aftermarket table saw fence

[Howard Pollack]

I'm looking for an aftermarket fence for my old Rockwell Unisaw. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which to buy or stay away from? Has anyone tried the Aqusquare? Thanks. -Howard

[Jim Becker]

I'm looking for an aftermarket fence for my old Rockwell Unisaw. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which to buy or stay away from? Has anyone tried the Aqusquare? Thanks. -Howard

The Mule fence gets great comments on another forum that I'm "somewhat" active. ( :D ) Folks claim it's easy to install and use and report that it's accurate. You also have a number of other great choices available, including Biesemeyer, the Delta UniFence, various "alternative" Biesemeyer-style fences, the Vega, etc. Any of these will provide you with a good fence solution for your saw.

[David Hayes]

Howard,
I have the Accusquare fence from Mule Cabinetmakers on a contractors saw. The fence was relatively simple to install and I am thrilled with the performance of it. That said, if I had a Unisaw, I would probably go with the Unifence or Beisemeyer to "stay in the tradition".
I think you will like the Accusquare if you choose to go with it. I believe it is the least expensive option if money is one of your concerns.
Dave

[Terry Hatfield]

Howard,

No direct experience with the Mule, but it has recieved good comments.

I have the Shop Fox Clasic which I really like. It's on sale right now from Grizzly for $259, including the 7' rails and legs. Most of the Bies clones, like the Shop Fox are pretty much the same and all good. Honestly I believe that most all of the aftermarket fences are good. It's just a matter of chosing the one with the capabilities you need most.

Terry

[Scott Coffelt]

I owned the Mule for several years on my old contractor saw. I will say it was better than what came with the saw, however, I think there are better fences on the market for the same price or higher. I would look seriously at the Vega, also a Beis. or Beis clone is great. You can also see if anyone has any for sale on this site. I remember reading about someone who was sent two Jet fences, you may be able to work a deal.

Why I did not like the Mule: it seemed light weight, it flexed at the rear which impacted performance.

What I liked: the slots made it nice to add fixtures and sacrificial fence.

[Don Abele]

Howard, I had a Vega fence on my old craftsman TS that was recently destroyed while moving (and yes, they bent the tubular rail as well). It was very easy to install and extremely accurate over the 4+ years I used it. I've no complaints about it. Like was mentioned above, most aftermarket fences are good, just a matter of picking the one with the right features and right price.

Be well,

Doc

[Keith Outten]

Howard,

I bought the 52" Biesemeyer fence for my Grizzly 1023 about 4 years ago. Simply the best! After four years I can't think of one thing I would change or even ask for in a saw fence. I haven't even had to recalibrate my fence since it was installed, it is rock solid but on the high side as far as price goes.

[Steve Clardy]

I bought it and very happy with. There was 1 boner I did, not fully understanding the instructions at one point, but worked around that. It's been on for around two months now, and I cannot get any flex out of, unless maybe I'm pushing material way to hard against the fence. I set it up to rip 36" to the right, around 23" to the left. I got the long rails, and also got the accessory router fence. I have 4 routers in tables now, but kinda need another once in a while, so I also got the blank router table. Haven't gotten router attached yet though to try out the fence.
I've been going to do a review on it, but haven't had the time. I could email you the pics if you need them. It's mounted on a griz 1023 cabinet saw. I really like the knob on the fence instead of a lever, though if someone else has used it, seems like they bear down on the knob to tighten it, which is not necessary. Just slightly snug it. Hasn't moved yet. Steve

[Lee Schierer]

I put a Beismeyer on my saw and love it. It took almost 30 minutes to install and set up. I even re-read the instructions to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Simply a great fence that doesn't move and is always square to the table.

I would get another one if someone stole this one. It will never break or wear out, so it would have to be stolen.

[Wendell Wilkerson]

I installed a Vega fence on my Rojek Euro slider cabinet saw. It is a huge improvement over the factory fence that came with my saw. I really like the micro adjust feature on the Vega fence. I use it all the time. It is kind of expensive, around $400, but for me, it was money well spent. I had to modify a bunch of the mounting brackets to install the fence on my saw. However, since you have a Unisaw, I would bet you can get the Vega fence installed in an hour or less.

Wendell

[Phil Phelps]

I put a Beismeyer on my saw and love it. It took almost 30 minutes to install and set up. I even re-read the instructions to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Simply a great fence that doesn't move and is always square to the table.

I would get another one if someone stole this one. It will never break or wear out, so it would have to be stolen.

......he don't!! :p I know two pros that have bought second and third TS's and they buy the Beis. I wish I had invented it.

