# Newly Redesigned Biesemeyer Fence System (from the Newly Redesigned Unisaw)



## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

Some may have read my recent post concerning the troubles I had with a 30" Biesemeyer Fence I purchased for my new Unisaw and for those who care to read here is the story...
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/why-i-keep-buying-using-delta-tools-12561/
The rest of the story....after waiting for over 2 months due to several issues I just bought a new Unifence and sure enough the rest of the new Biesemeyer shows up right after I get it! (one box was lost in shipping for a while). 2 issues at that time...I was seriously frustrated with Delta so I wasn't sure if I even wanted to use this fence and if I did I wasn't sure if I wanted to cut it to use my sliding table. I ended up putting the new Biesemeyer up for auction but just my luck that didn't work out so I decided I would just use the New Biesemeyer and boy am I glad I did! :smile:

The main differences I found between this and the original....


Extrusion is 42" long (new Unisaw has a 28" deep table)
A more comfortable handle with a MUCH better locking action and magnet to hold it up (see picture)
Front and rear rails no longer have a "notch" rather they fit under the miter slots so they can easily be repositioned
Guide tube is now a fully coated aluminum extrusion as opposed to the steel tube with exposed glide surfaces (no more rust!)
Guide tube slides into position similar to how a Unifence does allowing it to easily be repositioned as well(see pic in manual)
left and right cursor/tapes
36" capacity instead of 30"
Let me start the review by saying this is absolutely hands down the BEST fence system I have ever used in over 20 years of cabinetmaking! :smile: 

Assembly was pretty straight forward as with the original/most clones. Contrary to what I was told by the Delta rep I did not have to re-drill as the rails bolted right up to the holes in my previous version Unisaw. Fence parallel to miter slot adjustment was simple and I was a bit surprised they did not add adjustment screws on top however the fence was square to the table top out of the box after setting the rails with the included gauge. Also, the fence extrusion has 2 teflon glides near the far end and one goes past the end of my 27" table (the new Unisaw has a 28" table) however I am going to reposition it on the other side.

In use is where this bad boy really shines! :smile: The first thing I noted was the locking mechanism "snaps" into position with minimal force and locks positively (the manual says 1/8" deflection at the far end is normal  however I could not get it to move using a hefty amount of pressure). The fence glides easily/smoothly across the table/guide tube and since the new locking mechanism maintains contact on both sides when unlocked it stays parallel to the blade while moving (it also stays exactly where you stopped it when you lock the handle).

On a side note I also tried all of the different "clone" fences on the SawStop/General/Jet/etc etc at the local tool shop recently and although this Biesemeyer was not a "night and day" difference I definitely felt it had the edge especially when it came to the aluminum extrusion/locking mechanism.

Almost forgot, I took back the JessEm sliding table and purchased the Delta 34-555 so I'm trying to decide whether I am going to cut the extrusion or just slide it over to the right. After some discussion with Phil Bumbalough I will be using some of his modification tips as well as other modifications I came up with to make it more useful as well as more "user friendly" (I'm going to incorporate a tapering jig, multiple fence locations, a mitering jig and experiment with a couple of other ideas). BTW, if that name sounds familiar it's probably because he is on the cover of Wood Magazines "America's Best Home Workshops" and below is a link to his site which has some GREAT info/tips/reviews. :smile:
BenchMark Woodworking page 

Feel free to ask any questions!


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## merrill (Mar 7, 2010)

*new re-designed biesemeyer fence*

Thanks for your info, I have been told that this new biese fence is designed for the new uni-saw and probably will not fit on my 90's Delta 10 inch arbor tilting saw. Do you know anything about that?

Merrill


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

merrill said:


> Thanks for your info, I have been told that this new biese fence is designed for the new uni-saw and probably will not fit on my 90's Delta 10 inch arbor tilting saw. Do you know anything about that?
> 
> Merrill


You're welcome Merrill. My Unisaw is the previous generation and replaced what I believe is the same 90's tilting arbor saw you have (right tilt 2HP 220v?) That saw had the holes in the exact same location as my Unisaw so I see no reason the new Biesmeyer wouldn't bolt right up and even if it didn't you could easily drill new holes to mount it to just about any saw.


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## Old Skhool (Oct 31, 2009)

Sounds like some nice improvements. It would be really nice if the were to incorporate a twist lock magnet at the rear of the fence that was incorporated with the front locking handle. (A mechanism similar to what the used on the jetlock to latch on to the rear rail, except they would lock and unlock the magnet) This would eliminate deflection and keep the rear of the fence from lifting/moving with the use of board buddies, grip-tites, hold down rollers/feather boads.... I want the fence to have no deflection, and adding previously mentioned supports only add to the movement/flex, especially working with narrow stock, or jigs that ride on the fence.

Please don't take this wrong, as the Bies. is a really nice fence, possibly the best, I just want a little more and feel there should be no deflection further eliminating kickback and increasing accuracy. I'd gladly pay another $50 or more to lock it up solid. JMO

Enjoy your new fence, in reality it is quite stable, and pretty much the standard of the industry, so much so there are many imitators.

Cheers!


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

Old Skhool said:


> Sounds like some nice improvements. It would be really nice if the were to incorporate a twist lock magnet at the rear of the fence that was incorporated with the front locking handle. (A mechanism similar to what the used on the jetlock to latch on to the rear rail, except they would lock and unlock the magnet) This would eliminate deflection and keep the rear of the fence from lifting/moving with the use of board buddies, grip-tites, hold down rollers/feather boads.... I want the fence to have no deflection, and adding previously mentioned supports only add to the movement/flex, especially working with narrow stock, or jigs that ride on the fence.
> 
> Please don't take this wrong, as the Bies. is a really nice fence, possibly the best, I just want a little more and feel there should be no deflection further eliminating kickback and increasing accuracy. I'd gladly pay another $50 or more to lock it up solid. JMO
> 
> ...


I agree it would have been nice if the improvements included some type of mechanism for locking the far end of the fence and t-slots would have been nice as well.


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