Twisted fence on new table saw. Problem?

[Matt Stiegler]

While setting up my new Grizzly G0690 table saw (I'll post more fully on that later) I noticed that the fence is twisted. Not twisted like a pretzel, but enough to notice. It creates a gap of roughly 25 thousandths of an inch gap, or about the thickness of my metal rule. The attached pictures show the front (square) and the back (flush at top, gap at bottom) -- it's easier to see if you click on the thumbnails.

This is my first real table saw, so I'm not really sure how concerned I should be about this. Is this a problem I need to contact Grizzly about, or is it just an acceptable imperfection that won't impact performance or safety?

Thanks in advance.

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[Cliff Rohrabacher]

You could. What's the worst that could happen they blow you off?
What's the best: You get a warp free fence?

[scott spencer]

Matt - It looks to me like much of the discrepancy could be adjusted out by raising the left side of the fence a bit at the "T". The rest could be adjusted by a small shim (often tape) between the face and fence tube.

I realize these are things that we'd prefer not to have to deal with, butting pushing for a new fence seems extreme at this point, and expensive for the supplier, which ultimately falls back on everyone else. I'd try adjustments first, then pursue replacement if that fails.

Good luck!

[Paul Eaton]

It will definitely effect performance. It may also create an unsafe condition, by pulling the cut off piece into the rising rear teeth of the saw blade. With thicker pieces, which will index higher on the fence, it could push the captive portion into the saw blade, increasing the chance of kick back. At the very least, it will introduce inaccuracies and burn spots into your projects.

You could try shimming the fence, but I suspect that sharing that photo with CS will result in
1.) a procedure to repair or
2.) a new fence

[Mark Carlson]

Whats causing this? Is the fence face flat or twisted. Put a straight edge across the face with the fence lying on its side. My b-meyer style fence has a couple of phenolic pads that the fence sits on which helps it glide across the cast iron. Could these pads be uneven? My fence was slightly out of 90 degrees and putting a piece of tape under one of the plastic pads fixed the problem.

This needs to get fixed and I wouldn't hesitate to call grizzly.


~mark

[Bob Wingard]

Mine had the same condition, but since I was the manufacturer I chose the shim method and it's worked just fine. Remove the plastic face .. apply layers of tape to the low spots every couple of inches till the square reads true .. replace the face & check again. You may have to do this 2 or 3 times, but it will get you a fence that is more square than just about any will ever be, out-of-the-box.

[george wilson]

I paid $400.00 in 1986 for a parallock saw fence of extruded aluminum. It had a bit of twist. Sent it back. they sent another,same twist. Shim your fence's face and be done with it if Grizzly sends you another of the same.

[Jason White]

My real, made-in-America Biesemeyer is the same way. It has never been enough of a problem to affect my woodworking/carpentry projects.

If it ever does, however, the paper shim or masking tape method is likely the way to go.

Jason

While setting up my new Grizzly G0690 table saw (I'll post more fully on that later) I noticed that the fence is twisted. Not twisted like a pretzel, but enough to notice. It creates a gap of roughly 25 thousandths of an inch gap, or about the thickness of my metal rule. The attached pictures show the front (square) and the back (flush at top, gap at bottom) -- it's easier to see if you click on the thumbnails.

This is my first real table saw, so I'm not really sure how concerned I should be about this. Is this a problem I need to contact Grizzly about, or is it just an acceptable imperfection that won't impact performance or safety?

Thanks in advance.

2009 Jul 11 014.jpg

2009 Jul 11 013.jpg

[Matt Stiegler]

Thanks for all the helpful responses. Mark's question (why didn't I think of that?) sent me back to look at the fence more carefully, and it now seems clear that the issue is not that the fence itself is twisted, but rather that the phenolic face is not flat. It has minor dips and waves along its entire face. I don't have much experience with phenolic, so I don't know if that's typical. Anyhow, once I recognized that, I was able to adjust the fence in a way that seemed to improve things somewhat.

I'm going to contact Grizz tomorrow and will post again with their response. Thanks again.

[Jason White]

Is it hot in your shop? Plastic moves quite a bit in high heat. Could be part of the problem.

Thanks for all the helpful responses. Mark's question (why didn't I think of that?) sent me back to look at the fence more carefully, and it now seems clear that the issue is not that the fence itself is twisted, but rather that the phenolic face is not flat. It has minor dips and waves along its entire face. I don't have much experience with phenolic, so I don't know if that's typical. Anyhow, once I recognized that, I was able to adjust the fence in a way that seemed to improve things somewhat.

I'm going to contact Grizz tomorrow and will post again with their response. Thanks again.

[Phil Thien]

I don't have much experience with phenolic, so I don't know if that's typical.

For the record, I think it is fairly typical. I've seen plenty of phenolic potato chips.

[scott spencer]

Matt - Just to be certain, is the face of that fence phenolic, or is it HPDE plastic? Griz's website side HDPE (high density polyethylene), and it can be flattened on a jointer if shimming isn't doing the trick, but I'd definitely try shimming it first.

[Chip Lindley]

Tweaking with *chewing gum & bailing wire* or masking tape & paper shims IS still alive and well even in this *digital age!*

I would not even dare think some machine could be shipped from China to a woodworker's front door, without some minor (or Not So Minor) tweaking and adjusting.

Expensive machinery (CNC routers) have a service tech *set it up* for the customer. The customer pays for this *set up* in the huge price tag of the machine. We get a bargain from Grizzly, and set the machine up ourselves.

Something as basic as a saw fence face stuck onto a metal tube should never be assumed *perfect.* The right shims in the right place will yield a straight, square edge. Look at it as a *learning experience!* rather than a defect.