Hi Everyone,
I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
Okay, to the point...
I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
to it being parallel to the blade?
I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
over the length of the table.
Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
current work.
This is a great group. Thanks for helping this newbie along.
Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy wrote:
> That pretty much answers the question. A quality fence that is
> properly adjusted is expected to repeatably clamp parallel within
> "useful" accuracy. If I go with the Grizzly, I'll wait until I can
> afford the fence upgrade.
It depends on your skill level. My first TS was a cheapo Delta bench saw.
It was great for me for a long time. Eventually my inaccuracies were less
than its and I needed a better saw. The G1022 with the low-end fence was
great for me for a long time. My skills kept improving, and eventually I
wanted a fence with better than 1/32" to 1/128" "flutter" on the back side.
So I bought a used "Shop Fox Original" fence.
The low-end G1022 fence is very good. If you use its micro adjust and
always "sneak up" on the measurement from the same direction you'll be able
to set it pretty durn accurately. In retrospect, I got the Shop Fox
Original mostly because I was infatuated with it, not because the limits of
the Grizzly were hard to work around... <g>
-- Mark
On Thu 04 Dec 2003 04:34:11p, [email protected] (Tom Murphy) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
> to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
>
> Okay, to the point...
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
> the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
> of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
> to it being parallel to the blade?
>
> I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
> width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
> does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
> over the length of the table.
>
> Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
> that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
> set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
> current work.
I have a Griz 1022, and unless they've improved it within the last year or
so, yes, you have to check the fence every time you move it. Before I put
the Vega fence on it I followed DJ Delories' advice and kept a rule handy.
Half-clamp the fence, check the distance from the fence to the nearest
miter slot at the front, check it again again at the back. Most of the time
it was off by a little bit. A sixteenth or so. It was easy to tap it into
line then fully clamp the fence tight and then it stayed right there. Other
times it was dead on. But the Vega fence is dead on, every single time.
I believe you can get the Griz contractor's saw - I don't think they make
the 1022 anymore, they've started selling that saw, slightly modified,
under a new number - with a Shop Fox option. I've heard good things about
that fence. Not great, but good.
But yeah, I don't believe you can trust the standard Griz fence to always
be within a few hundredths of an inch front to back, no matter how long you
mess with the adjustments. It works fine if you keep an eye on it, but I
don't consider it to be a "move it and clamp it" fence.
Others might have different opinions. :-)
Dan
Dan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On Thu 04 Dec 2003 04:34:11p, [email protected] (Tom Murphy) wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > Hi Everyone,
> >
> > I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
> > to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
> >
> > Okay, to the point...
> >
> > I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
> > the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
> > of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
> > to it being parallel to the blade?
> >
> > I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
> > width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
> > does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
> > over the length of the table.
> >
> > Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
> > that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
> > set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
> > current work.
>
> I have a Griz 1022, and unless they've improved it within the last year or
> so, yes, you have to check the fence every time you move it. Before I put
> the Vega fence on it I followed DJ Delories' advice and kept a rule handy.
> Half-clamp the fence, check the distance from the fence to the nearest
> miter slot at the front, check it again again at the back. Most of the time
> it was off by a little bit. A sixteenth or so. It was easy to tap it into
> line then fully clamp the fence tight and then it stayed right there. Other
> times it was dead on. But the Vega fence is dead on, every single time.
>
> I believe you can get the Griz contractor's saw - I don't think they make
> the 1022 anymore, they've started selling that saw, slightly modified,
> under a new number - with a Shop Fox option. I've heard good things about
> that fence. Not great, but good.
>
> But yeah, I don't believe you can trust the standard Griz fence to always
> be within a few hundredths of an inch front to back, no matter how long you
> mess with the adjustments. It works fine if you keep an eye on it, but I
> don't consider it to be a "move it and clamp it" fence.
>
> Others might have different opinions. :-)
>
> Dan
That pretty much answers the question. A quality fence that is
properly adjusted is expected to repeatably clamp parallel within
"useful" accuracy. If I go with the Grizzly, I'll wait until I can
afford the fence upgrade.
Thanks Dan and everyone!
Tom
"Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Tom Murphy wrote:
>
> > That pretty much answers the question. A quality fence that is
> > properly adjusted is expected to repeatably clamp parallel within
> > "useful" accuracy. If I go with the Grizzly, I'll wait until I can
> > afford the fence upgrade.
>
> It depends on your skill level. My first TS was a cheapo Delta bench saw.
> It was great for me for a long time. Eventually my inaccuracies were less
> than its and I needed a better saw. The G1022 with the low-end fence was
> great for me for a long time. My skills kept improving, and eventually I
> wanted a fence with better than 1/32" to 1/128" "flutter" on the back side.
> So I bought a used "Shop Fox Original" fence.
