Reddit mentions: The best power saw fences

Hard to say for sure without knowing his shop, so you'd probably want to try to scope out any recommendations for specific stuff to see if he already has something similar before you buy.

A good suggestion that I think always works well for any budget is to go to a local hardwood dealer and just pick out a selection of interesting exotic lumber, any woodworker will always appreciate getting cool woods to use in their projects.

If you want to have some ideas for stocking stuffers / tools though I'll list some cool things that I think are not super common that I enjoy owning or make my life easier.

Tiny-T Pocket rule

6" precision t rule

A really nice miter gauge

Router setup bars

A nice marking knife

Marking gauge

Magports

Tapeboss

Grr-ripper

Dozuki & Ryoba

Alexa (Alexa, what is 5 and 3/8 times 16... Alexa set reminder for 30 minutes to spray the second coat... Alexa order shop towels... etc, it's actually really useful, and it plays music too)

Shop apron

Quick sanding strips

Digital Angle Gauge

Digital Height Gauge

Anything from Woodpeckers is pretty much guaranteed to be great, albeit kinda pricey

Here's why these questions are really hard to answer. Consumers tend to only have experience with one or two of these type of saws because they're expensive and good ones last for ages. A consumer will buy one; either they like it enough not to buy another, or very rarely they hate it enough to the point where they get a second one and that's the only one they ever use. Contrast this with something cheaper like a jig saw or a orbital sander where a random consumer might have gone through three over the course of a decade and have two at any given time.

Second we have no idea what you want it for, or what workspace you're setting it up in. One guy on here recommended a portable contractor saw. That might be a good recommendation if you have very limited space or if you want to throw it in a truck every once in a while. But every just about every portable saw will be lighter and less accurate than an equivalent stationary saw. So it's only the right call for you under a very specific set of circumstances.

Now with that grain of salt I can tell you that I bought the R4512 in march after a good bit of research. I paid 400 after the harbor freight coupon. It runs smoothly and I can get accurate rips and cross cuts. I was able to get the blade square without too much trouble and it hasn't moved since I did my initial setup. the anti kickback pawls and blade guard are easy to remove and install.

Like just about any saw the blade was much crappier than a $30 aftermarket combination blade so regardless of what saw you buy I'd recommend you upgrade that. The biggest drawback of the R4512 for me is the fence. It's a piece of shit and it's hard to keep it perfectly square. This is where relative advice is useful. Most people that use this saw will tell you they hate the fence, but the same people will also tell you they'll never touch a contractor saw or a low end craftsman saw. So keep that in mind when comparing it to other saws. if you're budget is $700 and you can buy the r4512 and upgrade the fence to something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Vega-PRO-50-Table-System/dp/B000022622/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376446516&sr=8-1&keywords=table+saw+fence

Good luck and let us know when you choose a saw and when you make something on it.

Just buy the paint from General.

http://www.general.ca/accessories/acc_universal/a_GP-002.html

Don't bother with the Shopfox Classic fence. You're Canadian (I'm assuming, what with the table saw from an Edmonton tool-house). It's an import fence that's only sold by grizzly, so it's pretty overpriced with the current Canadian dollar ($450).

And as for the Biesemeyer...look at these stunning reviews on the new model(https://www.amazon.ca/Delta-78-919BT2-BIESEMEYER-Fence-Black/dp/B00CUIZNZC/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499906671&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Bisemeyer+fence). Note that this price does not included the rails.

The new General International Fences are pretty good, pre-shit Biesemeyer, clones. You'll have to email for pricing information though.

http://www.general.ca/accessories/acc_tablesaw/a_t-fence.html


If you're near a Busybee, you can phone and see if the store's have any of the "Align-A-Rip" fences in stock still. They're the same as the old Grizzly Aluma Classic fences. I have a craftex an old import cabinet, it does the job well enough after the setscrews that were supposed to come with it were ordered. It also comes in black for cheaper


The quality of aftermarket table saws has taken a nose dive in the past 10-15 years.

Totally recommend a Carter Magfence, great high quality accessory.

http://www.amazon.com/Vega-PRO-40-42-Inch-40-Inch/dp/B000022621/

This one looks like a good match as well, though it's more $$.

Just get a decent fence and blade for that table saw and it's pretty nice.

It really depends on the applications you're using them for.

I would recommend a circular saw before a table saw, just for budget reasons alone. There's very little you can do with a table saw that you can't do with a circular saw and guide. As for circular saws I like Hitachi, for the price. Used those professionally for years. They sell guide attachments for circular saws for pretty cheap.