[David Klug]

I bought a Vega several years ago when I found it on special for $170 and it just WONDERFUL. The old fence that I got with the ts.would drive me nuts because I would measure from the blade then I would have to square it to the table, measure from the blade, square it to the table ect. You get the idea. Now I just calibate it to the blade width and set it on the dimension that I want to cut and it is right there. What a joy it is to be able to do that. I have it mounted on an old Craftsman ts which does everything that I want to do.

[chris toomey]

love my vega.............

[Bill MacLachlan]

I bought the Unifence when I got my Delta a couple of years ago and think it works great. I added the 30" extension and have a great work area now. Holds all of the turning tools when I am working on the lathe!! Bill

[Bill Esposito]

I'm looking for an aftermarket fence for my old Rockwell Unisaw. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which to buy or stay away from? Has anyone tried the Aqusquare? Thanks. -HowardHoward,

I have a 50" Vega and a new addition, an INcra TS-III. I think I'm keeping the Incra on my saw.

You can see a write-up with pics of the Vega here (http://cerealport.net/woodworking/vegafence.html) and my newly finished review of the Incra TS-III here (http://cerealport.net/woodworking/ts3).

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I've got the Shop Fox classic fence and really like it. It's on my SF cabinet saw and will do anything the original Bies. that I have at work will do.

[Curt Harms]

I have the Mule and have had good luck with it. Stout, accurate, repeatable. One thing to be aware of--if you want to remove it, you have to slide it off the end of the front rail. I haven't had experience with any other fences except an early '90's Craftsman. THAT fence left much to desired, as others have alluded to. The T slots on 3 sides can be handy on the Mule if you like to attach jigs, aux fences and such.

So many fences so little money :)

Curt

[Carl Eyman]

Love my Vega - haven't used the others, but don't see how they can be better - maybe just as good. Carl

[Robert Goodwin]

I have the INCRA TSIIIa and could not be more happy. I am just a hobbiest, and work mostly with solid wood, so I am not slamming heavy sheet goods against it. I got it for its repeatability and accuracy. I have the Shopfox classic as well and intend on keeping it, but will keep the TS3 on the saw for now.

Either fence is great, it just depends on your needs.

Rob

[Jim Becker]

I have the INCRA TSIIIa and could not be more happy.

The Incra fence system is excellent. Folks considering it should keep in mind, though, that it requires a bit of space to the right of the saw when you are making wide rips. Your shop needs to be able to accomodate that space in those situations.

[Jay Goddard]

I'm another Incra TSIIIa owner. I would whole-heartedly recommend this fence system. The peace of mind that comes with perfectly repeatable cuts is worth it.

[David LaRue]

I replaced my fence on my old Craftsman with a Vega. I really liked that fence.

I now have a Accu-Fence on the PM (Bies clone) and it is excellent, except that it lack the micro adjust.

Dave

[bretgreen]

Many people in the trade have varying opinions about saw fences, but in my opinion the beisemeyer commercial fence is the best. Since Delta bought Beisemeyer you can now get the fence in Delta Grey. They are strong, adjust quickly, and are extremely easy to use. You can pick one up for about $300 new. I recommend the 12" left and 50" right if you have the room. Sorry, never heard of Acusquare.


I'm looking for an aftermarket fence for my old Rockwell Unisaw. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which to buy or stay away from? Has anyone tried the Aqusquare? Thanks. -Howard

[Wayne Short]

Bought a scratch and dent 40" home Beis from Redmond Machinery in Atlanta.

http://www.redmond-machinery.com

Cost was just over $200 shipped. Still haven't found the scratch or the dent and it works great.

[Dan Stuewe]

Last month Wood magazine had a short review of cabinet saws. One of the focus points was the fence that came with the saw (they chose a Uni-fence for their Uni-saw, so no true Bies to compare). Anyway their fence test was to put a lateral load on the end of each fence (20 lb I think) and measure the deflection at the saw blade (don't remember which part of the saw blade). They found the best results with the Bies clone on the General. And they claimed this was due to the clamping mechanism used (larger clamping surface area).

Now aside from the fact that I don't think their test told us anything about how a fence is supposed to be used, does anyone know if the Bies has the same clamping mechanism as what is on the General? or is it more like the JET/Powermatic/Grizzly?

Thanks,

[scott spencer]

Howard - I've got a General T-fence (very similar to the Biese), and have used a Shop Fox Classic, a Vega, and an Accusquare. The Accusquare works well and is a good value, but I like the rigidity of the steel Vega, General and SF better. I like the General fence alot, but really enjoyed the micro adjust feature on the Vega.