Customer Reviews

Vega U50 Table Saw Fence System: 36-Inch Fence Bar, 50-Inch to Right

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently purchased and installed this fence. I have two Craftsman table saws (one circa 1950 and one circa 1970) mounted together on the same base with an extension table on either side; one saw is used primarily for dado-ing and the other for normal sawing. The original Craftsman fence locked onto two pieces of angle iron, had to be whacked repeatedly with the palm of the hand to adjust it to the right spot - which sometimes caused it to jump off its rails, and often when it was locked it ended up out of parallel with the blade, causing the workpiece to bind. I eventually became so fed-up with it that I reviewed the commentaries on after-market saw fences found in various woodworking newsgroups, and based upon that review decided to order this fence. Owing to the configuration of my saws, I did not install the fence in the intended manner (8" left, 50" right of the blade), but rather centered the fence rails so that the fence is usable for either saw. Of course in doing so, I sacrificed the 50" rip capacity that the fence is intended to accommodate (ending up with a maximum 31" rip capacity which is adequate for my needs). Mounting the rails required drilling additional mounting holes through edges of my saw tables, and drilling and tapping additional holes in the fence rails in order to achieve the desired mounting position. I viewed this task in advance with some trepidation (it's a bit nerve-wracking to begin drilling holes in a $200+ piece of equipment right out of the box), but it was really quite simple to do. The entire installation took between two and three hours to complete. I am very pleased with the result. The fence glides back and forth across the saw table beautifully, and locks in place with a light push on a locking lever. The micro-adjustment feature is nice, but I think unnecessary - the fence moves so effortlessly on the rails that the desired position can easily achieved without it. Using both of my saws with this fence is a pleasure; it's almost as if they are brand new saws.

I purchased the Vega Fence to upgrade my Grizzly 1022SM Table saw. The Vega fence bolted to the table with no problems and with no need to drill extra holes. After installation and adding on my Extension table for the 50" fence bar, the Fence was Accurate and stays Accurate. I now can set my Fence where I want it and be sure its dead on.
Simply put this was a great Investment.

Early in my life as a home-renter, I did all my woodworking on a radial arm saw. Why? Because it came with the house and I couldn't afford anything else. It worked, but using it to rip wood scared the heck out of me. I was never as cautious and careful as when I used that saw.

When I moved to my own home, I knew that I was going to need to replace that saw with a table saw. Craftsman was the choice, due to price and credit availability. Over the years, that saw served well for all my woodworking and home projects, but the fence system on it always irked me. Whenever I set the fence, I would have to measure from the fence to the miter slot near the blade, then to the miter slot at the front, then to the miter slot at the back, all the while tap, tap, tapping the fence back and forth to adjust it while slowly tightening it down. What a pain.

Finally, after seventeen years, I decided to upgrade the saw. I didn't have enough cash to replace it, so instead I installed a higher horsepower motor, new pulleys and v-belt, and a new fence system - the Vega system.

Installing the Vega fence was not tough. It installed into the existing holes in my saw table. I did need to make a support for the right side of the table, because the 50" fence on that side would tip the saw without it. I went out of my way and made a nice one, so that my work piece would have support on that side as it went through the saw.

It took a little bit to align the fence, but nothing exceptional. Now when I move the fence, I don't have to do my little measuring dance to make sure it is parallel with the blade. I can set it and forget it.

The measurement indicator is adjustable and the tape measure on the front rail can be repositioned (and needed to be for my saw). There is a "micro" adjustment feature that lets me move the fence a very small amount at a time, making it easier to sneak up on just the right dimension.

The only problem I have had with the fence is that it moved as I was cutting. Very discouraging to find that the back of the piece you are cutting is wider than the front. In truth, this was my problem. I hit the front rail with a little WD-40 to keep it nice and shiny, and gave the fence a slippery surface to try to hold onto. A little cleaning with some mineral spirits and a firm grip on the fence clamp has eliminated that problem, but I keep my eye on it anyways.

At this point, my only regret is that I didn't do this years ago.

I actually rate the fence itself at four stars, but Vega's customer service was horrible. The inital contact went smoothly. I ordered a saw fence pusher (soon to be available through amazon.com) and a set of fence legs to compliment my newly purchased Vega U50 fence system. The order was placed on 1/5 and I was told to expect delivery on 1/10 or 1/11. I attempted phone contact on 1/17 - 1/20 calling once a day to obtain information on the order status. None of my calls were ever returned. On 1/20 I sent an email that was never responded too. On 1/27 I got home from work and found the items sitting on my doorstep without any explanation of the delay. I can't imagine a company like this staying in business! If you purchase this fence, you better hope you never have to get in touch with the manufacturer.

I've had my 50 year old Craftsman for 15 years. 10 years ago, I moved to a new house, it had a huge basement. No excuse - I could have upgraded at any time...

Now it's official, I've had the unit for a week and can't tell you how much setup time it has saved. I used to measure from the blade to the fence, set the distance. Then near the blade, measure from the miter slot to the fence. Then check the front then check the rear, adjust and remeasure everything...

Now, slide the fence, set the see through cursor, lock the fence...

Don't wait like I did.

M.

I fought with the original fence to my Craftsman for 10 years. It's not worth it. Adding this fence made my saw such a joy to use, it was just like I got a new one. My fence is square to the blade over the entire span of the table (it never was with the original fence). The microadjust mechanism is extremely useful. No more tapping the fence. Movement on the rails is very smooth.

Even better, installation was great. I did it in an hour and a half, taking my time, and I had my 3 year old in the garage with me.

I can't wait to get time to build a router table for the extension!

I had struggled for years with aligning and re-aligning the factory fence with my Sear's Contractor Saw. Furthermore, ripping widths greater than 24" were impossible. The Vega Fence went in in about 1/2 hour. I took particular time in aligning the fence and that took about 1 hour.

My first set of experiments were great - repeatibility of parallel alignment, repeatibility of cut width from fence, and micro-adjust feature all were very acceptable.

Although the fence cost 1/3 the original cost of the saw....

Good investment!

I put the vega fence on my old Craftsman saw. I now wish I had done it years ago. No more measuring from fence to blade to get accurate cuts. The addition of the Vega fence is like getting a whole new saw. Installation took 2 hours including removing the old fence. Take the time to get everything calibrated. First class upgrade.

I bought it because I thought it would help the used Craftsman table saw I bought. It didn't. I shoulda knowed better. Then, like Lester, I bought a Grizzly 1022 which came with a barely adequate fence. Putting a good fence on a cheap saw is dumb. Putting it on a saw with a little mass and muscle that'll hold its adjustments makes a world of difference. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is because I'll have to completely remove the measuring tape and glue in a new one if I want the thing to zero out at the blade. Right now it's a half-inch off and that's a bit frustrating. But that's the worst thing about it. It's dead-on square and it STAYS that way.

Several years ago I purchased an older tablesaw at a yard sale that was as dependable as a newer one except for the accuracy of the fence. After several years of being frustrated I set out to research product availability to replace my undependenable fence. After several months of research I made a choice that has lowered my blood pressure considerably.
The first problem I ran into was that the previous owner made numerous modifications. Your directions were easy to follow and addressed the problems I encountered in setting up the Vega Utility 50". I had to do some drilling and tapping, it was very easy to do, into the front rail . The fact that you can make adjustments after everything is in place makes the final setup that much easier.
The real sense of accomplishment occurred when I ripped a piece of plywood at ten and one-sixteenth and it was actually that size when I measured it for my project.