Replies

1. 
   Andrew | Aug 07, 2002 12:48am | #1

   I am extremely happy with my beisemeyer fence. the real beauty of it is its simplicity. there's very little to go wrond or be knocked out of alignment. personally, while i think incra makes great stuff (i have one of their mitre gauges) i think that their fence is overkill for woodworking. the only way that you can get true .001" repetability would be to have your board clamped into a device and moved past the blade along a fixed track. plus all the run out and other inaccuracies of woodworking make this a useless feautre. sawmarks are deeper than one thou. i have found that my fence is repeatable to better than .01" and for woodworking thats all i need. i was actually looking into replacing my fence a while ago with an incra, but i found that it took up a lot more space than any conventional fence does, and i'm glad i stuck with the fence i have now. hope this helps

   andrew

2. 
   forestgirl | Aug 07, 2002 04:00am | #2

   Just to clarify, are you considering these two options (Jointech or Incra) primarily because you plan to have the router table installed within the tablesaw set-up?  Are you wanting opinions on any and all tablesaw fences, or just these two?

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Sancho | Aug 07, 2002 04:49am | #3

   Immm ssooooo cooonnnffffuuuuussssssseeeeddd :) Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"

2. 
   syn14 | Aug 07, 2002 02:26pm | #4

   Opinion on what you think is the best, regardless of manufacturer. The two I mentioned, plus the biesemeyer, just happened to be the ones I've seen so far. And yes, incorporating the router with the table saw is a plus (or I think it is; any drawbacks there?).

1. 
   AlanTurner | Aug 07, 2002 05:02pm | #5

   I have my router mounted in the table extension wing on the right side of my Unisaw, and it works great. I did this before the plates were available, so got some 3/8" alum. plate from a machine shop, and then built a wooden raising mechanism with lever for a 3 hp Bosch. Easy on the back, as the weight and spring of the plunge mechanism is heavy at that awkward angle. Works great. I'll post a pix tomorrow if I remember.

   But, as to the fence, I run a Unifence, and for the router, depending, I use a 4x4 of hardwood, with the area around the bit relieved. No problems; saves space, pretty flat surface. I do use a clamp on the back side of the fence, however, when routing, depeding of the nature of the cut.

2. 
   forestgirl | Aug 07, 2002 08:49pm | #6

   The only drawback that I've anticipated or heard mentioned is having to lower your router and remove the router fence if you're about to cut something on the saw that would otherwise run into that stuff.  If you've just set up a router bit for a precision cut, this could be aggravating.  In my current router table set-up, the table is attached to the tablesaw, but it's on hinges, so if I need to clear that space, I just take the leg brace out and lower the table to the folded position.  My fence and router stay in position.

   Not sure what I'll do when I get a permanent table, and install the cast iron wings on my saw (they've been languishing until I get the permanent router table figured out).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Sancho | Aug 07, 2002 09:06pm | #7

   From the choices you gave , I would go with the Biesmeyer. If I were you Id check out the Unifence as well. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"

2. 
   3dog3 | Aug 09, 2002 11:19pm | #12

   Hi Forest Girl:

   Here's something to think about regarding a permanent router table.  Check out Japan Woodworker, in Alameda, CA.  They sell a cast iron router table, with gear adjustable fence, hold down and stand for .....$299.00.  The manufacturer is Borg.  I bought one.  It is great!  The table never sags!

   I realize Alameda is long way from WA, but they have a website and telephone.  I'll try and post both next week.

   Michael

3. 
   dhpascoe | Aug 10, 2002 08:34pm | #15

   My table saw is part of a large  work island (6 x 8) with two routers mounted on backside. For that reason, I found the Unifence indespensible because the fence bar can be adjusted away so that I don't have to constantly remove the router fences. This makes a perfect set up for me. With most of the other fences you would have to remove the router fence, otherwise the table saw fence collides with it. A lot of people just don't like the look of the Unifence, but it works perfectly. I also llike the fact that with a flick of the wrist, it removes entirely. Very good for the small shop where space is a premium.

