I have a Vega Fence that came on an old saw I got from Craigslist. One thing I've noticed is that when I lock the fence in place it changes its alignment relative to the miter slots. I have it so that when tight its perfectly parallel so it's not really a problem but just wondering if this was typical? Is something loose somewhere?
Mine comes to rest slightly out of alignment when I move it because there's a little play between the rail and the shoe that rides the rail, and when I lock the fence the play is removed and it goes back into alignment.
It's never been a problem to me either. I thought all fences did that. Why would it need to be in perfect alignment when it wasn't locked in place?
I set that sucker for 6 7/16, and I get a board that's exactly 6
7/16ths. Don't gotta measure nuthin. I still measure it sometimes, but it's always dead on. Even after several years, that is SO cool. I spent too much time messing with bassackwards fences, I guess.
The only time it poses a problem is if I'm adjusting the saw by placing a previously cut piece between the fence and the blade and moving the fence till its all snug. If I then remove the piece and lock the fence into position it will actually be a cut the piece a hair thinner because the fence has moved a smidge inwards towards the blade.
Rarely have I seen a fence that wouldn't exhibit this behavior to some extent upon locking to a width in that scenario.
There is a lock, unlock, reset/re-lock sequence with most fences that will generally give satisfaction and accuracy for that situation, and every fence is different, so you just have to experiment for what work's the best.
That said, the above should not be necessary when setting the fence to the rail tape.
There are fences that don't behave like that? When I do that sort of thing I use the micro-adjuster and I still run a piece of scrap to make sure it's right. Usually it is.
Like I said, I haven't used a lot of fences. Or at least I think I said something like that. I can't imagine being able to afford a fence that was so dead on that it slid up and down the rail in perfect alignment. I know such a fence is possible, I just didn't think you could have one for less than a grand. Seems like it would have to have alignment rails on both sides.
So, who's got a fence that does that? Biesemeyer? Maybe I'll sell my Vega. :-)
Actually, no I wouldn't. I'm too happy with my current setup. But now you got me curious.
Nope ... my UniFence is consistent (accurate is relative to another entity) from next to the blade, out to 52", and it only has rails on one side. I would not accept a fence system that did not consistently read the same.
As far as "accurate", my Unifence precisely agrees with two of my Stanley
10' measuring tapes ... a "Happiness Is" in the shop.With most any tool that has moving parts, there is play in the mechanism and a specific direction, when adjusting, that you should always use to compensate for that play.
Many fences move very slightly (usually toward the blade, IME) upon engagement of the locking handle/mechanism, but that movement is taken into account during the calibration of the rail tape on assembly and setup of saw/fence/rail, and is a moot point when using the rail tape to set up a cut.
The only time this noticeable is if you move the unlocked fence against a piece of wood that is against the blade and then engage the lock. Many fences will slightly pinch/push the wood more tightly against the blade upon locking.
Well, so does my Vega, when it's locked. In this message you appear to be saying your Unifence is dead-on accurate when it's unlocked as well. But in your previous post you say that a bit of fence play in an unlocked fence is acceptable where a bit of play at the indicator is not. That's how it is with my Vega. A little play at the fence, none at the indicator.
That's not what I said ... TS fences are only meant to be used when they're locked, so any other state is totally irrelevant, IMO.
Actually, I have 52" of "play" in my Unifence when it is unlocked ... ;)
Thanks for the input guys, glad to hear that it is indeed normal. I bought the TS used so wasn't 100% sure that this was the expected behavior, glad to hear that it is.
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