Sawstop and Biesemeyer T square fence measurement and common practices

[al ladd]

Could someone tell me how far above the steel fence top the Sawstop and Biesemeyer T square fence faces come? Do people tend to use jigs that ride on top of the fence? Do people see a trade-off in using T-track on top of the fence that comes above the top of the faces (as in the track for Jessem clear-cut guides hold-downs) and other uses that involve wanting a clear plaftorm?
Thanks!

[Aaron Liebling]

For my jessem hold downs, I made a magswitch-based holder that works great. There's a video showing it. This way I can easily take it off and mount other jigs.

[glenn bradley]

My Biesemeyer road a fat 1/6" over the table, This was a combination of the pad that the fence rides on and the front rail setup using their provided template to set that height relative to the table. My Saw Stop Bies-clone rides a skinny 1/16" above. I have swapped the faces for aluminum extrusions to provide t-tracks; swapped back as the benefit was minimal. I added a top t-track to the Biesemeyer and eventually removed it as well. The value of the guides/holddowns will vary with your work. The tablesaw is so much more than a ripping machine for me that I spent a lot of time removing the guides. Finally just left them off. Others will leave them on almost constantly and be very happy.

[al ladd]

The measurement I'm looking for is top of fence face to top of steel tube, the upward legs of the little U shape on top of the fence. It's probably about 3/8," but I have a need to know it with some precision.
Thanks!

[Lee Schierer]

On my Beismeyer fence, from the top of the steel tube to the top of the vinyl measures 7/16".

[Rick Potter]

SawStop PCS......9/16.

[al ladd]

Thanks for these reports. Much appreciated.

Funny how these high end fences don't make the most of that wide fence top. And it seems like many are afraid to drill through to mount a track for hold downs or jigs, and even replace a face with an extrusion. Who doesn't want a t-track on their fence ?

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks for these reports. Much appreciated.

Funny how these high end fences don't make the most of that wide fence top. And it seems like many are afraid to drill through to mount a track for hold downs or jigs, and even replace a face with an extrusion. Who doesn't want a t-track on their fence ?

I added a cover to my fence that accommodates my Grip Tite feather boards. The top of my cover helps keep track of my mechanical pencils, chalk, wood files etc. I've also made a few accessories that attach to the cover.