VerySuperCoolTools - Reviews or Thoughts

[Lisa Starr]

I'm done! Building the guide rail for the saw was easy. Although I have access to a machine shop full of tools, I didn't bother. Just the tools in my home shop were more than sufficient to get it built. The "how to" info on the VSCT site is good. My T-square and extrusion arrived the same day as I mounted the rail system to my table saw. After watching the video explaining the steps for adjusting the fence to square/parallel it took me about 10 minutes to assemble them and adjust. BTW, the stuff from VSCT was very, very well packed and has very nice finishes.

[Nick Decker]

Congrats, Lisa. Glad it worked well for you.

[Patrick Kane]

Thought i would follow up on this after i received my 80/20 extrusion(and sold my original VSCT fence). First, the VSCT fence extrusion was just about perfectly flat/straight. My Veritas straight edge and a 1.5 thousandths feeler gauge couldnt detect a flaw. I cannot say the same for the 80/20 extrusion. I forget off the top of my head(was a month or more ago), but i ordered 54"+/- length of the same extrusion profile for my powermatic 72. The first face i checked was far from perfectly flat. I couldnt detect a flaw for the first 40"+/-, but the remaining foot trailed off by about .008-.009". I assumed it got bent during transit and the reverse face would exhibit the opposite .008" flaw. Surprisingly, I checked the other face along its length and had a few areas where .0015" would slip under and .002" would bite the straight edge, but not slip under it. Im a little confused how that is, but that is the face i mounted onto the VSCT fence to register against. If i ever do work left of the blade, then i will need to consider the flaw in that face, but i have done this once in my life.

In short, i saved quite a bit of money over ordering from VSCT, and i ended up with a longer extrusion to boot. After selling my original extrusion, it netted out to very little for the upgrade. I dont know how typical my results are, but i wouldnt expect a perfectly straight extrusion from 80/20. That isnt what they do, but it does seem like you can get something pretty darn close to straight.

[Nick Decker]

Thanks for the update, Patrick.

After using my VSCT fence quite a bit, I have a few thoughts to add to my original impressions. Note: I'm commenting mostly about how it compares to the SawStop T-Glide fence.

I'm still impressed that the VSCT fence is well made and accurate. Nice and straight, without the wavyness of the plastic faces on the SS fence. The SS fence is heavier, yet it glides from one position to the next easier. Not a big deal, just feels easier to use in that regard.

The SS fence is easier to tap or nudge a few hairs into position with one hand. This is because when you let go of the locking lever on the VSCT, it drops down enough to cause some drag on the lateral movement of the fence. So you have to use two hands, one to hold up the locking lever, the other to tap or nudge. I've put a magnet on the bottom of the steel part, which holds the locking lever up, problem solved.

Bottom line, I like the VSCT better. It's straight and smooth, as well as giving you the benefit of a lot of jig-building versatility with the various slots along it.