Craftsman Table Saw Fence Upgrade

[BobbyB]

I have an older Craftsman table saw/Jointer Combo I purchased back in the 80’s and the saw has served me well except for the fence staying parallel to the blade which is a common problem with these saws. Anyone who has one knows what I’m referring to. I did a complete realignment on the saw and the blade is parallel to the miter slots. Purchasing a new saw is not an option and I find it difficult to find a good used one that is good working condition so thinking of just improving what I have. I do a lot of my ripping on my 14” Delta bandsaw and the table saw is used mostly for dado’s, tenons and crosscutting with occasional ripping but I want a fence I don’t have to fuss with. I am now considering replacing the fence with a Biesemeyer style. Metalworking is one of my skills so I am not afraid to do the work and I have the tools. I read into some old posts and have been finding some information on the internet but reaching out to see if anyone upgraded their saw and can share their thoughts or experience?

 

[Gotcha6]

If you have the blade parallel to the fence then it should be an easy task for that saw to adjust the fence. IIRC, there are two bolts at the top of the fence nearest the operator side that can be loosened for adjustments. These fences have a design shortcoming in that the 'T' portion of the fence is short and is often difficult to get proper register on, but they can be worked with.

 

[BobbyB]

Yes I have adjusted the fence many times Dennis like you mention using the two top bolts but it goes out of adjustment in a short time. The fence has too much spring in it and never holds parallel and is probably due to the small length of the T section and only aligns to the edge of the angle iron.

 

[jlcrtr]

I have an older Craftsman table saw/Jointer Combo I purchased back in the 80’s and the saw has served me well except for the fence staying parallel to the blade which is a common problem with these saws. Anyone who has one knows what I’m referring to. I did a complete realignment on the saw and the blade is parallel to the miter slots. Purchasing a new saw is not an option and I find it difficult to find a good used one that is good working condition so thinking of just improving what I have. I do a lot of my ripping on my 14” Delta bandsaw and the table saw is used mostly for dado’s, tenons and crosscutting with occasional ripping but I want a fence I don’t have to fuss with. I am now considering replacing the fence with a Biesemeyer style. Metalworking is one of my skills so I am not afraid to do the work and I have the tools. I read into some old posts and have been finding some information on the internet but reaching out to see if anyone upgraded their saw and can share their thoughts or experience?

I have an old 113 Craftsman table saw and upgraded to the Delta T3 fence about a year ago. Why o why did I wait so long? It was a very easy install. Had to drill a couple of holes in the saw for installation, but that was it. Lots of info ( videos ) on Youtube. I can truly say it has made all the difference in the world.

 

[Gotcha6]

I have an old 113 Craftsman table saw and upgraded to the Delta T3 fence about a year ago. Why o why did I wait so long? It was a very easy install. Had to drill a couple of holes in the saw for installation, but that was it. Lots of info ( videos ) on Youtube. I can truly say it has made all the difference in the world.

That is ultimately what happened to my Craftsman TS. I was suggesting this to OP as an alternative to replacement. As an aside, the original fence may need lock washers or set screw installation to help maintain alignment.

 

[Wilsoncb]

I retrofitted an old Craftsman with a Vega fence. It worked great and had a nice micro adjust feature, so good for dialing in a precise cut. Unfortunately, they went out of business. I think once TS manufacturers started making better fences, the business suffered. They still have a web site and I think you can get a new one from Rockler, but about 3x what they used to cost. However if you see a used Vega TS fence, I recommend it.

 

[ChemE75]

For one of my old unisaw, the old round tube fence was abysmal. So I made a t-square fence with basic materials, but I did need a welder to make the locking pivot. Possibly a small piece of steel channel might be a suitable replacement. I believe the plans are still out there somewhere in the wood archive since it was in a couple of old magazine articles - probably in the 80s. Used the fence in my shop with a 6’ unistrut support and then kept that saw until we had to relo yo FL - a friend in ME still has that saw although rarely uses it these days. Suspect it’ll pass down to his son in law.

 

[ErinJ]

I’ve been down that road with those older Craftsman combos, and a Biesemeyer-style fence is one of the best upgrades you can do if you want accuracy without constant tweaking. Since your blade and miter slots are already dialed in, a solid, well-built T-square fence will make the saw feel like a whole new machine. If you’ve got the metalworking skills, building or adapting one is very doable. Just focus on a straight, rigid front rail and smooth locking. Plenty of folks have done it and never looked back, especially for the kind of work you’re doing.

 

[riggsp]

Years ago, I put a Sawstop T-glide fence on a Craftsman saw for one of my customers…It’s basically the same design as a Biesmeyer and doesn’t cost as much…It’s very doable if you have some metal working skills (drilling, tapping, etc), and it is a very solid upgrade.

 

[BobbyB]

Years ago, I put a Sawstop T-glide fence on a Craftsman saw for one of my customers…It’s basically the same design as a Biesmeyer and doesn’t cost as much…It’s very doable if you have some metal working skills (drilling, tapping, etc), and it is a very solid upgrade.

I didn't realize you can just purchase the saw stop fence.

 

[riggsp]

It comes with the fence, horizontal tube, front and rear rail, and all the bolts necessary to attach it to a Sawstop (or whichever) saw…at the time I did that, I think it cost $250.00…a Biesmeyer was close to $500…I bought it at the local Woodcraft.

 

[BobbyB]

I have an old 113 Craftsman table saw and upgraded to the Delta T3 fence about a year ago. Why o why did I wait so long? It was a very easy install. Had to drill a couple of holes in the saw for installation, but that was it. Lots of info ( videos ) on Youtube. I can truly say it has made all the difference in the world.

Good to hear your success. I am thinking the same thing I messed with this long enough and now its time to make the improvement.

 

[BobbyB]

It comes with the fence, horizontal tube, front and rear rail, and all the bolts necessary to attach it to a Sawstop (or whichever) saw…at the time I did that, I think it cost $250.00…a Biesmeyer was close to $500…I bought it at the local Woodcraft.

I was thinking of just buying the fence ~ $170 and then purchase the tube and angles from a metal supplier and fab those.