Final decision on Table Saw

[Ken P (Guest)]

Hello all,

I am new to woodworking and I am in the market for a Table Saw. I have been waiting on the side lines for a while to make this decision. After looking at both Delta and Jet contractors and cabinet saws, my decision comes down to the better fence.

Delta has the Biesemeyer, Jet has the xacta. Which one is better?
Since I never really used either of these fences, its kinda difficult for me to judge which is better but the Biesemeyer does seem to be a bit more solid. Is this just my thoughts or does anyone have experiences with either?

Hope to hear from anyone soon.

KP

[Jules]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-20-01 AT 00:58AM (CDT)[/font][p]Ken, Where were you when we went throught this the last time, and the time before that, and the time... oh well :)

It's all a matter of personal preference and needs. My preference is the Biesemeyer, cause you can drive a truck over it, and it will still cut straight. It is also more adept for using jigs.

The Unifence is a good fence as well, but is made of aluminium, (don't drive your truck over this one) not so jig-user friendly, but better for trimming laminates because you can reposition the aluminium extrusions to allow for the laminate overhang (amoungst other neat tricks).

IMHO, I think the XactaFence is slightly inferior to the Biessy, (Duck! Here come the missels from the Jet boys) simply because it is not quite so heavy duty, but still a good fence, none-the-less.

OK, lets hear from the Jet owners now.

Hope this helps a little. Cheers, Jules

Remember, the first rule is "Safety First". The second rule is measure twice... :)

[Steven Wilson (Guest)]

IMHO the Exacta fence is sligtly better than the Beis. It is much, much easier to replace the side pieces on the Exacta fence than the Beis.

[dicklaxt]

I can't speak for either from a hands on position but from the many posts on this subject...........Bies. is definitely the leader

dickdoo

[Lou_williams]

The exacta is know as a Biesemeyer clone. The Bess was the first and In my opinion the best still. The exacta is a good fence, but there were a bunch of posts in the past where the exacta uses plastic pads to contact the rail. For many users the pads don't stay where they are glued.

This may have been corrected and my not be an issue, there still might be old inventory out in the stores, it is worth a check on the search button to see the comments.

There are about 5 or 6 good after market fences that are sold. All but 2 are based on the Bess design. That should tell you something.

Lou

[MadMark]

Xacta has had issues with the friction pads not adhering.

Bessy is a truck

Myself, I like the Incra.

M

[woodchuck1954]

All the fences mentioned are adequet. If I were you,I would focus more on the saw itself. What you can afford and fit in your shop. Before you make any decisions,get a beginners guide to tablesaws,how to set each type up,with the configuration you are looking for. Asking a forum like this is like asking what pickup to buy. Everybody has their favorite,their own budget and their favorite color. Sometimes there is no real right and wrong answers.
Stores won't let you test drive saws,because of safety issues. But you sure can go and play with the different fences. It all boils down to,personal taste,working preference and gut feeling. Its your money.

[Wood Butcher]

Definitly not like choosing a pickup. Dodge is the only real choice there. There are at least 3 major contendors, in this area. Jet, Powermatic, and Delta. I have to choose between them too pretty soon. I'm leaning towards Jet, for price reasons, and motor ratings I beleive. Powermatic has had issues latley, and Delta is also a strong contendor.

I can't answer this for myself let alone you...(PM 66, will go almost undisputed though) Either way, you'll be happy. But like a pickup line all 3 up, and feel em, the right one will make your heart skip a beat.

Nick
If it aint broke...I'll fix that.

[rebelwork]

oh...just get the unisaw with bessy and be done. then you wont say "coulda, shoulda, got that unisaw. no lookin back with this saw. no need to compare anymore.just sweet music. or you could do the slight overkill and price with the powermatic.and jet hum......nevermind....rebel

[Ken P (Guest)]

To all,
Thanks for some great advice. It's wonderful to get so much info in a short amount of time. I feel there is a wealth of info on this forum.

As far as my decision goes, my gut tells me that I would be happy with the Unisaw and the Biesemeyer fence over the Jet. However, there are 2 things that are holding me back.
1. The price of the Delta is more than the Jet
2. I am planning on buying a Jet jointer, Jet Planer, Jet Lathe, Jet Dust Collector, Jet Band saw and a Jet drill press and I would like to have the same.
I know buying machinery should not be determined by the brand name but comparing each of the items individually with Delta's equivalent, JETs products are better. I just wish that the Jet table saw had the Biesemeyer fence as a standard item.

KP