Table saw/aftermarket fence question

[Jacob Mac]

I am just getting into woodworking, and I have a bit of a dilemna that I wasn't able to resolve with the search feature.

I bought a run of the mill contractor saw to get going from craigslist. It came with a nice Freud blade, but the fence is worthless. So I need to get a new fence which got me looking into Incra, Biesemeyer, Vega et. al. Since I don't have a lot of tools, the more versatility I can squeeze out of my table saw the better I will be. But I am apprehensice about dropping $300-$400 on a fence on a cheap contractor saw.

I want to build furniture, and I am a perfectionist, so a good fence seems like it is a must. My train of thought is that I can always transition any fence onto my next saw. But I wonder if I am putting lipstick on a pig.

So how bad of an idea is it to put a high dollar fence on a contractor saw? Thanks for the help.

[Mike Schmalzer]

A good quality fence will make life much easier and improve precision greatly. If you are looking for something for your start up saw, I would recommend picking up a RIGID aftermarket fence (AC1036 I think). While all the other brands are great the RIGID is much less expensive (around $120 maybe less) and it is a great fence. Just ask other RIGID table saw owners. It was a night and day improvement on my father in laws craftsman. Just my 2 cents

Mike

[scott spencer]

Sounds to me like a fence like the Delta T2 for $150 or less would make the most sense....you'll get about 95% of the fence at about 50% of the cost. It's like a "Biese Lite".

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41F957FX1PL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[mil ford]

It's not a bad idea at all. A contractors saw can be just as accurate as a cabinet saw. The differences in the two saws lies with dust collection, footprint, weight and adjustability not with accuracy. If you are a stickler for accuracy and repeatability go with th incra. The down side of the incra is that you loose your right side table space.

[Tony Bilello]

Depends on what brand of table saw.
The Delta Contractors saw is a great saw for furniture building.
Although a good fence is a definite plus, how good is the saw itself?

Tony B

[Samuel Brooks]

So how bad of an idea is it to put a high dollar fence on a contractor saw? Thanks for the help.

I bought the Incra TS for my Jet Contractors saw. It is a pleasure to use every time I set it. And yes it will go with me if I upgrade to a cabinet saw.

If you are going to be doing furniture of any size. Think about also investing in an EZ-Smart or Saw guide system of some type. It is very difficult to work with large sheets on a table saw without lots of in/out feed tables etc. For the price of those roller stands you can get an EZ Smart 112" guide.

The combination of my EZ-Smart and my Table Saw does everything that I ask of it.

The other fences talked about here are also great options. But either way consider some type of saw guide or make your own for sheet breakdown or for cross cutting backs of dressers / bookcases etc. It's much safer and if you do a Zero Clearance setup for the handsaw, you can get a very good quality cut.

Good Luck with your decision.

[Tom Henderson2]

Sounds to me like a fence like the Delta T2 for $150 or less would make the most sense....you'll get about 95% of the fence at about 50% of the cost. It's like a "Biese Lite".

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41F957FX1PL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Ditto. Put one on my older Sears saw, and it makes a HUGE difference. The Bies is better, but the T2 is the value leader IMHO.

[Jacob Mac]

I bought the Incra TS for my Jet Contractors saw. It is a pleasure to use every time I set it. And yes it will go with me if I upgrade to a cabinet saw.

If you are going to be doing furniture of any size. Think about also investing in an EZ-Smart or Saw guide system of some type. It is very difficult to work with large sheets on a table saw without lots of in/out feed tables etc. For the price of those roller stands you can get an EZ Smart 112" guide.

The combination of my EZ-Smart and my Table Saw does everything that I ask of it.

The other fences talked about here are also great options. But either way consider some type of saw guide or make your own for sheet breakdown or for cross cutting backs of dressers / bookcases etc. It's much safer and if you do a Zero Clearance setup for the handsaw, you can get a very good quality cut.

Good Luck with your decision.

Wow, I started the thread trying to figure out if I was thinking too big by putting a nice fence on my saw, and it turns out I wasn't thinking big enough. I need more tools:)

Thanks for the advice guys. Now I just need to figure out how to prioritize between the fence, a bandsaw, clamps/cauls, and a workbench. It is tough because it seems like I need all of them to really get moving, but I just can't afford getting them all at once.

I will probably get the fence and clamps and then pick up the rest of the stuff as I go. I will just have to use the table saw for as many things as possible at first. At least I will get really proficient with it.

[glen box]

I upgraded from my Craftsman contractor TS to a ridgid contractor TS about a year and a half ago. The fence system is very acurate and sturdy. I am thrilled with the new saw. my wife and kids gave it to me two Christmases ago, they rock.