   Dave of FL

1. 
   syn14 | Aug 12, 2002 04:14am | #16

   Nothing like real world advice. Thanks for the tips and photos (which I did patiently wait to download - the setups are very impressive). Still thinking about my final setup though...

3. 
   burlymann | Aug 08, 2002 02:24am | #8

   I have the new Incra TS-iii. If I were a junk dealer, and if the Incra system were a dog, then Incra would be my junk yard dog because it's one bad #### SOB. I love it!

   See my comparison with the Shop Fox under heading "Grizzly too good to be true?"

   Jeff

4. 
   cgreen | Aug 08, 2002 05:37am | #9

   I have no opinion about the fence but I can comment on the choice of combining tablesaw and router table. I say make it an option. Build yourself a router table also. The fence on the saw can double as a router fence, and that's great. Except when you need the fence for both functions. At some point you will regret having a router table that is part of the most important tool (in my opinion)  in your shop. I would not say it's a bad idea to incorporate a router mount in your saw, just don't limit yourself to that setup unless you are cramped for space. I think a properly setup shop should have dedicated machines for all the jobs you need to do.

5. 
   noone50 | Aug 08, 2002 09:09am | #10

   I have a separate router table and have recently lengthened it to accommodate my Incra Ultra.. I like the Jig but it is definitely not a fine piece of fine machinery. As a matter of fact, its kind of hokey when you get down to it. It takes a little practice to get used to and it does produce some very good results but its not what I expected it to be. It's pretty in its brassy gold form but looks are not everything. My thoughts now would be to ask to try one of them out first or get a good return policy.

6. 
   AlanTurner | Aug 08, 2002 04:55pm | #11

   Here are pix of my set up. A bit primative, but works well.

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 10, 2002 04:55am | #13

   Came back to take a look at your pics, but tooooo huuuuuge.  Any idea how long 380kb take to download on a 56K, eeek!  Not to mention, twice the size of my monitor.  I'll assume they're beautiful.

   Forever curious,

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   PS:  (Sun. 8/11) Tomorrow's my day off, so I felt free and clear tonight!  I'm posting a new message down below with downsized versions of S4S's great pics (nice camera, Dude!).

   Edited 8/12/2002 12:57:24 AM ET by forest_girl

1. 
   AlanTurner | Aug 10, 2002 07:31pm | #14

   Sorry about that. I don't know how to downsize the attachment. I just point and click, download, and later attach. If there are settings, etc., I am without knowledge.

2. 
   forestgirl | Aug 12, 2002 08:13am | #17

   Here they are. Was going to mail them to S4S, but no way to attach in emails, near as I can tell. TahDah, hope it works:

   View ImageView ImageView Imageforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   AlanTurner | Aug 12, 2002 04:17pm | #18

   Thanks for the photo help.  I should note that on the 4x4 fence, just laying loose on the table for purposes of the photos, I generally use the top holes to clamp it to the Unifence, and then, depending on the cut, also clamp the back end of the unifence to the extension table to prevent any slight movement.

   I relieved the part of the raiser which contacts the top (now bottom) of the router to permit airflow to the motor of the router, although this is not so clear from the photos.

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 12, 2002 11:00pm | #22

   You're welcome!  Just for comparison's sake, the original photos ranged from 372KB to 380-something I think.  The edited photos are from 7 to 15KB.  Simply converting them to .jpg files would get them down to 75KB or so.  The resizing did the rest.  If you're interested in exploring how to do this with your software, feel free to email me.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   dhpascoe | Aug 12, 2002 05:28pm | #19

   Very hi tech, just like mine. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Eventually, you keep using larger and larger router bits till you cut the fence in half and have to make another one (10 minutes). I see you've used aluminum plate. Good move.

   Dave of Fla.

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 12, 2002 10:54pm | #20

   No credit due to me!  All that equipment belongs to S4S -- I was just photo editing.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   AlanTurner | Aug 12, 2002 11:00pm | #21

   Dave,

   Thanks to Forest Girl, 56K'ers could see the pix.  I also have an alum. plate with a 1" opening, but probably don't interchange them as often as I should.

   Alan