Fence upgrade time.

[Earl Rumans]

Jake, why did the guy talk you out of the Incra fence? I have the Incra on my Jet saw and I couldn't be happier with it. I wanted the Incra on my saw and I never even installed the stock Jet fence. The precision and repeatability of an Incra fence are just unbeatable. If I want a 6 inch cut, I set the fence at 6 inches and I know my piece will be exactly 6 inches, without any additional bumping and measuring. I know they are not cheap but they are well worth the price IMHO.

[Mike Cutler]

I'm also a little curious why someone would talk you out of the INCRA fence system? It's a heckuva system. I'd check back on that one if it were me, and I don't even need a fence.😉

[Bruce Wrenn]

Hypothetically, lets say a guy I know had two brand new in the box 30" Beismeyer fences complete with side tables, sitting in his shop, for over 10 years.

Just curious, what are they worth?

$75, same as he paid for them at Lowes.

[Bruce Wrenn]

So I bought this saw for $125. I bought 2 sets of PALS. I bought the woodpecker alignment jig and dial indicator, I bought a 40t diablo. I bought a cheap Melamine blade (which causes as much chip out as the diablo does... oops). I bought a dust collection hood and some hose, fittings and pipe clamps for it. I bought a featherboard and made a second one one from some oak. I've spent about $200 upgrading the thing. And I still want to put a magnetic switch on it and a router table extension or outfeed.

It took me like 5 hours to borrow a truck and enlist my dads help in disassembling it then moving it..

I've spent around 30 hours aligning the trunnions and trunnion tie rods (and realigning... shoot me)

I've spent way too much time trying to make a crosscut sled with warped plywood...

And I've probably spent 2-3 hours tapping the fence to square and measuring

at this point I just want something that does the job, that I don't have to think about too much. I should also probably make something out of wood eventually .

Making a biesemeyer clone would be a fun project and a great way for me to learn metalworking. But I think it would take me somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours to find someone who could help me; learn how to explain what I need to them; and then actually get them to do the work or teach me how to do it. Minimum wage here is like $10... so if I spend 20 hours and need to buy $200 worth of materials then I should probably just buy a $400 fence.

IMHO, I see the word BOUGHT too many times in your post. The PALS were a great buy, but alignment tools are another story. I use a $6.99 dial indicator from HF and a couple pieces of scrap. As for melamine blade, do a double cut. Raise blade 1/8" and do a scoring cut, and then raise blade for a thru cut. Eliminate chip out. DAMHIK. Seriously look a videos on Biese clone making. Some suppliers offer cut to length steel, so you don't have to buy a 20' stick. Your existing Delta fence contains cam clamp you will need. Woodsmith / ShopNotes did a router in the left wing, which means stock is fed the same direction as saw cuts.

[Rick Potter]

Bruce,

Sheesh, you must have a memory like an elephant .

[Brian Lefort]

What about the VSCT fence (LINK)? Thats the only other one I have considered swapping my SawStop PCS fence out for.

I second the vsct fence. very versatile. best option out there, and portable to future saws.

[scott spencer]

The Delta T3 is about the best bang for the buck in the $200 price range, is appropriate for that saw, and should be a direct bolt on. Makes sense to me.

[Doug Garson]

I have the Delta T2 fence and I'm happy with it. Not sure what the difference is between the T2 and T3 they look the same.

[Dave Cav]

Why would you recommend the Delta if you like the Shop Fox Classic. The Shop Fox is what my local guy suggested.
Thanks!

The Shop Fox Classic wasn't on your short list, and the Delta is about 100 bucks cheaper.

[Jake Grover]

IMHO, I see the word BOUGHT too many times in your post. The PALS were a great buy, but alignment tools are another story. I use a $6.99 dial indicator from HF and a couple pieces of scrap. As for melamine blade, do a double cut. Raise blade 1/8" and do a scoring cut, and then raise blade for a thru cut. Eliminate chip out. DAMHIK. Seriously look a videos on Biese clone making. Some suppliers offer cut to length steel, so you don't have to buy a 20' stick. Your existing Delta fence contains cam clamp you will need. Woodsmith / ShopNotes did a router in the left wing, which means stock is fed the same direction as saw cuts.

Yes the woodpecker was a bad buy. It was there and cheaper than it is online and I was frustrated so I got it.

I have a bad habit of beating my head against a problem until I get frustrated then buying something that says it will solve the problem for me.

I'm actually getting better at tapping the fence into alignment.

i will live with the microset until something better comes along.

Just missed a deal on craigslist by a couple hours...

... a broken craftsmen with a T2 installed on it for $40!!! Only 20 min from me. Sold in about 2 seconds.

I tried the double cut method. My through cuts were cleaner. I should probably make a zero clearance insert and try again... the throat on the factory plate is like the Grand Canyon. I

[andy bessette]

By all means always use a zero clearance insert for 90* cuts.

[lee cox]

I have a Delta Unifence which had a little bow in it. I added a piece of European Baltic Birch across the fence which turned out to be very straight It works great now.

[Jake Grover]

I do not have a band saw so I am going to jigsaw one and then put it on the router table.

actually I should just use the bandsaw where I work...

[glenn bradley]

I'm also a little curious why someone would talk you out of the INCRA fence system? It's a heckuva system. I'd check back on that one if it were me, and I don't even need a fence.

The Incra system is an alternative to the more common t-square type fences and although of a top quality is not for everyone. The mounting methodology can make it impractical for some and the locking method bothers others. Like the reaction to a lot of things I think everyone would want to have (like a miter slot on your router table) different folks like different things. And of course, there is his budget that takes the Incra and solutions like the VSCT off the table.

Having run a Delta contractor saw with that type of stock fence I know of your pain in trying to get it to stay aligned. Any good quality fence will be a wonderful upgrade for you. The Delta will probably bolt right on. The Shop Fox may as well but at least would go on easily. I have run aluminum fences like the Jet with some success but, like any milled extrusion, once it's bent, its pretty much toast. Having said that I ran one for years and manged to never drop it . I do avoid fences requiring a rear clamp or secondary locking effort.

Tablesaw fences can be very personal items and can be very polarizing during discussion. I prefer a heavy steel t-square whereas the next guy may hate that bulk and prefers a lightweight (but strong) aluminum model. Can you get to a store where you can try a few? A Rockler, a Woodcraft? Many that I have been in have fences (or at least small demo fixtures) setup where you can handles them a bit.

[Jake Grover]

The 2 step lockdown was why he cautioned me against the Incra. He said he didn't like it. I think it would have been perfect for me because I don't have a preconceived notion of what it's like to lock down a fence having very little experience with table saws. I should have just gone for it at $300.

i also love the idea of micro adjustments for getting accurate rabbets.

I was actually able to get my fence a little closer by clamping the back of it while I adjusted the alignment.

now the back seems to be hovering around 5/1000 out, which is probably acceptable. I also put a melamine face on it, but I think that the melamine bows about 10/1000 over the run of the fence so it may not have been the best idea. Maybe it will true up if I tighten the screws on the ends.

We will see.