Thread: Fence upgrade - Carbatec/Sherwood Biesemeyer style vs VerySuperCool vs Incra

What don't you like about the existing fence?

Regards from Perth

Derek

It just feels really poorly designed. The cam lever works as intended but the rear of the fence rides along the rear rail with a really flimsy little plastic knob and bolt. I was able to get it locking down but then moving the fence was quite awkward and sticky. Loosening it up so the fence moved smoothly when unlocked meant a ton of play when the cam lever was locked down. I’ll need to fiddle with it a little bit more but I’m not all that confident it will improve much.

There's a lot you can do quite inexpensively to tune up that fence and make it glide.

There should be adjustments in the form of set screws in the clamp. These adjust the fence parallel to the blade. Depending on how much you screw them in or out, they also determine the feeling of tautness as the fence runs along the rail, as well as the amount of force required to lock it down. The set screws are also usually set in a plastic or UHMW strip, which also aids the smoothness of movement.

The little plastic knob under the far end of the fence should be at the correct height (yours looks too low as the base of the fence does not look parallel to the table top). The knob should be screwed in firmly (to prevent wobbling). And a new smooth plastic or UHMW knob would aid in a smoother glide.

Sort out these items and you will have a new fence.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Cheers mate. I’ve got the fence parallel to the top now but will try out some of the other suggestions and see how it goes. I did notice the set screws in the front of the fence are in some pretty cruddy looking rubbery stuff so I might replace it with UHMW and see if that helps.

If you buy the Incra, put a router table on the left.

You will fall in love and stay in love forever!

The picture on Carbatec is a bit small to be sure but I suspect that its the same one that I got. I got on fence as part of the carbatec table saw that I got from another forum member. It is a very solid fence. I'd also recommend adding a Wixey digital fence readout to get the most out of it. Also you will have to check that the slots on your table saw are of the same width (which it should be) and that its parallel to each other. You'll also need a mitre slot dial gauge to set both your saw blades, your fence and also your mitre gauge. Once you've set everything up. Cutting to exact size is a breeze.

Cheers guys, might have to go in and take a look at the Carbatec one this weekend.

I've got that Carbatec fence upgrade for my Carbatec contractors saw. It made a huge improvement in my case, although I reckon my original fence was probably worse than yours. Feels solid, glides nicely. The only thing is that I don't really trust the measurement readout line as it's too easy to get the parallax wrong. But I tend to just measure with a ruler from the blade to the fence anyway.

Originally Posted by WoodyNZ

I've got that Carbatec fence upgrade for my Carbatec contractors saw. It made a huge improvement in my case, although I reckon my original fence was probably worse than yours. Feels solid, glides nicely. The only thing is that I don't really trust the measurement readout line as it's too easy to get the parallax wrong. But I tend to just measure with a ruler from the blade to the fence anyway.

Like I mentioned before. You should take a look at the Wixey digital fence readout. I have the Carbatec contractor saw with the improved fence and this readout. Cuts are accurate and repeatable.

That Wixey is a mighty fine thing. I've added one to my cart.

Ive written to Incra a few times about embedding such a thing directly into the head of the TSLS32) but haven't heard anything back..... I like the printed rulers/tapes but for when I'm working fast and furious, a nice big readout would be mighty nice.

Sometimes the parallax on the hair-guage is hard to line up (after a long day and the eyes are tired)

WP
You won't regret buying one. The inventor Bill Wixey personally supports the product and he's a mighty nice guy. But I think you won't need him anyway. The biggest advantage I see of digital vs an analog type readout is that once you have written the number down, there is less chance making mistakes for lining things up which I often do when I use a tape measure.
Have fun.

The original fence on my saw was fiddly to use, the Incra TSLS is an absolute pleasure to use by comparison. Yep, they're pricey, but that's the price you pay for the accuracy and quick set-up. woodPixel assured me the Incra would 'turn my rusty old piece of s%$# in to a Ferrari', he was right!

I promised did I? I must have been feeling pretty confident

The Incra has made me 50x the money I've spent on it. I simply cannot fathom how anyone does anything with any degree of accuracy or repeatability without one. Just one job from one client pays for the basic fence. Madness not to spend it. (I have everything - one of the best things I've bought)

I can make a set of 35 complex MDF boxes in one day, all exactly the same - and I put it 100% to the incra.

I'd love a Ferrari too

Hi Bueller,

Have a think about what you plan on making before you purchase a new fence system. As it'll dictate which fence best suits your needs, as woodpixel says making intricate boxes the incra is invaluable and I'd have to agree.
However when ripping stock down i find the incra really annoying and many times wished i had the standard fence. The fence has three separate locking down points which are required to keep the fence from flexing/moving so its really time consuming to set up for each cut. But when I dimension stuff down to its final dimensions its great.

is it worth the price tag? suppose if you're making money out of your projects probably, if you're doing it for fun I'd say no. You can get the repeatability with a cross cut sled. I believe where the incra really shines is if you pair it with a router table and use all the various rulers and guides to do intricate joinery etc.