85 Unisaw fence upgrade question.

[Dan Chouinard]

My dads 85 unisaw runs beautifully and I want to upgrade the fence and add the Delta sliding table attachment. Eventually, if things go well, I will make room in the shop for a true sliding table saw. Until then these Uni upgrades make sense. Found the sliding attachment on Craigslist for $175 and I am very interested in purchasing a Vega fence which is also very affordable. My thinking is that since I will hopefully be going to a true slider in the not too distant future, I can save some money by going with the Vega as opposed to the Beis.

My concern with this plan is there any compatibility issues with the sliding attachment and the Vega fence? Would the Beis work with the slider better?

Thanks,
Dan

[Chip Lindley]

Dan, the only issue I see is, fence rails cannot extend beyond the edge of the saw table where the slider is attached. Either Vega or Biesemeyer rails will have to be moved or cut off to mount the slider. The left table wing will have to be removed also. Ability to rip the the left of the blade is lost. You are in luck, that either fence mounts to the saw on the main casting. Losing the left wing won't matter.

[Dan Chouinard]

Thanks for the feedback Chip. I can count on one hand the number of times I have ripped to the left of the blade in the last 28 years so this is a non issue for me. Removing the left wing is a benefit as far as the space required to mount slide. And if I have to cut a rail ... makes sense to cut the cheaper rail.

Score one for Vega.

[Carroll Courtney]

I think that resale would be better w/the Bies.----Carroll