[Don Bullock]

...It is tough because it seems like I need all of them to really get moving, but I just can't afford getting them all at once.

I will probably get the fence and clamps and then pick up the rest of the stuff as I go. I will just have to use the table saw for as many things as possible at first. At least I will get really proficient with it.

You don't have to get everything at once. Actually much of the work can be done on the table saw, especially one with a decent fence. Picking up tools as you need them is a good approach. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Danny Thompson]

I put a Biesemeyer on my $99 Delta shopmaster, and it totallly transformed my work. Not only did I never have to worry about accuracy, but I felt much safer, feeling kickback was less likely with a reliably parallel fence.

When it comes time to upgrade to a cabinet saw, you can leverage your fence to save money.

If you can afford the fence,,. then get it. You will never look back.

[scott spencer]

I put a Biesemeyer on my $99 Delta shopmaster, and it totallly transformed my work. Not only did I never have to worry about accuracy, but I felt much safer, feeling kickback was less likely with a reliably parallel fence.

When it comes time to upgrade to a cabinet saw, you can leverage your fence to save money.

If you can afford the fence,,. then get it. You will never look back.

Now that I'd love to see pictures of! Did you have to mount the fence to some sort of workstation and just set the saw in the station? Did you have to cut it down at all? I'm trying to envision 75# of fence on a 52# saw.

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[Danny Thompson]

Yep. A nasty frisbee incident cause by the unreliable fence and one too many tipping incidents inspired me to embed the saw in a 3' x 7' mobile workbench I had. Needless to say, I chunked the fence.

The miter slots on that little saw are not a standard width, and the puny miter guage that came with the saw was crap, so I leveled the sawtop with the workbench frame, secured it to the stretchers, overlaid it with 1/2" mdf and a formica sheet, raised the blade through to create a "zero clearance insert," and very carefully routed two new 3/4" wide miter slots parallel to the blade. I could have cut a hole for a real zero clearance insert, but never got around to it, so I was restricted to 90-degree cuts. Also, I lost 1/2" cutting depth due to the mdf.

If the slots in the TS had been usable, I would have left it flush with the workbench top and routed slots as needed on the infeed and outfeed sides of the workbench, similar to how you would with an outfeed table.

So, this pic provides an end-shot of the Frankensaw on the right. You can just see the bottom of the Delta Shopmaster peeking out under the workbench's black apron (just above the planer).

About 6 months later I found a 7' Biesemeyer rail on clearance at my local woodworking retailer ($60) and a commercial Biesemeyer "scratch-n-dent" fence from the Biesemeyer site (I couldn't find any dents or scraches on it) for about $120. And there you have it. My cuts have been accurate ever since.

I never mounted the back rail, because its intended purpose is to keep your auxilary table level with the table saw. In my case, it wasn't possible to attach the rail to the actual saw. You can see the back rail sitting on the bottom shelf of the workbench.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=79663&d=1200847742

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=79665&d=1200847777

Served me well for about 2 1/2 years.

To preserve my honor, I'll say that, recently the Shopmaster died and I upgraded to a "respectable" cabinet saw (JET JTAS-10XL with a 52" Xacta fence; same capacity as the Biese).

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=93684&d=1217514957

The grand jury is still gathering evidence in the case of Xacta v. Biese. We'll see.

[Vic Damone]

Last week I was using my brother-in-laws Bies equipped cabinet saw and realized just how spoiled I've become with the Incra on my contractor saw.

If your saw will hold a truing up then a good blade with a nice fence and miter will make it a pleasure to use. Go for it.

Vic

[scott spencer]

Yep. A nasty frisbee incident cause by the unreliable fence and one too many tipping incidents inspired me to embed the saw in a 3' x 7' mobile workbench I had. Needless to say, I chunked the fence.

The miter slots on that little saw are not a standard width, and the puny miter guage that came with the saw was crap, so I leveled the sawtop with the workbench frame, secured it to the stretchers, overlaid it with 1/2" mdf and a formica sheet, raised the blade through to create a "zero clearance insert," and very carefully routed two new 3/4" wide miter slots parallel to the blade. I could have cut a hole for a real zero clearance insert, but never got around to it, so I was restricted to 90-degree cuts. Also, I lost 1/2" cutting depth due to the mdf.

If the slots in the TS had been usable, I would have left it flush with the workbench top and routed slots as needed on the infeed and outfeed sides of the workbench, similar to how you would with an outfeed table.

So, this pic provides an end-shot of the Frankensaw on the right. You can just see the bottom of the Delta Shopmaster peeking out under the workbench's black apron (just above the planer).

