Bandsaw Fence


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Hey guys...just bought a Grizzly g0555 14" bandsaw off craigslist. I need a fence for it bc the guy selling it didn't have it. What do y'all recommend? I'm trying to get a good fence without breaking the bank...the DriftMaster is out of the question lol. I want a fence that can be used for resawing and regular cuts. I'm looking for one that converts back and forth between tall and short. Thanks guys.

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Hey guys...just bought a Grizzly g0555 14" bandsaw off craigslist. I need a fence for it bc the guy selling it didn't have it. What do y'all recommend? I'm trying to get a good fence without breaking the bank...the DriftMaster is out of the question lol. I want a fence that can be used for resawing and regular cuts. I'm looking for one that converts back and forth between tall and short. Thanks guys.

A fairly recent post was pretty much all about the greatness of the Kreg fence. I have the Drift Master on my Rikon and it IS a nice fence, but is NOT ideal for my BS. I'm hoping to get a larger Laguna to install it on and put my old Rikon back on this. But, in the meantime, I love having a very nice resaw fence.

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this is the one i bought it converts from tall to short in seconds http://www.grizzly.com/products/Re-Saw-Fence-Attachment-For-G0555-G0570/H7584

I looked at that one, but all the descriptions don't say anything about being able to adjust for blade drift. Since you have the fence, can you tell me if it can be adjusted for drift?

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Here is some extra reading to maybe help you find the answer you are looking for. I have the Kreg and it is great. I set for the drift and use the fence for resawing, not the pivot point. It is made from track material and you can make an auxillary fence attachment as tall as you want to fix to it, then remove it when you are finished. I shouldn't be too difficult or time consuming.

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You can't go wrong with the Kreg fence... I was worried about how rigid it would be without a rail on the back of the table when I first looked at it in the store (I had never had a t-square style fence before), but it's been rock-solid for the 4 years I've had it. After spending a couple of years clamping a shop-made fence to the bandsaw table and having to tap-tap-tap it to just the right spot, I've really appreciated the ease and accuracy of the Kreg. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

--Dan

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I too have the Kreg fence and resaw without the pivot point. Once you have the drift accounted for and the blade guides are properly aligned it works like a dream.

If your stock is really wide, because it's a t track system just add a tall backerboard to help support the piece. It's easy to do with the slots.

I have the micro adjuster accessory for my fence and can now really dial it in if necessary. Won't hesitate to recommend this system.

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Why not build your own? I made one out of 2 pieces of maple for my bandsaw and I liked it so much I made one for my router table. Birch plywood would be just as good, you can make it as tall as you want and if you have a tablesaw you can make it perfectly square.

Now I do have to clamp both the front and the back once it's in position but I like that I can use my zero-clearance table with it.

Just food for thought.

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Someplace I read, "If you want a bandsaw fence, clamp a board to the table. If you want a project, build a bandsaw fence."

So far I've been in the "use a board" camp, but I can definitely see the value of a fancier arrangement where you don't have to worry about the drift angle every single time you want to adjust the fence. That gets old after a while.

I like the looks of the shop-built fence described by Patrick Sullivan in Fine Woodworking #210 (January/February, 2010). It's definitely in the "project" category, but it wouldn't cost much (besides time) to build, and you could modify it as needed to suit any special requirements you may have. In particular, you could make a tall fence for resawing and an interchangeable shorter one for ripping thinner boards.

Here's a link to the same article online:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=33148

-- Russ

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Why not build your own? I made one out of 2 pieces of maple for my bandsaw and I liked it so much I made one for my router table. Birch plywood would be just as good, you can make it as tall as you want and if you have a tablesaw you can make it perfectly square.

Now I do have to clamp both the front and the back once it's in position but I like that I can use my zero-clearance table with it.

Just food for thought.

That's not a bad way to go actually! I received my bandsaw fence as a gift from the family, but before that I built my own out of scrap plywood. Worked like a charm for years.

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Why not build your own? I made one out of 2 pieces of maple for my bandsaw and I liked it so much I made one for my router table. Birch plywood would be just as good, you can make it as tall as you want and if you have a tablesaw you can make it perfectly square.

Now I do have to clamp both the front and the back once it's in position but I like that I can use my zero-clearance table with it.

Just food for thought.

Good idea.. there are TONS of plans online for bandsaw fences.. And I would lean towards the birch or baltic birch before I used hardwood. The hardwood might have a tendency to move or something like that. If you did use hardwood, I would recommend using quartersawn. Should be more stable. But maybe I am looking too far into this..

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Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go with the kreg fence. I could make my own, but I don't want to have to worry about drift every time I attach it. And you're right Sac, if you were going to make it from solid stock, you should probably use quarter sawn. But the movement of the wood is less of a concern than setting drift every time.

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