>
> The low-end G1022 fence is very good. If you use its micro adjust and
> always "sneak up" on the measurement from the same direction you'll be able
> to set it pretty durn accurately. In retrospect, I got the Shop Fox
> Original mostly because I was infatuated with it, not because the limits of
> the Grizzly were hard to work around... <g>
>
> -- Mark
You make an EXCELLENT point. My skill level is non-existent, and as I
alluded to in my earlier post, I don't need super precision for the
work I forsee. What I DESIRE is for the fence to "automatically" clamp
parallel enough that the stock doesn't pinch between the blade and the
fence, and such that the cut edge of the work is relatively parallel
to the edge rode along the fence.
I like your comment about being "infatuated" with the Shop Fox fence.
That's an excellent assessment and you are obviously a man who knows
himself well. I can DEFINITELY relate! I have several tools that are
much less useful than that, but I own them because they're COOL!
Thanks,
Tom
Tom,
Even the Grizzly is a great improvement over a circular saw. I say
"even a Grizzly" because I own one I'm looking to upgrade. Mark got
it right about the fence. If you always make last move in the same
direction, the results will be predictable, and accurate enough.
If you want a basic saw to test the water before you spend a lot of
money, the Grizzly will do. If you expect this to be the last table
saw you ever buy, keep looking. My main complaint with my Grizzley is
not the fence, its the trunnion. The sector the blade tilts on has so
much slop in it that the blade cannot be adjusted so that it stays
parallel to the slots. I can get it parallel, but after tilting and
returning, it has moved due to slack and it's not parallel anymore.
This is not something that can be adjusted out; I've got to live with
it or trade up.
Now if you still want a Grizzly, I'll sell you mine cheap enough that
you can buy a great fence with your savings. Seriously, for $150 plus
shipping you (or anyone else) can have a good used saw with only the
problems I've mentioned.
Good Luck
DonkeyHody
[email protected] (Tom Murphy) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
> to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
>
> Okay, to the point...
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
> the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
> of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
> to it being parallel to the blade?
>
> I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
> width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
> does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
> over the length of the table.
>
> Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
> that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
> set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
> current work.
>
> This is a great group. Thanks for helping this newbie along.
>
> Tom Murphy
The blade needs to be parallel to the near edge of mitre slot.
The fence should taper away from the mitre slot by about 1/16 inch.
The Forest rep (at the woodworking show, says the outfeed of the
fence, at the blade, shoud be .003" further from the blade than at the
infeed edge of the blade. The blade should not cut on the up side, or
burn the wood.
Align the blade to the table first,
Dan
2003 15:17:37 -0800, "Jay" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I don't have a grizzly saw, but you will have to, most likely, adjust the
>saw to parallel to the fence when you get it home. After that, it should be
>fine and you will need to tune it every once in a while after that. My 2
>cents.
>
>"Tom Murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
>> to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
>>
>> Okay, to the point...
>>
>> I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
>> the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
>> of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
>> to it being parallel to the blade?
>>
>> I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
>> width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
>> does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
>> over the length of the table.
>>
>> Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
>> that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
>> set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
>> current work.
>>
>> This is a great group. Thanks for helping this newbie along.
>>
>> Tom Murphy
>
Colorado Springs, CO
My advice may be worth what you paid for it.
I don't have a grizzly saw, but you will have to, most likely, adjust the
saw to parallel to the fence when you get it home. After that, it should be
fine and you will need to tune it every once in a while after that. My 2
cents.
"Tom Murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
> to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
>
> Okay, to the point...
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
> the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
> of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
> to it being parallel to the blade?
>
> I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
> width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
> does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
> over the length of the table.
>
> Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
> that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
> set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
> current work.
>
> This is a great group. Thanks for helping this newbie along.
>
> Tom Murphy
I have the shop fox classic and it is a great fence (biesmeyer clone). I
think you can probably get that one as an option.
Montyhp
"Tom Murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I've done my due diligence with a Google search, but since I'm so new
> to this world I'm not sure I understand what I'm reading.
>
> Okay, to the point...
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a modestly priced table saw such as
> the Grizzly 1022 series. What is a reasonable expectation for accuracy
> of the standard fence on a quality machine, specifically with regard
> to it being parallel to the blade?
>
> I will not be doing super precise work so I'm less concerned about the
> width scale, but in my opinion, a table saw fence is useless if it
> does not reliably clamp to parallel within a few hundredths of an inch
> over the length of the table.
>
> Am I going to have to buy a top-end fence to get there? I truly feel
> that if I have to manually adjust the angle of the fence for every
> set-up, then I might as well stick with the circular saw for my
> current work.
>
> This is a great group. Thanks for helping this newbie along.
>
> Tom Murphy
If your fence is anything but parallel, it WILL cut on the upside. With it
towed out as you describe. it will cut on the back on the waste side of the
stock.
"Dan Dunphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
. The blade should not cut on the up side, or
> burn the wood.
> Align the blade to the table first,
> Dan
>