My 20 year old Delta aluminum fence is great. IMO, a fence is a fence. I never thought about it.
Jon, try a little different technique. When you've got the fence nearly where you want it. move the locking handle down so it is partially engaged. That will square the fence up but it can still be nudged into the final position. Then fully lock it. I had the same issue when I first got a Bies. I now have a SawStop & it's about the same fence.
Haven't needed to buy a fence in a long time, but if I needed one I'd probably be looking at used in this order;
Incra
HTC
Excalibur
Beismeyer.
I was always looking for my fences to be pieces of junk, so I could justify an Incra system, but the Xacta fence that came with my jet 20+ years ago, and the stock fence that came with my General have been fine.
I have an original Excalibur 50" fence system in standby, if I ever need to change one of my fences.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
This was just one web site that had a top 5, like I said years ago the Biesmeyer was the best now I do not see it in any sites even in the top 10.
I like my shop fox bies clone. But these look pretty nice as an aftermarket add-on:https://vsctools.com/shop/product-ca...ble-saw-fence/
There are several good ones and many not so good. It is a personal preference. The Incras are super accurate and have a lot of extra features. I just think they are too big and cumbersome unless you have a big shop where the table saw can accommodate it.
For an American designed fence, for me it would be a UniFence if one can be found in decent condition. (they are no longer made) The high/low fence combined with the ability to reposition it's end relative to the blade is very desirable to me. My Euro slider's fence is setup that way and I'm so happy to be back to that format...the cabinet saw I had previously had a Biesmeyer style fence it I found it confining, albeit easier to make and use fence-mounted jigs. (which I don't miss at all)
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
"Back in the day" when Biesmeyer was its own company, they made a superior quality product. Once they were acquired by Delta, over time, things went typical "mass market"...not terrible, mind you, but clearly less focus on being the best. (IMHO) And since then, even Delta has gone through additional changes/sales, etc. 'Not hard to figure out what happened there. As a separate company, Biesmeyer was selling to "everyone", but once captive with Delta, other saw brands started building their own similar "tee-square" fences and selling them with their machines.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Another vote for Biesemeyer here.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Don't necessarily get caught up in the name Biesemeyer. Years ago they were the only ones to make that style of fence, but since the patent has run out there are many options that use the same design. In fact 2 of the 5 fences in that article you're talking about (Delta and Shop Fox) are essentially clones of the Biesemeyer.
Everyone has their favorite, for the last 18yrs mine has been the Incra fence, I love the repeatability of this fence and the precision. Last year I upgraded to a Sawstop ICS saw which I was able to order without the fence and order a new Incra fence which I am very satisfied with.
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Last edited by Pat Rice; 01-27-2018 at 1:06 AM.
+1 more for the Incra set up. I have one on my Sawstop PCS along with the Jessem stock guides and it's fantastic. As Pat says the repeatability and precision are unmatched and the stock guides are a great addition.