# Table saw fence



## nblumert (Jan 21, 2009)

I want to fit a new table saw fence and rails on my craftsman 22104 table saw. I am tired of only having 24" to deal with to the right of the blade. I want to be able to break down sheet stock, not with the circular saw anymore. I have narrowed it down to the shop fox classic G9220 The Classic Fence w/ 7' Rails & Legs it is $309 shipped, or the Biesemeyer T22010 Biesemeyer 50" Commercial Saw Fence System it is $440 shipped
What do you guys suggest? Any help- you guys shoot my way will be appreciated.
Nick


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

The safest way to break down sheet stock is with a circular saw.

That being said;
The 2 systems you are looking at are both nice. The deciding factor would be how much room you have, and how much you are willing to lose to the fence.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Nick,

As a heads up, I own the 50" Biesemeyer (and love it!) and have never used the Shop Fox. 

Biesemeyer makes the fence many others (including the Shop Fox) have cloned (typically) less expensive copes of. This is just like many companies have developed their (typically) less expensive of the Delta 14" bandsaw. 

For whatever its worth, Delta long had their own fence design "Unifence" which was a popular alternative design but have purchased Biesemeyer and are shutting down their Unifence production in deference to the Biesemeyer. 

Now, putting on my Biesemeyer-owner's bias, I can tell you that since I installed my new saw last summer, I've thrown away my tape measure for setting rip widths. The Biese is rock solid, making the cuts 100% dead on every time. If you buy a Biese, you will not regret it and never have a need to replace it.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

I've got the 30" Beisemeyer on my craftsman 22124. It gives you 31 inches to the right of the blade, Which has met my needs pretty well. I still prefer to cut sheet goods to rough size with the circ saw first, just to make them easier to handle.

Which fence came with your craftsman? If you like it, Is there an option of ordering a longer guide tube?

I've seen the Beis fences popup from time to time on craigslist and ebay.


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## CanuckGal (Nov 26, 2008)

You could build your own Beisemeyer clone. 
Building a Clone of a Biesemeyer Table Saw Fence


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## nblumert (Jan 21, 2009)

AxlMyk said:


> The safest way to break down sheet stock is with a circular saw.
> 
> That being said;
> The 2 systems you are looking at are both nice. The deciding factor would be how much room you have, and how much you are willing to lose to the fence.


I have broken down sheet stock on a table saw before, and with the appropriate support I am more than comfortable doing it.
With the price difference of $130 between the two fences, in the big scheme of things, it's not really a big deal to me. If I am going to dump that kind of money on a fence, I only want to do it once though. 



kp91 said:


> I've got the 30" Beisemeyer on my craftsman 22124. It gives you 31 inches to the right of the blade, Which has met my needs pretty well. I still prefer to cut sheet goods to rough size with the circ saw first, just to make them easier to handle.
> 
> Which fence came with your craftsman? If you like it, Is there an option of ordering a longer guide tube?
> 
> I've seen the Beis fences popup from time to time on craigslist and ebay.


I don't know which fence came with my saw, but it sucks. It has 2 spring loaded adjusting screws on the front to keep it snug against the front rail, but they always tighten up when the saw is running, then you can't even slide the fence to make a different cut. There is little to no vibration in the saw, it doesn't make sense to my why this happens. Either way, I just want it off the saw. I figured that I could buy the fence and use it until I got a bigger and better saw. I could always sell the fence with the saw, or use it on the next saw that I buy if it doesn't have a long rip width. 



BigJimAK said:


> Nick,
> 
> As a heads up, I own the 50" Biesemeyer (and love it!) and have never used the Shop Fox.
> 
> ...


The unifence was a contender too, until I found out that Delta bought Beisemeyer. I have heard about a ton of people that use the Biesemeyer fence without problems, but trying to find reviews and info on the shop fox is a bit harder to come by. I think i will go with the tried and true fence, the Biesemeyer.



CanuckGal said:


> You could build your own Beisemeyer clone.
> Building a Clone of a Biesemeyer Table Saw Fence


Thanks for the link, but I would rather buy it to have it dead on, I don't trust I could do a better job than Biesemeyer of shop fox has already done.

Thanks everyone for the help
Nick


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## novice wood guy (Jun 30, 2010)

I have the Delta Uni-Fence on an older Contractor's saw and love it, although it is only 32" capacity. If I were going with a new fence (for what ever reason) it would be the Biesmeyer 50". I have used one on a buddy's say and feel in love with it immediately. Right now I can't justify a new fence, since ther are other things I need in my shop. But I have bought many duplicates, knockoffs and copys of the inductry standard, and always regret it. My advice, spend the extra and buy it once, Biesmeyer all the way. Remember there is a reason everyone is coping the Biesmeyer.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

I have a Delta saw with the Biesemeyer fence & It will allow you to use certain jigs with ease. You will not be disappointed with this fence if you decide to purchase this one.


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## RJM (Apr 11, 2010)

Get the Biesmeyer. It will still feel like you're building your own when you put it together. 

I have the 52" Biesmeyer and it's nice. I ordered it with my TS after researching on the web. With fine tuning and some microcrystalline wax, it works great. It's dead on too. I can easily cut to within 1/128th of an inch. A friend of mine has a Delta fence (I think) but said the Biesmeyer was much nicer than his fence and he wished he had one.

That said, breaking down 4x8 panels on a TS is difficult. I have a Unisaw table with the extension and I added another extension behind the blade, so my TS is about 7ft wide and 5-1/2 feet deep but after the first few times, I no longer cut sheet goods on the TS. Also, you still have less than 6 feet on the right of the blade so to be able to use the fence, your first piece would need to be around 55-57 inches. Their just too big to cut safely on a TS, unless you you have the mother of all TS sleds. 

I'm actually finishing up a breakdown system that hangs on the front of my wood cart and will be once again using my circular saw to break down 4x8 panels. With a properly built (or bought) guide, I'll easily get accuracy to 1/64", or better, over a 4ft cut.


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## BearLeeAlive (Mar 22, 2010)

I have the 52" Bies on my saw. It works great. It came with the saw I bought. If I were buying again, I would go down to the 30" model and save some floor space in my shop. I bet that I would only make use of the extra length 1 in a 1,000 cuts at the most. If space is of no issue, by all means go the extra length. I am building a cabinet under mine (just as soon as I finish the router table that is ).


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