Save a Unifence.

[andrew whicker]

I have a Unifence. At one point, we were having a hard time with it clamping in the common range (2" to 6"), so we made a new thicker washer between the handle and the head. It works great. The backside of that lip can get squished, chewed up, etc.

The good news, like has been said above, is that the two screws on either side of the head really set parallelism. The locking mechanism on the inside is really just pulling those two screws towards the flat face on the outside of the track. I should check my parallelism since I haven't done that in a while, but I don't have to much problem with it.

[Edward Dyas]

The arbor size isn't a lot but you have to really work at it to be able to slide a blade on it. Without modifying the blade it takes a couple of seconds to be able to put the blade on the arbor. I've been taking a dremel tool with a grinder stone and enlarging a new blade just enough for it to work normal.

If I had time to work on it or was working with plastic laminate where the dip on the extension was the problem I would make a metal frame to where I could bolt it to the saw top. The extension just should have been made to bolt to the cast top at the factory when it was made.

[Charles Lent]

"The arbor size isn't a lot but you have to really work at it to be able to slide a blade on it. Without modifying the blade it takes a couple of seconds to be able to put the blade on the arbor. I've been taking a dremel tool with a grinder stone and enlarging a new blade just enough for it to work normal."

Don't do this.

A table saw blade needs to precisely fit the arbor. If the center hole is enlarged, the saw will vibrate very badly, and you won't get the cutting accuracy that the saw is capable of. Spend the extra few seconds to get the blade at a perfect 90 deg to the arbor and it will slide on with no problem.

Charley

[Charles Lent]

If you give up on the Unifence and decide not to use it. The parts of the Unifence that aren't damaged still hold significant value. There are many Unifence
owners who need replacement parts for their Unifence that would be grateful if you offered to part your Unifence out. You can probably get most of the cost of your replacement from doing this.

My Unifence is 52" and my shop is too small for it. I would love to get a 32" front rail or a damaged 52" rail that had 32" still good so I could cut it down. I can't bare to cut my good rail down, so the extension table end of my Unisaw is up against the wall of my shop between the passage door and garage door and I walk around it the other way. The shop is too small to break down full sheets, so this is always done outside on a cutting table with straight edge clamps and a circular saw.

Charley

[Jim Becker]

Those fences often don't clamp down parallel with the blade. I think you would be better off to upgrade to a more modern fence like the Biesemeyer fence they are using now.

That's really not a true statement. The Beiemeyer and clones don't clamp at the back side, either. The assembly that rides on the front rail, UniFence or Beisemeyer is designed to clamp the fence securely. Any alignment issues come from not having it setup properly relative to the blade face, not because of the clamping mechanism. The UniFence is actually more versatile, IMHO, and of the same general design that you'll find on most every sliding table saw sold today. "high/low" is a big advantage with cutting as is the ability to slide the fence face back and forth for certain operations. The tee-square design of the Beisemeyer and clones can certainly be very robust and easier to "jig up", but it's also a simpler design, not a more "modern" design.

[Joe Bunn]

Thank you. Found one, everyone I found said discontinued.

[Cary Falk]

Amazon has a cursor for sale as well as ereplacmentparts. There are 2 different versions of the fence depending on the age. I don't remember how to tell but I think the information can be found on the OWWM website. I would inspect the rail for any obvious problems. I used the Unifence on a friends saw and hated it. The locking of the fence was unnatural to me and didn't always get it to lock down right. It may be you just aren't used to the motion. It could also be that you need to adjust the fence locking mechanism so that you have a little more clearance for it to rotate and lock.

[Mike Kees]

I have a saw with a Biesmeyer commercial fence. Geat fence on my jobsite saw where the gorillas who work for me smack stuff into it all the time. A Unifence is more precise,adjustable and versatile. The ability to slide the fence forward or back as well as the two positions,up or down give a lot of options. Can not figure out the guy who claimed he had to measure to the blade slot front and back... The fence is fully adjustable. Also the adjustment comes into play with the locking mechanism,get it right and it works great. I like the bies too,but my favorite is a Unifence.

[mark kosse]

I'm in the "It's a great fence" camp. No better or worse that a Biesemeyer, just different. I keep a saw with each and I'd try it before I got rid of it.

[Joe Bunn]

Thank you everyone for your comments, I'm learning a lot. Leaving now to spend the weekend with the saw. Going to do my best to keep what came with the saw. I'm sure I will be back with more questions.