About 6 months later I found a 7' Biesemeyer rail on clearance at my local woodworking retailer ($60) and a commercial Biesemeyer "scratch-n-dent" fence from the Biesemeyer site (I couldn't find any dents or scraches on it) for about $120. And there you have it. My cuts have been accurate ever since.

I never mounted the back rail, because its intended purpose is to keep your auxilary table level with the table saw. In my case, it wasn't possible to attach the rail to the actual saw. You can see the back rail sitting on the bottom shelf of the workbench.



Wow...Danny, that's easily the most impressive Delta Shopmaster setup I've ever seen. I've seen some nice TS station setups before, but this one takes the cake...Very impressive! Do you mind if I save a copy of those pics for future reference?

[Danny Thompson]

Use them only for good. . . . or a good laugh.

[Brian Patterson]

Sounds to me like a fence like the Delta T2 for $150 or less would make the most sense....you'll get about 95% of the fence at about 50% of the cost. It's like a "Biese Lite".

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41F957FX1PL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

A word of caution about this fence... I was in your same position, a lower end saw with a need for a better fence... i checked this one out at the local lowes and discovered that the under side of it has an additional piece of 1/8" metal welded on to the bottom where the fence attaches to the back rail... you can't use this like a beisemeyer - that additional piece of metal (maybe the size of one of those dinner mints? (1"/ 0.5" ) sits proud of the base... if your table fits the exact size this fence requires, then you're in business... i wrapped a much larger outfeed table around my saw so i couldn't use it....

maybe i didn't do a good job explaining it, but head to a lowes and try it out first... might save some shipping costs if it doesn't work for you...

[Chuck Tringo]

A word of caution about this fence... I was in your same position, a lower end saw with a need for a better fence... i checked this one out at the local lowes and discovered that the under side of it has an additional piece of 1/8" metal welded on to the bottom where the fence attaches to the back rail... you can't use this like a beisemeyer - that additional piece of metal (maybe the size of one of those dinner mints? (1"/ 0.5" ) sits proud of the base... if your table fits the exact size this fence requires, then you're in business... i wrapped a much larger outfeed table around my saw so i couldn't use it....

maybe i didn't do a good job explaining it, but head to a lowes and try it out first... might save some shipping costs if it doesn't work for you...


Nothing a Grinder couldnt fix :D

[Eddie Darby]

The following site is Dave Wooland's site who knows a thing or two about saws.

http://store.thesawshop.com

[Brian Patterson]

Yep. A nasty frisbee incident cause by the unreliable fence and one too many tipping incidents inspired me to embed the saw in a 3' x 7' mobile workbench I had. Needless to say, I chunked the fence.

The miter slots on that little saw are not a standard width, and the puny miter guage that came with the saw was crap, so I leveled the sawtop with the workbench frame, secured it to the stretchers, overlaid it with 1/2" mdf and a formica sheet, raised the blade through to create a "zero clearance insert," and very carefully routed two new 3/4" wide miter slots parallel to the blade. I could have cut a hole for a real zero clearance insert, but never got around to it, so I was restricted to 90-degree cuts. Also, I lost 1/2" cutting depth due to the mdf.

If the slots in the TS had been usable, I would have left it flush with the workbench top and routed slots as needed on the infeed and outfeed sides of the workbench, similar to how you would with an outfeed table.

So, this pic provides an end-shot of the Frankensaw on the right. You can just see the bottom of the Delta Shopmaster peeking out under the workbench's black apron (just above the planer).

About 6 months later I found a 7' Biesemeyer rail on clearance at my local woodworking retailer ($60) and a commercial Biesemeyer "scratch-n-dent" fence from the Biesemeyer site (I couldn't find any dents or scraches on it) for about $120. And there you have it. My cuts have been accurate ever since.

I never mounted the back rail, because its intended purpose is to keep your auxilary table level with the table saw. In my case, it wasn't possible to attach the rail to the actual saw. You can see the back rail sitting on the bottom shelf of the workbench.


Danny,

I've built a table saw/router table using the same saw and fence... I was given the saw new, never used and I found an incredible deal on the fence and couldn't pass it up... I still need to add the hole for my router plate, but after some set up it's been cutting true for me... I had built the table saw cabinet and router table separately and then saw an article in a shopnotes magazine and decided to combine them. It was a good learning experience for me - learning about how to laminate etc. There is a small bubble near the miter slot that has been repaired since the photograph. Overall it's more than I need right now for a table saw...

and to the original poster... my thought is I can always take the fence with me when i upgrade to a new saw...

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