OEM Bandsaw fence or not?

[Adam Cavaliere]

I just picked up a Steel City 14" bandsaw. It did not come with a fence and I now have the choice of whether or not to get the OEM fence from Steel City, or buy a fence like one from Kreg.

I mostly plan on doing resawing of boards 6" or less and also probably trying to make some bandsaw boxes. I am sure other things will come up, but that is what I am considering right now ;)

[Chris Padilla]

I can only comment on the Kreg fence: I think it is a nice fence for a c-note and you shouldn't hesitate to pick it up if it looks good to you.

One thing I like about most aftermarket BS fences is that you can easily attach larger/taller fences to them should you have the need.

[Cary Falk]

I have this fence that came with my G0513x2. I like it a lot. it is available as an aftermarket fence
http://www.grizzly.com/images/pics/jpeg288/h/h7584.jpg

[Jim Kountz]

Another vote for the Grizz fence. Mine too came with my saw but it really is a nice one I think. With a twist of a handle it goes from a standard low profile fence to a tall resaw fence, exactly what the OP said he wanted to do!

[John Thompson]

How much will the Steel City fence cost to your door?

Sarge..

[Adam Cavaliere]

Locally I am being quoted $135

On toolking I saw it for $99 with I believe $7.95 for shipping.

On amazon I can pickup the Kreg fence for $107 with 2 day shipping.

The cost isn't the issue for me as much as the difference in quality.

I am a HUGE fan of Steel City, I have 6 of their tools!

I just know I enjoy the miter I have from Kreg, so that is why I am considering them.

[Mike OMelia]

I am not exactly sure how the fences mentioned here work, but the one that came with my Jet 18" operates like a table saw fence - locks down square with the table, not the blade. Most resaw techniques I have seen use a "free" fence that you clamp to the table with C clamps and you adjust them for blade cut angle. See this site: http://www.borsonresaw.com/ Mr Borson appears to have it down pat.

FWW also had a good article on this.

Mike

[Tom Esh]

Another vote for the Grizzly fence.

Also this showed up in the latest WC catalog. I've not seen one face to face, but the Magswitch stuff is generally well made, and certainly cool.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149493&FamilyID=21137

[John Thompson]

The fence on my Steel City 18" is not a bad fence. It can be adjusted to go right or left to square on the blade. I did add a shim on the cam as it my particular fence would lock but the slightest bump would release it. It now lock very positive. But for a factory fence it is quite satifactory.

With that said.. I have played with the Kreg fence at WW shows and it appears to be very good. For around the same price I would consider it as it does have slots in the front I believe (?) that allow putting various height fence faces on it. I drilled the face of my stock SC fence to accept a phenolic fence that is dead square. I also do quite a bit of re-saw with point fences but I can build one for nothing with scrap and unless you are extremely co-ordinated that method is probably not for everyone.

And I would not dismiss what Mike posted. I used a simple shop-built fence for about 30 years to re-saw... held on with C clamps and latter Quik-Clamps after they came out. There is no real rocket science behind a BS fence IMO. If they work they work and a simple base.. a face and way of attaching positively can be had for merely nothing. With the small amount of re-saw you mentioned.... this would definitely be an option if I were in your shoes.

Good luck with your decision...

Sarge..

[Chip Lindley]

I require Three things of a bandsaw fence for resawing.

1 - Adjustable for different thicknesses under the guides. (2" increments)
2 - Adjustable left and right for blade lead
3 - Secure clamping at front (and back) guide rails
(micro-adjustment along the rail is a non-issue)

Years ago, I resorted to making my own, to meet my own needs. I have about $10 invested in it AND it works as it is supposed to.

[Cary Falk]

Another vote for the Grizzly fence.

Also this showed up in the latest WC catalog. I've not seen one face to face, but the Magswitch stuff is generally well made, and certainly cool.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149493&FamilyID=21137

Along the same lines. I saw this one at a woodworking show
http://www.carterproducts.com/images/16%20magfence.jpg

[Tom Esh]

Along the same lines. I saw this one at a woodworking show...

Yeah! I confess I've never outgrown my fascination with magnets. I've got enough Magswitch stuff and those LV rare earth jobs scattered around the shop it's basically a giant walk-through credit card eraser.:D

[paul dyar]

I have a delta; I knew the fence was a piece of junk. I didn't know how big a piece of junk till I got a Kreg. It is amazing that they build such a great band saw and put a fence like that on it. I am sure some of the others are as good as the Kreg, but you can't go wrong with the Kreg.

paul