Fence Upgrade

[Peter Gavin]

I need some help. I have decided that the most efficient (read most bang for the few bucks I can spend) way to improve my woodworking would be to upgrade the bump and nudge adjustable fence on my old Delta/Rockwell tablesaw. It seems the choices (in my budget) I have are Shop Fox G9221, Vega U26, Accusquare M1050 and Biesmeyer 78-902. I like the fact that the accusquare advertises the t-track on all faces for jigs etc, but I'm wondering if there is anything else I should be looking for. Please help me spend my money wisely.

Thanks

Peter

[tod evans]

peter, i didn`t even look at the models you listed only the brands, go with the bies......i bought a vega once and darn near paid a guy to take it away after it slid in the middle of a rip on cherry veneer plywood! a person doesn`t need t-tracks or micro adjust features on a saw fence only for the fence to stay where it`s put. bies perfected that quite a while back........02 tod

[Dick Parr]

Peter, I upgraded my old Craftsman with the Vega fence and it was like getting a completely new saw. I wish I had it now on my Grizzly 1023XL, as it is a much better fence system.

Good luck:)

[Hank Knight]

a person doesn`t need t-tracks or micro adjust features on a saw fence only for the fence to stay where it`s put. bies perfected that quite a while back........02 tod

Tod, I agree that one doesn't "need" a micro adjust feature on a rip fence, but I had one on my last saw - a Powermatic Model 64 - and I really got used to using it. I would like to have one on my Unisaw. It is a much more precise way to adjust a fence than bumping it back and forth.

Cheers,

Hank

[Scott Berg]

Peter,
I was in the same situation last year when I bought my Craftsman 22114. I ran into a great deal on a Biesmeyer fence and I cannot believe the difference it makes to be able to set the fence to a dimension, lock the lever, and not look back.
Good luck

[scott spencer]

Hi Peter - I tend to agree with you...a good fence can be a major upgrade to a saw.

I've owned two Biesemeyer types and loved them both. One was General's equivalent of the Biese Home Shop fence, the other the commercial fence.

I've also used a Vega that belongs to a friend and was quite impressed, then actually had one in my shop last winter for about 8 weeks and was still impressed. Wood rated it as a Best Buy.

I've used the Accusquare and don't find it to be as robust as the fences mentioned above, but it does offer some nice accessories. If the t-tracks are attractive to you I'd consider looking into the SF Alumarip Classic. It's essentially a Biese Home Shop fence with alumimum clad faces with t-tracks on the sides...~ $200 plus s/h.

[Chris Gregory]

Peter,

I installed an Incra TS LS with the wonder fence and I have absolutely no regrets at all, it is definitely not the cheapest fence out there but I think it is the most versatile, I have some tight space limitations so I opted to install a router table right and left of the saw, the repeatable accuracy is beyond compare.

[Steve Clardy]

I upgraded to the Acusquare last year sometime. I like it.
Also got the router fence attachment.
Good company, great service.
They also make a sliding table I've considered buying.

[Ron Robinson]

Peter,

I bought A Vega when I owned my old Craftsman contractor's saw. Like Tod, I also experienced some slipping during cuts. I had to sand the tube the fence rides on along with the clamping mechanism in the fence itself. After that there was no slipping and the fence was great. Very accurate and repeatable. The micro-adjust was also quite handy.

Ron Robinson

[Peter Gavin]

There was a used Accufence for sale on another forum so I figured I was destined to have it. Isn't that the way it always happens? Anyway, I haven't heard back from the owner so maybe it will fall through anyway. Thanks for your help.

Peter

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Another brand is Excalibur. They are the same folks that make the add-on sliding tables. Their fence effortlessly rides on front and back rails using wheel bearings. The fence also locks at both the front and rear yielding no noticable deflection and is resistant to bumping. It also remains parallel during movement and has a hairline indicator that allows me to move the fence the width of a thin pencil line.

The downside is if you have an outfeed table. The outfeed table must have about 3" clearance between the table and saw for the rear rail whereas a T-square style fence will allow you to butt the table up against the saw.

Just another option...

-Jeff

[Chris Gregory]

Another brand is Excalibur. They are the same folks that make the add-on sliding tables. Their fence effortlessly rides on front and back rails using wheel bearings. The fence also locks at both the front and rear yielding no noticable deflection and is resistant to bumping. It also remains parallel during movement and has a hairline indicator that allows me to move the fence the width of a thin pencil line.

The downside is if you have an outfeed table. The outfeed table must have about 3" clearance between the table and saw for the rear rail whereas a T-square style fence will allow you to butt the table up against the saw.

Just another option...

-Jeff

And Matt has one for sale at a very nice price on the list:cool:

[Matt Warfield]

I recently purchased the Vega U50. It's an accurate fence for my needs and quite sturdy. There is also the proverbial but... The finished product left a bit to be desired. The fence head had not been deburred and one of the burrs was as large as my pinkie fingernail. I realize that this one could have slipped past the deburring process but I'll never know as no one at Vega has responded to my efforts of informing them of this.

Take this for what it's worth. I would have a difficult time pushing anyone into a Vega but at the same time, wouldn't put a lot of effort into talking anyone out of it. Just plan on spending a few minutes deburring and be surprised if you don't have to do that.

Matt

[Tyler Howell]

Bies, Pricy but good!

[Charlie Kocourek]

FWIW I've had a 50" Vega (commercial) for 3 years and I like it very much! :D It has never slipped on me, if fact it is as solid as a rock. If it ever had I would not have removed it from my old saw and installed it on my new one.

[Jim DeLaney]

First choice: Biesemeier. Get the big one, not the home shop model.

Second choice: Shop Fox Classic. Pretty much the same as the Biese, but a little bit cheaper.

<B>Last</B> choice: The Vega. Had one for about three months. Sold it and bought a Biesemeier. Never looked back...

[Matt Meiser]

Another vote for the commercial Bies. the fence is solid as a rock, easy to adjust, and if you want to attach jigs, you can always make a clamp on auxillary fence. I had a Craftsman fence that was aluminum and will never own another aluminum fence. While I'm sure just about anyone else could do a better job than Sears at the implementation, I still think aluminum is just too flexible in the sizes that are used on fences. Its also soft and gets dinged up too easily.