Hey, all- new to this forum, though been around a few other blocks… 😉
I am looking into upgrading the fence for my contractor’s saw- my stock fence has a nasty habit of not locking parallel to the blade, I’m afraid. Tired of always having to double-check my measurements.
I’ve been back and forth over a few different fences, but the HTC intrigues me with its ability to quickly change out faces (I’m sort of a jig/fixture nut- can think of lots of ways to have fun with this feature). I’ve found a good price for the fence with rails on the net, but have not come across anyone with a review or real first-hand info this fence.
As I refuse to be an uneducated consumer, I thought I’d ask if anyone here has had experience with it. I know it is relative newcomer, and it has been traditionally a little more pricey than the Bies, but somebody must have at least used one somewhere, don’t ya think?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Replies
I have one. I wouldn't recommend it. As it arrived, the faces of the rip fence were not straight. That is, a straight piece of wood would rock on it. It turned out that HTC's whizzy quick-change clips were deforming the plastic used for the faces. (Why would a marketing person decide to put plastic faces on a rip fence? "Let's see, I'm selling to woodworkers. Wood is stiffer than plastic, and less expensive. Woodworkers like wood. So I'll use plastic." Doh!) To fix the problem I threw away the clips and the plastic. I drilled and tapped the steel, and used recessed cap screws to fasten wood faces to the steel. It now works pretty well.
On the other hand, the micro-adjuster works well, right out of the box.
Thanks. I'm sure they use UHMW plastic because of its slickness, as do many other fence makers- but I was concerned that the faces may not be rock stable with the clip mechanism.
I would think if the face was not straight (and I assume you mean not perpendicular to the table) that they would replace it without a problem. Did you try contacting CS? Also, was this a problem on both faces? If so, it clearly seems to be a design problem.
Thanks for the reply- if this is the only feedback out there, than obviously I'll have to steer away from HTC (it is a pain that they don't have a website to get info from). I was looking at the Vega (price is right at Amazon), but don't know how I feel about those round rails... ;)
-JB
No, when I said "not straight", I meant the horizontal direction along the fence -- a bad direction for lack of straightness. And yes, both faces were bad.
As to UHMW plastic, who cares about slickness? Wood has been used for fences for years, and it works fine. The bad thing about UHMW is that it is floppy, and it creeps. Those are both bad characteristics in a fence, whose primary job is to be stiff and straight.
Thanks for the clarification. Guess its time to look again at the Vega, or maybe just go for the Bies. I'll probably wait till the WW show here in NC next month, maybe I can find a deal.
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