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Anyone know anything about this Craftsman fence?

3.8K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  bandit571  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a 113 series table saw made by Emerson Electric and just happened across this fence for craftsman saws.

There is no info available for it on that site but at that price if it is a decent fence it is a steal.
 
#8 ·
That is the Exact-A-Rip fence. I had one on my craftsman tablesaw for years. It was better than no fence, but not by much. Very frustrating to keep square.

- Quailguy
disagree.very similar to the fence that came on my ridgid 2412. every bit as accurate as the Delta T2 i have on a 113 c-man.
 
#9 ·
When I had my Craftsman 113, I got one by Muelcab. They still make them. It only took about an hour to install it and it worked great. Here is the link http://www.mulecab.com/tablesaw.html
I don't have the saw anymore but the fence was very strong and stayed straight.
I think there is one called a Vega fence. Sold at Rockler if I remember correctly.
Both are over $200, so I don't know if would fit your budget.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
That is the Exact-A-Rip fence. I had one on my craftsman tablesaw for years. It was better than no fence, but not by much. Very frustrating to keep square.

I call BS! This is very similar to (and copied from) the Ridgid AC1036 fence I have used on my C-man saw for the last 8 1/2 years. It is similar to the ones Ridgid sold on their saws (like the 4512 mentioned above) and if you had trouble keeping it square, the problem was with the operator, not the fence!

There is a real problem with T-square fences in general - being supported only at the front end of the saw, they can be bent out of alignment by pressure against the fence as you feed pieces through the saw. This is why I like the Ridgid design - it clamps at both ends of the fence and you cannot move it when applying pressure against the fence as you feed stock through the saw. That includes the Mulecab and the homemade fence you refereneced.

By the same token, I used the original fence that came with my saw when sold (a 113.29901 sold in the late 60's) and had no problems with it. I still have that fence and, if you want it, I will be glad to send it to you. My biggest problem with it was the travel - it would only cut 12" to the right and 24" to the right which is why I moved to the AC1036. But square - yeah! straight - yeah! solid - yeah! Should bolt right up to your saw. PM me and we will talk.

As for the comments about "had a .030" bow in it", that is more a reflection on the ********************ty Chinese quality of extrusions used in these fences, not on the design! My fence has less than .001" from one end to the other across the 30" table length!

There are lots of opinions here on LJ - not all of them have much knowledge behind them.
 
#11 ·
As for the comments about "had a .030" bow in it", that is more a reflection on the ********************ty Chinese quality of extrusions used in these fences, not on the design! My fence has less than .001" from one end to the other across the 30" table length!
I did like the design concept of the fence. Clamping tight on the back side of the table made it very solid when clamped. There were times though that I wished it was a little heavier duty. Still, I used it for a lot of years and made a lot of stuff with it. I'm not sure about the Chinese part though. This was a fence on a Craftsman saw from the late 80's or maybe early 90's, and weren't they still USA made in that time frame?

There were a couple of reasons why I replaced it. One was the bow in it. I never was quite able to get a good straight edge that I didn't have to correct. I finally did put a new face on it and shimmed it straight. Two was not being able to count on it. After clamping it down, if I had a critical cut I had to make certain that it clamped straight by measuring at each end of the fence. The back end could be off by quite a bit sometimes. Third was just needing more than 30 inches maximum.

Wayne
 
#14 ·
meh…worked for me, for30+ years…
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Yes, they do "warp" a bit. Discovered that IF I add a 1Ă—3 strip of wood, using the slots provided, I could add a small shim to make the wood strip perfectly straight. I also could "bury" part of a dado set into the wood part of the "fence"
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The ONLY reason I do not have this saw anymore? No room in the Dungeon shop. Sold this saw about a year ago.
 

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#15 ·
Hey bandit, did you make a longer angle fence rail? It looks like you have three wings bolted together there on the right side of the saw.

I have this same fence currently. I have it parallel to the blade when it is up to 12 inches away, however past that it goes out of alignment, which is why I am looking for an upgrade.
 
#16 ·
I threw out the OEM rail, and made a new, longer rail. Just simple angle iron, used the OEM mounting parts.

On the top of the fence, right above the "Tightener" are two hex head bolts. Loosen them just a hair, adjust the fence for parallel with the miter slot. Lock the fence in place, re-check. Still lined up? Torque the bolts tight. One more check. Should be good to go.

Saw came about when the trunnion broke on the original saw. Got a replacement set of parts from a similar saw. "New" trunnion, and two extra wings. I also got a larger motor, with dual pulleys. Cost of the "parts saw"? $25.
 
#18 ·
Check the "tire" at the rear of the fence, it needs to ride on either the back rail, or the table. There should be about two sheets of paper clearance between the table's surface, and the bottom of the fence. Front rail may also be a touch too low?

I actually wore the first fence out, and Sears replaced it free…..maintainence agreement worked well, back then…
 
#20 ·
You can build it, the accuracy would be in how well. FWW long time ago had a build article about using metal extruded shapes to build about the same thing. Up to you. If you still have the first fence, it can be tuned up, as well. Maybe shim it up a bit with the friction-less plastic strips to make it glide better on the rails?