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Thread: Unifence vs Biesemeyer

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bloomington, IL
    Posts
    6,009
    Our Fastenal has nothing like that. Yours must be much larger. You might be able to get screws for a fence at ours - maybe.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  2. No clue.. It's a fairly large building though.. Like I said, never been in it..

    Will see tomorrow though, for sure.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Savannah, Ga
    Posts
    1,005
    Yeah, just remember to pay those utility bills BEFORE you go in there

    Yeah, I hate going to each place and being able to look at just their one brand and not being able to see side by side. By the time you get to the next place and look at their model, you forgot about the first. It does suck.
    I'm a Joe of all trades. It's a first, it'll catch on.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Between No Where & No Place ,WA
    Posts
    1,339
    The best and probably unsung feature of the Unifence is that it can positioned to work in a low position. Tried it for awhile and now probably 90% of time, I don't turn the fence to the high fence position.

    One thing that I did need to learn about using the fence in the low position -- I will not go into all the details right now -- it is best to put tape over the tape measure cursor showing the fence in the high position....

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Savannah, Ga
    Posts
    1,005
    Yeah Ray, I know exactly what you mean. I have tried both as well. And I have to be careful not to use the wrong cursor each time. Been there, done that, should make a t-shirt.
    I'm a Joe of all trades. It's a first, it'll catch on.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    I always preferred the UniFence and am very happy that my slider has a similar setup. Yes, jigs are more work with the "original" fence, but even that's been taken care of by an aftermarket "square" fence that has tee-slots galore. I'm in no way disparaging the Biesemeyer style fence, just expressing my preference.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Alpine, WY
    Posts
    434
    I discarded my uni fence in favor of a Biesemeyer on my last TS. I bought the Biesemeyer for my current TS. I guess you might say I wouldn't give you 2¢ for the uni fence. It seems to me a uni fence is prone to kick backs. I watched a fellow shop teacher have repeated kick backs one day, a few days later, a substitute reported to me he would never sub again for us; the uni fence had struck again. I've never once regretted my buying the Biesemeyer. My vote is for you to buy the Biesemeyer.

  8. #23
    The unifence needs to be adjusted properly just like the Biesemeyer. The unifence has two plastic screws on the front of it that adjust the tension of the lever and the tilt relative to the TS blade. A very easy adjustment, but it needs to be made.

  9. #24

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Richmond, TX
    Posts
    409
    I would recommed the uni-t fence, I really liked mine. I have since sold my unisaw but kept the uni-t fence to set up as a router fence. It is a nice quality fence.

    Regards!
    Ed

  11. #26
    at a trade show a few years ago i got some magnetic featherboards but they came with a steel plate which attached to my uni. much cheaper than upgrading.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Montgomery Creek, CA
    Posts
    315
    I'm sorry any shop teacher who doesn't understand what causes kickbacks and how to prevent them by having the saw fence set properly should not be teaching. Both a unifence and biesemeyer if set up with the fence toed in will cause kickback, that is why there are adjustments to make sure they are parallel to the blade.
    I would be interested to know what design flaw causes a unifence to be more prone to kickback?
    Bottom line is both are good fences and do what they are supposed to and you should buy the one that works best for you. My preference is the european style like the unifence, I find it to be more versatile for my work style.
    Tom

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Some people have mentioned not wanting to drill into the Unifence. That's fine, but I would like to mention that I did that 10 years ago and have never had any problem because of it.

    I simply drilled two 1/4" holes into the fence, and have several wood facings I use for dado's etc. Two bolts with plastic wing nuts on the back side of the fence. Couldn't be easier. I touched up the holes with a countersink and nothing ever drags on them.

    Rick Potter

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bloomington, IL
    Posts
    6,009
    Rick, did you loose the ability to flip to the lower position without disassembling? Mine also had a wooden face and i left it in the high position but I also bought a second fence (mainly for a router table fence setup in the extension) so I was covered.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Hey Mike,

    The wood face comes off in about 15 seconds, just spin off two plastic knobs. I only put in on when using a dado blade, or when needing an extra high fence.

    I also have a second piece of fence. The dealer had a scratched fence, and cut it into thirds for using as a starter for crosscuts. Hardly ever use it.

    I also bought a Peachtree fence, but don't use it too much.

    Rick P

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