# Vega 26" Table Saw Fence



## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

I've been wanting to upgrade the fence on my old Craftsman table saw for a long time. Not that it didn't work OK, but people say that a nice fence can transform a machine into something magical. Sooo..

I picked up a used Vega 26" in excellent condition from a local guy at a very nice price. My workshop doesn't have room for the "pro" models, and the 26" "Utility" size is perfect for my needs.

Installation was easy. Had to drill one hole in the rear rail. The front rail is a big round chrome plated tube, superbly finished. The fence is 36" long which hangs off the rear of my 27" cast iron table. Materials quality seems top notch.

Now for the review... I'm NOT impressed. :thumbdown:

The fence moves when you tighten it down. There's enough slop in the clamp head that the fence skews when you move it. Once clamped it's solid and perfectly aligned, but dialing in to a precise setting is a nightmare.

Also, there is a micro-adjust feature that simply doesn't work. The idea is that you clamp down the micro adjuster part of the head, and move the main head +/- a bit with a thumbwheel. But the micro clamp doesn't clamp tight enough to allow moving the weight of the fence.

Maybe I'm being unfair in that this is a used tool, but the wear is so minor that I don't think that matters. I'll figure out ways around these issues eventually, but for now I'm regretting selling the old fence on eBay.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*used table saw fences*

There is a reason it was for sale.... possibly the issues you are having were the reasons.

http://www.amazon.com/Vega-U50-Table-Fence-System/product-reviews/B00002261Z

http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2008/0...guide-biesemeyer-vs-unifence-vs-vega-vs-incra

They have a good reputation from what I've heard, so yours may be an exception OR it may be repairable or adjustable in such a way that the "looseness" can be dialed out.

A photo would be helpful in determining if there may be a "fix". :yes:

In my opinion the fence is the heart of the tablesaw since it is the most used apparatus on the saw. You don't change the blade or move the height that often, but you do change the fence very many times during a project.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

I have the vega pro 50 on my 1940's unisaw. Mine works great. The fence clamps super tight. Mine also dosent stay square when moving it but when you clamp it down it straightens out. 

My micro adjuster works as intended although I don't think I've used it. 

Overall I'm happy with it.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

woodnthings said:


> There is a reason it was for sale.... possibly the issues you are having were the reasons.


The gentleman who owned it had moved into a retirement home and had to give up his power tools. He had nothing but praise for the fence. I've seen the reviews, and my expectations were high.



> They have a good reputation from what I've heard, so yours may be an exception OR it may be repairable or adjustable in such a way that the "looseness" can be dialed out.
> 
> A photo would be helpful in determining if there may be a "fix". :yes:


The head is cast aluminum. I'll post a pic later.



BigJoe16 said:


> I have the vega pro 50 on my 1940's unisaw. Mine works great. The fence clamps super tight. Mine also *dosent stay square when moving it* but when you clamp it down it straightens out.
> 
> My micro adjuster works as intended although I don't think I've used it.
> 
> Overall I'm happy with it.


Exactly what I'm complaining about. You can't sneak up on a setting because when you clamp it down it'll be different. It's less than 1/32" change but that's annoying.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

Maylar said:


> The gentleman who owned it had moved into a retirement home and had to give up his power tools. He had nothing but praise for the fence. I've seen the reviews, and my expectations were high. The head is cast aluminum. I'll post a pic later. Exactly what I'm complaining about. You can't sneak up on a setting because when you clamp it down it'll be different. It's less than 1/32" change but that's annoying.


What I do to help this problem is as I'm sliding the fence to the measurement I want it at, I'll snug the clamp lever every so often to square up the fence. 

I think because the fence dosent hold
Onto the back rail, there will always be that much play in it.


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

I used to own an old 80's craftsman TS with a Vega fence. Mine did the same thing - moved when you clamped it down, but only when moving the fence to the left. If you moved it to the right, it stayed in the same location. Regardless, the fence was extremely accurate, and the micro adjustment was a very nice and often-used feature. My new (used) powermatic is a better saw, but I sure do miss that micro adjustment fence. My advice is to make sure the fence is square after you clamp down. It worried me at first but that thing was dead accurate.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

I've aligned the fence to the table in all axis' and have taken to clamping it between settings as mentioned by BigJoe. It's a great fence, as long as I know what to expect.

As for the micro adjust, I still can't get it to clamp to the rail tube tightly enough to allow moving the weight of the fence and not slipping. The locking mechanism is just an eccentric cam, like the main clamp but smaller. Note that the main lock has a brass shim strip between the lock cam and rail tube, and the micro adjust clamp does not. I'm thinking of epoxying a thin brass shim in there just to add a bit more clamping force. Probably over thinking this though, as usual (anal engineer that I am).


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