I use a porter cable pancake compressor to run my cheap chinese brad nailer. As for a miter saw and table saws you get what you pay for, don't go cheap.

I don't like any black and decker power tools, makita or kobalt.

In that case you will probably have a hard time finding that piece. eBay if you get really lucky. Maybe someone is selling a saw for parts.

You could go with an aftermarket fence system like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002261Z/

Or this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000VTPV72/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481503257&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=incra+table+saw+fence&dpPl=1&dpID=41-SRx7EY1L&ref=plSrch

You'd have to adapt it and it might be cost prohibitive

I haven't looked at the Kreg KMS7102 Table Saw Precision Miter Gauge System yet, but I like that you can add a sacrificial fence and still use the flip stop.

I did look at the Incra MITER1000SE Miter Gauge Special Edition With Telescoping Fence and Dual Flip Shop Stop and INCRA Miter1000/HD Miter Gauge when I went to Rockler awhile back. Though these both have telescoping fences with dual flip stops, it doesn't look like you can add a sacrificial fence and still use the included fence stops. The sacrificial fence would help reduce tear-out.

It's hard to put a price on a finger, but I got a similar saw to this sawstop ($1,700) for $100 on craigslist (it's a RIDGID). I don't want to argue with your wife, but table saw injuries are easy to avoid if you're careful and take things slowly.

you can add any fence if you want to drill cast iron. The Delta T2 is a popular upgrade on this saw.

If you are not comfortable drilling into your saw or fence rails, the Incra LS-TS system will bolt right on. The only issue is it costs more than the saw. It is not your typical fence system. Most absolutely love it, some absolutely hate it

Pretty much. I bought the 40 inch version because I work in a one car garage.

Vega 40 pro

Costs as much as the saw :)

Incra TS-LS

I highly recommend you buy an aftermarket "t-square" style fence. I have the same saw you do and replaced my fence years ago with a Biesemeyer fence and It made all the deference in the world it's dead on accurate,no more checking with a tape measure before making a cut. It installs in less than an hour . There are several brands that are very similar if not exactly the same as the Biesemeyer that I'm sure would work just as well if not better.
EDIT:
I've heard good things about the vega and it's about half the price .
http://www.amazon.com/Vega-PRO-50-Table-System/dp/B000022622/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1398665608&sr=1-1&keywords=biesemeyer+fence+system

I just bought a used Powermatic (Model 63) Table Saw that has a Vega fence system on it that is missing the fence. Is it possible to get just a fence from any of the companies that sell it? (far fetched I'm guessing) Since I'm not putting much faith into that, has anyone had any luck (or experience) building a fence that is compatible with that fence system? I'd really like to avoid paying more for the fence than I did the saw. [Linked] (https://www.amazon.com/Vega-U26-Table-Fence-System/dp/B00002261Y) (Tube front)

Where'd you get it from? Is it this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Equipment-Corporation-BC30T2-T-Square/dp/B00PQH8PPY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457082600&sr=8-3&keywords=biesemeyer

Looks like your question has been answered as to how to do this cheaply. My suggestion involves spending some money. I use the Incra 1000SE as a replacement for my stock miter gauge and it rocks for these kinds of cuts. I used mine last night to cut some angled feet on a series of table legs and it went super fast. I am constantly slapping this thing on the saw and doing repetitive, precise cuts.

I do too, except for the fence. I recently put an aftermarket VEGA fence on it and it made a world of difference. It's so much nicer knowing that the fence is square every time.

http://www.amazon.com/Vega-PRO-40-42-Inch-40-Inch/dp/B000022621/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1372780286&sr=1-2&keywords=vega+fence

I cant recommend this upgrade enough. I really believe it takes the 4100 to cabinet saw accuracy

> Delta T3

Depending on price I could be convinced but I still need to find a canadian supplier. I found This Biesmyer fence but it's only a fence - no rails.

I have it - no complaints. Only watch out is the odd blade length (99 3/4"), but really isn't that big of an issue.

This fence fits the saw-
http://www.amazon.com/RIKON-13-900-14-Inch-Band-Fence/dp/B002FB74V0
The price will go down to the $50-60 range periodically.

> 213 series

I'm not familiar with the 213 series. What is the HP of the motor? IS it belt driven? Does it get bogged down when cutting thicker stock? Why are you unhappy with your current saw?

The Powermatic 63 is kinda ugly. The color looks like child vomit. The Vega fence looks like this. There is a pipe in the front, tube in the back and the fence slides between the two. It is very sturdy.