Upgrade Fence or New TS

[novice99]

as a relative newbie infected with the woodguy's disease, I am hungry to do more fine work (cabinetry, small boxes). I have an entry level TS which has served me well so far, other than all of the work to ensure that my fence is truly parallel to the blade. Any recommendations on upgrading my fence for precision work or just retire my 1st TS and get a whole new one? ($$ is always a consideration, although I can save my pennies up if need be.) Thanks-Mike

:BangHead:

 

[Ray Martin]

Mike,

What kind of table saw do you have now? I've been able to do some fairly good work with very low end saws... although there is so much more that can be done (and so much more easily) with better saws. Some are worth upgrades and some are the type that you outgrow as your skill and your projects grow.

Another part of the question is, What type of projects would you like to work on? for example, if you want to build large book cases, you would need to work with larger sheet goods and would need either a saw with a large table or side and outfeed tables.

A few details might help us form an opinion.

Ray

 

[NCPete]

An additional option for working with large sheet stock would be a panel saw. One can be made relatively cheaply, and a decent quality circular saw would be all that is needed for the cuts.

 

[chris99z71]

Mike,
First off - welcome to the best WW site on the net! Stop by the "Who we are" forum and introduce yourself.
As far as upgrading the fence vs. new saw...
As Pete and Ray have already said, it depends on the saw. If you already have a formidable saw that's worth the investment of a new fence, then that's probably a good option. If you have the $99 Delta Home Depot special like I used to have, then it's not worth upgrading the fence.

 

[sapwood]

Welcome Mike! We're glad you decide to post.

A new fence will cost $250+. Tablesaws start at $99 and good cabinet saw sells for $1200 to $3000. There are a lot of good tablesaws (mostly hybrids or contractor saws) from $500 to about $800.

So give us a little more info about what you have and what you would like to do. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks here that will provide sound advice . . . though the opinions will vary widely :lol:


Sapwood

 

[hannah01]

Speaking from my own experience, upgrade to the best tablesaw you can afford. If you can't afford a good one, save up until you can. It will be the best money you spend.

 

[Steve D]

Echoing earlier advice, it depends on what you have now, what you want to do, an realistically what you are willing to spend. I have been "making do" with a Grizzly contractor saw for 10 years. It has an excellent fence and I upgraded to longer rails and the PALS system for aligning the blade to the miter slot. I would like to upgrade to a cabinet saw for better dust collection and more HP but I have no problem turning out good quaity accurate cuts on what I have.

A good blade and a good fence are essential for good results. There is nothing more frustrating (and potentially dangerous) than a fence that doesn't lock down properly and maintain alignment. A tablesaw is the cornerstone of most shops so don't go cheap on this tool. You can pick up a very good used contractors saw in the $200-500 range and a very good used cabinet saw in the $500-1000 range. A new tool will set you back more money and doesn't necessarily mean it's better.

 

[novice99]

Thanks to all for the responses- many more that I expected!

I've got a craftsman contractor-grade saw that I bought 5+ yrs ago for a bit over $200 (now seems to be available for $179 last I saw). I find the blade and mount to be quite stable once I set it up. Despite much tinkering, the fence has an annoying habit of not staying parallel to the blade as I lock it in place. So set-up for rip cuts is a pain as I have to line up my fence, double check it's parallel with the blade, clamp it down, double check to see that it hasn't shifted, find that it has, and start all over again. The fence tracks are whisper clean and the cam action lock has been cleaned, lubricated, and prayed to, but still my trouble persists

. Thus, I am wondering if anyone else has had similar difficulty and knows the proper words to please the fence spirit, or if I should put it out to pasture and start over with a new fence or a whole new TS. Thanks for your thoughts

Mike

 

[Steve D]

Mike,

Some fence designs are impossible to keep aligned and no amount of cleaning and adjusting will overcome poor design. A good fence, once set properly eliminates the need for a tape measure. The only time I need to adjust mine is when I change blades and that is just to zero out the cursor for the different blade width.

Very old craftsman tablesaws were quite good, their new hybrid saws are pretty good, most of the rest......:BangHead:

 

[sapwood]

Thus, I am wondering if anyone else has had similar difficulty and knows the proper words to please the fence spirit, or if I should put it out to pasture and start over with a new fence or a whole new tablesaw. Thanks for your thoughts

Mike

I think you've already talked yourself into a new one. Put it out to pasture. :lol:

I'm not out to bash Craftsman, but you've gotten 5 years use for $200 (and some frustration). And many folks would agree, it's the most important power tool in your shop.

Roger

 

[Travis Porter]

You will never get that fence right. No amount of praises or cursing helps. For what you paid for the saw, that is what a decent fence aftermarket will probably cost. I would check out some of the saws at the BORG (HD, Lowes, Sears) and see what you like. Check the fences out heavily.

 

[chris99z71]

Is this the one?

Hmmm...sears says it's 3hp...fishy since I was under the impression that a true 3hp motor draws 30+ amps at 115V...
Steve, Roger and Travis nailed it. The only other thing that I have to add is table size. I worked on a $99 Delta for 4 years. For anything other than small work (jewlry boxes, etc), the depth of the table is just flat out insufficient. Short table = short fence = not enough material in contact with the fence to get a straight cut, even if the fence WAS square. I had the same problems with the fence staying anything close to almost square.
Another item I feel worth mentioning is the short arbor shaft. Power requirements aside, it's near impossible to run a dado blade on a small saw when the arbor shaft is about 3/8" longer than needed for a standard blade.

 

[DaveO]

I had that saw and it worked OK, proprietary miter slots, and being underpowered (not 3hp :roll: ) finally got to me :BangHead: and I gave it to a legally blind kid in TN. He's now making some great looking cutting boards on it.
Dave

 

[Travis Porter]

The 3.0 HP is probably peak hp about the time when the motor is going to burn up. IMO, amps on the motor plate is the true rating of how much power the motor provides.

 

[junquecol]

If you have access to a welder, a Bies clone can be built relatively cheaply. The hardest part is drilling holes for cam mech. Do a search at Woodnet.net and Wood Central along with Sawmillcreek for plans. Parts can be bought from Metals Online or Metals Supermarkets. I would have to dig through some stuff, but I made a set pf plans for my home made Bies. clones a while back. My old computer has site " Home made Bies clone" in favorites on it. I also have my old Craftsman belt drive saw that is available for a reasonable price. Sorry, but I sold Bies. clone fence last yearoff this saw. Watch Craigs list for used Delta contractor saws in the $200-$300 range. One guy had a Delta TS with true Bies. on it for sale on thr board at Raleigh Klingspor for over a year-$400, with mobile base. router in rt wing. Looked funky on small mobile base though. Finnally sold. You will find almost everyone who has a Sears zip code saw is extremly happy with it. Comes with 30" Bies. fence, cabinet mounted trunions, CI top and Wings. Often on sale for about $850-a good deal. On Woodnet.net, do a search using name junque col for Jan and Feb 06. This will get you to two articles onbuilding your own fences.