Customer Reviews

Vega U26 Table Saw Fence System: 36-Inch Fence Bar, 26-Inch to Right

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best fence I have ever used or seen. It's accuracy and ease of adjustment is unmatched. You can one hand adjust and set the lock. I have owned and used this system weekly for over two years, and never had to readjust the fence. Removal of the fence is also a one hand operation, just lift off and stow away.

I upgraded an old Craftsman table saw fence with the bottom-of-the-line Vega aftermarket fence a few years ago. This old saw had the stock fence which clamped at both ends. It inevitably clamped a little off perpendicular each time, and no adjustment helped. The Vega fence required drilling a couple of holes, as the existing holes did not match. But accuracy was not crucial; it was easy to square up the fence after installation. The Vega fence does not require frequent readjustment. It is very easily removed for crosscutting. It holds position very well, and returns to the same place easily. The micro-advance feature is unnecessary, since the fence slides very easily, with little stiction. It has held up well under years of outdoors boatbuilding abuse, as well as in-shop furniture making, with frequent dragging of the saw over rough terrain (which usually necessitates a variety of table and blade readjustments). The bottom line: the Vega fence helped make a bad saw into a pretty good one (in combination with top-of-the-line blades, a rolling base, a sliding crosscut table and an alignment kit). If you want to keep an old saw, you should upgrade the fence, if only as a safety measure - I used to get kickbacks and stalls all the time, now I never do.

All I can say about this fence is WOW! If you have an existing saw that you are thinking about replacing due to the terrible standard fence performance....DON'T. Save yourself $1000 and just buy this fence. I put it on 10 year old Craftsman contractor saw and now I cut "dead on" boards. The micro-adjust eliminates the annoying task of "bumping" the fence back and forth to get the measurement crosshair to the desired measurement. You simply move the fence to within about an inch of where you want it and lock down the smaller of the two handles. Then you spin a micro-adjust wheel to slowly move the fence to the exact measurement viewed through a clear window with crosshair...and lock down the larger handle. You are ready to go. The fence also stays exactly where you lock iot down, even with a tremendous amount of force pushed against it...very precise machining here. This fence is extremely simple to install and it was perfectly parallel to the blade/miter slot right out of the box. Get this fence and you will never regret it.

The only negative is that you cannot effectively use a featherboard clamped to the fence in the vertical position. Because the far end of the fence only glides on the back rail (it doesn't clamp) any upward force from a board being pushed through, and up against a featherboard, lifts the far end of the fence off the back rail. This is only a minor inconvenience if any at all.

I purchased this product to upgrade a VERY old Craftsman table saw (circa 1950). I finished installing this today and was very impressed with the test cuts that I completed after the installation. Due to the age of the saw I needed to drill a few holes into the cast table top. In addition, the narrow width of the table required a hole to be drilled into the back support as well. Even though this is recommended in the installation of the product, one does hesitate drilling holes into an expensive accessory. However this was all very easily accomplished. (I was able to install & perform necessary modifications to the fence during the first half of the U. Cinti/Kent State NCAA game) GO CATS. The adjustments were very easy and intuitive. Bottom line... I am very happy with this product and would recommend it to all questing to improve the performance of an older table saw.

I contemplated alot about whether to get the pro line, and decided on this model. I really wonder what could possibly be better on the pro version? This fence has absolutely everything you could want in a fence. I don't care whether you are a weekend woodworker, or someone who does it for a living, this fence is the best I have ever seen. The micro adjustment is great for the perfectionist or for the person who needs to tweek the setting just a bit after cutting that first board. I was reluctant to buy a fence that did not have a rear lock, but this fence is SOLID, and did I mention that on my 1970 craftsman I didn't have to drill, tap, bend a single thing. I read some reviews that knocked it down a star for the instructions and I have to say, anyone who has put anything together out of a box should not have a problem. I would give it an 8 out of 10 for its instructional material.

Received the u26 Vega fence buy UPS yesterday installed it today on a old 10" Craftsman table saw .The instructions were plain and simple Took about 30 min to install. Just a small amount of adjustment and it was ready to use{will have to move the tape later} Ripped a piece of plyboard,just to try it, and when you lock the fence it is locked. At first I did not think The micro adjustment would be something I would use but after looking at it I can see some things it could use it for. All in all worth the money. Now what to do with the old fence. Door stop maybe?

Steve

This is really a great buy. It is one solid and accurate fence. It is really easy to remove fence from the table when needed. I have a really small space so I got this fence. It can cut 26" to the right as mentioned in the description. People with tight space may want to know the total length of the rail. It is 48".
I installed it on a Delta Contractors saw and found it very easy to install (even though the the instructions are not very clear). It already has holes drilled in right places for Delta and some other saws. You may have to drill a few holes if you have a different saw. This is a top quality product. Hope they improve the instruction part. Don't hesitate to buy this fence system.

My tablesaw is made by Sprunger which has been out of business for approximately forty years according to an old hand at Skaries in Baltimore. Modifications including grinding skirt areas to provide room for the fence mounting hardware were required. Once installed I must admit all the pain was made up for by the accuracy of this fence. It cuts just what the ruler displays.

My complaints are the lift off bracket does not clear the rear fence mounting hardware so I've opted not to use it, and the mounting instructions are rough. The second is compensated for by the fantastic customer support, even weekend messages prompt return telephone calls on the weekend, provided by Randy at Vega.

I replaced my 15 year old Sears fence with the vega. The Sears I could never get to stay parallel to the blade. It was a constance problem that resulted in burning on hardwoods. I would measure both the front and rear of the blade several times before cutting.

The thing that drew me first the the Vega was the price. I tried to read as much as I could but finally just took a chance.

I could not believe when my fence got to my house in 3 days.

It took me quite awhile to get the fence to be parallel with the blade but this week end I cut Maple with no burning.

The fence seems to be the answer to my problems for, what I consider to be, a reasonable cost.

Now I can use the tape on the fence and set it for 6 inches knowing that the piece will be six inches when cut.

Good fence for the money.

I've had the pleasure of using and several good aftermarket t-square fences...the commercial Biesemeyer, General Biesemeyer, Shop Fox Classic, Mule Cab Accusquare, and the Vega utility fence. All are very good, but none offers a microadjustment except for Vega....not only does the Vega offer one, but actually works really well....many do not.

The Vega is a straight forward design with quality materials. It's easy to install, simple to use, accurate, repeatable, rugged, and has very low deflection. It's also priced considerably lower than most others on my list. My one month stint with the Vega was short, but it left a very good impression with me. (it was on a saw that I bought as a "fix and sell" project). I'm not quite ready to trade in my Biesemeyer for the Vega but it's hard to find fault with it, and at under $230 delivered, you'd be hard pressed to find a decent fence for less. The Mule Cab is in a similar price range, and has the benefit of t-slots, but those slots come at the expense of softer lightweight aluminum tubing substituted for steel, and the Mule understandably has higher deflection than it's steel competitors.

If I were actually buying a fence now I'd have a hard time justifying the extra money for the Biese over the Vega...the Biese is a great fence and was a bargain that was included with my saw, but the Vega is excellent in it's own right. Wood Mag got it right...."Best Buy".