I think my fence is bent!

[Ken Shoemaker]

I bought a Delta Contractor Saw (36-680) about 2 years and one month ago. As luck would have it, it's one month out of warranty. I have found that the last third of the fence is "bent" to the left (into the blade) about .014. The saw is a right tilt so I'm getting burning on the wood while ripping. I've just spent three hours trying to work it out. Bythe way, I got the blade parallel to the miter slot.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thaks in advance... Ken

[scott spencer]

I'd start by giving Delta a call...tell them exactly what you just stated in their post. Nothing to lose and alot to gain.

If that doesn't work, maybe you could shim the face to parallel, or possibly straighten it with some persuasion.

[glenn bradley]

If Delta is no help I would consider a shimmed face of UHMW, BB ply or MDF. Adjust your cursor and you're set.

[Richard Butler]

If it were me I would go to Lowes and get a unifence for $160.

[Joe Chritz]

Re-machine it or shim a permanent aux fence.

If you were ever the least bit looking at a new fence this is a good opportunity to grab something up.

I want a new fence for my Ridgid but the next fence will come attached to a new saw.

Joe

[Ken Shoemaker]

Thanks for the input guys... I think Joe may be on the right track with " new fence ". I have been loking at the bess. and Accusquare. Anybody with experience with either one would be a big help.

[Ken Shoemaker]

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Delta Tech Support. I explained the problem to the gent and got a most unexpected reply. " that ain't gonna work for ya'. I'll just send you out two new faces for the fence. Now be sure you don't overtighten them when you put them on or you could warp'em. Anything else I can do for you today?" I'm shocked that after more than two years they would be so helpful.

Now this is service "above and beyond the call". I have all Delta (ts, bs, cms, jointer, planer) tools and I bet I get some more with customer service like that...

[Bill Huber]

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Delta Tech Support. I explained the problem to the gent and got a most unexpected reply. " that ain't gonna work for ya'. I'll just send you out two new faces for the fence. Now be sure you don't overtighten them when you put them on or you could warp'em. Anything else I can do for you today?" I'm shocked that after more than two years they would be so helpful.

Now this is service "above and beyond the call". I have all Delta (ts, bs, cms, jointer, planer) tools and I bet I get some more with customer service like that...

That is great !!!!

I love to hear about good customer service in these days with some really crappy service out that.

[Alex Berkovsky]

Ken,
I am glad Delta took care of you; that's great customer service. I was going to suggest making a short Euro fence, but that won't be necessary anymore.

[Mike Heidrick]

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Delta Tech Support. I explained the problem to the gent and got a most unexpected reply. " that ain't gonna work for ya'. I'll just send you out two new faces for the fence. Now be sure you don't overtighten them when you put them on or you could warp'em. Anything else I can do for you today?" I'm shocked that after more than two years they would be so helpful.

Now this is service "above and beyond the call". I have all Delta (ts, bs, cms, jointer, planer) tools and I bet I get some more with customer service like that...

Awesome to hear. I have also had good luck with them. I love their tools personally - always have and their big tools have been nothing sort of amazing for me. That on top of the amazon pricing on their tools, my shop is set for life (mine and my kids most likely).

[Don Bullock]

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with Delta Tech Support. I explained the problem to the gent and got a most unexpected reply. " that ain't gonna work for ya'. I'll just send you out two new faces for the fence. Now be sure you don't overtighten them when you put them on or you could warp'em. Anything else I can do for you today?" I'm shocked that after more than two years they would be so helpful....

Ken, that's great news. It's nice to hear of companies that stand behind their products like this. Let us know if the new faces work out for you.

[Mike Goetzke]

Ken (and others) - What is an acceptable "out of flatness?" After reading this I went out and measured my Biese fence with my new A-Line-It jig. My fence is within a couple of thousands at the extremities but about 0.005" off across from the blade. The saw is still under warranty - should I be concerned?

Mike

[John Schreiber]

Now this is service "above and beyond the call". I have all Delta (ts, bs, cms, jointer, planer) tools and I bet I get some more with customer service like that...
Go Delta! A simple response like that buys them a ton of good will with people like us who are in the market for their product.

Customer service like that is worth a mint.

[Rick Lizek]

Ken (and others) - What is an acceptable "out of flatness?" After reading this I went out and measured my Biese fence with my new A-Line-It jig. My fence is within a couple of thousands at the extremities but about 0.005" off across from the blade. The saw is still under warranty - should I be concerned?

Mike
It's woodworking and the tolerances aren't going to be as tight for metalworking. .005" would be acceptable for a Biesemeyer fence in my experience as a tech for woodworking machines. PM allows .015" for table saw table flatness. .010" for 8" jointer table flatness.

[Steven Wilson]

Mike, are you noticing any particular gremlins with your fence? .005" may or may not be an issue as it depends on what it's reference is. I would take measurements every inch from 6" in front of the blade to 4" in back of the blade and see what the readings are. If they go from say -.002 to -.005 and vary inbetween the two then I wouldn't worry (that's flat around the blade but angled from the front). If it went from +.002 .000 .002 .000 -.003 -.005 -.005 -.003 - .001 +.002 + .002 (front to back) then you would have a somewhat pronounced dip at the blade, that could be a problem. On many fences (hopefully Beis allows this adjustment now) you can easily remove the fence face. This allows you the opportunity to shim the fence if needed (to get it square or straight). You might also notice a sloppy paint job on the metal fence support. On the Powermatic I use to own I sanded down the paint and leveled it then reattached the fence face with a couple of shims and the fence was fairly dead on (vary a few thou but no bumps or hollows).