of difference. Install was easy, it locks in square and it has a micro-adjust. FYI, I also looked at the Incra and was about to bit the bullet but they are on a 3-4 month backlog.

FYI, I just got a mailer today from Rockler with a 20% off coupon, that should help. :) Good luck!!!

[Bill Space]

Many years ago I put a delta unifence on my craftsman saw that was similar to yours. Putting a good fence on that saw makes all the difference in the world! Later I had the opportunity to buy a second unifence. So now I have a unifence on both my grizzly 5 hp tablesaw and my original craftsman, which I am using in the house next-door that I am renovating.

Too bad you don’t live closer. I have the original shop fox fence came with my grizzly saw (which never came out of the box).

Buy a good fence. You will not regret it, and in the future if you sell that saw you can put the old fence back on and move the good one to your new saw.

[James Baldwin]

When we bought our Craftsman hybrid table saw new they had removed the fence to give to someone else for their saw so they had marked down the saw we bought. I put a Accusquare M1025 on it. Not the M1030 because we didn't have room for a 50" fence. Was well worth the money and that's been twenty years ago. Very accurate. Easy to add jigs and hold downs to. Jim

[Dave Wills]

Thank you, Lee!
Also, thank you for your service, Captain!
I was a QM3 onboard the USS Horne (DLG 30) and QM1 onboard the USS McKean (DD 784).

[Dave Wills]

Thanks, Earl!

[Dave Wills]

Thanks, Brian!

[Dave Wills]

Thanks, Bill!

[Dave Wills]

Thanks, Jim!

[James Baldwin]

I started out as an AMS in VS 33 in 1967 out in 1971 and retired as an SW1 1998 Jim

[Dave Wills]

Thank you for your service!

[Mike Weaver]

I had a Craftsman 12" contractor saw and put a Vega U50 on it. I was quite happy with it.

The was I looked at it was that I got at least 10yrs out of the setup while I slowly saved for a cabinet saw.

The cost per year of that fence even buying new was rather low.

Good luck and stay safe!

-Mike

[Frederick Skelly]

A lot of folks seem to get caught up in the cost of an accessory compared to the price of the tool it's used with. In this case--fence for a table saw. A solid, accurate fence can make an "okay saw" into a "good" or "very good" saw...maybe even better. And once a good aftermarket fence is acquired--it can be used with almost any future saw, or if not needed--sold for relatively good money. 6 or 7 years ago, I put an Incra system on a $700 retail saw that i paid $350 net for. Made a mediocre TS very usable, and when i see a Holy Grail come up--i don't have a concern about the fence with it. And if i get one with a top quality fence--i could sell my current fence for at least what i have in it so my net cost of use would be the time value of the money i paid.

It's tough to reconcile the relative value of the accessory when it seems totally out of line compared to the tool price--but a crappy fence will be tougher to work with, and potentially add some extra risk to the equation. Good luck in your decision!!!
earl

Earl said it very well. I've upgraded my contractor saw with various accessories. As a result, she performs like a well-tuned violin for the work that I do. However, when making new purchases, I do ask myself: "Am I going to get as much value out of this next purchase as I did from that $400 tablesaw?"

You won't long regret paying $300 for a used, quality fence. (Likewise spending money for other key "accessories" like a good miter gauge, good feather boards, good blade guard like shark guard.) You can certainly work without them and lotsa guys do. But I've found the work to be easier and more enjoyable with a few well-chosen pieces of better-quality gear. YMMV.

Fred