# Aftermarket fence for rigid r4512 table saw



## trevarthan

I bought an r4512 yesterday. I want a Grizzly g0623x sliding table saw, but I don't have the cash for it at the moment and I have a lot of projects to complete, so I figured the r4512 would be a good compromise until I can justify a better saw. The r4512 gets good reviews and seems to be light years from my current table saw (crappy harbor freight bench top saw I bought before I knew what I was doing). No saw stop tech or slider, so I'll just have to be careful. DC and built-in locking casters are really nice on a $500 saw though.

Anyway, I hear the fence isn't too great. I plan to do some production work, so I'll want reproducibility and accuracy. I'll use the stock fence until I start really hitting it's limitations (no clue if that will be an hour or a year at this point - still assembling the saw), but I'm thinking about my upgrade path.

I see a lot of recommendations for Delta T2 fences with this saw, so I know that works. I see them for sale for between $180 and $250, depending on vendor/features.

I also see Biesemeyer fences for sale, and I know they're good, at least the commercial models. Amazon has one for $469 at the moment. Honestly, that's almost exactly what I paid for my saw. I'm reluctant to spend that kind of money unless I need to. It might be a good choice if I need pro cabinet saw precision, however.

Really, I've always been interested in the Unifence. I see it on a lot of sliders and I like the features. For example, you can slide the fence out to the middle of the blade and use it for repeatable cross cuts. Again, I'm going to be doing some production work, so this appeals to me. However, I can't find a unifence for sale as an aftermarket fence system. Does anyone know where I can get one?

I'm all ears for any recommendations. Thanks.


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## ryan50hrl

Woodworkers depot in Green Bay Wisconsin had a new unifence on their shelf last week....

You likely aren't finding one as they're not made anymore if I recall. 

T2 fences are a great upgrade to your current fence....I agree I wouldn't put the money into a bisermeyer on a 500 dollar saw, unless you intend to keep it when you upgrade your saw some day.


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## retfr8flyr

trevarthan said:


> I bought an r4512 yesterday. I want a Grizzly g0623x sliding table saw, but I don't have the cash for it at the moment and I have a lot of projects to complete, so I figured the r4512 would be a good compromise until I can justify a better saw. The r4512 gets good reviews and seems to be light years from my current table saw (crappy harbor freight bench top saw I bought before I knew what I was doing). No saw stop tech or slider, so I'll just have to be careful. DC and built-in locking casters are really nice on a $500 saw though.
> 
> Anyway, I hear the fence isn't too great. I plan to do some production work, so *I'll want reproducibility and accuracy.* I'll use the stock fence until I start really hitting it's limitations (no clue if that will be an hour or a year at this point - still assembling the saw), but I'm thinking about my upgrade path.
> 
> I see a lot of recommendations for Delta T2 fences with this saw, so I know that works. I see them for sale for between $180 and $250, depending on vendor/features.
> 
> I also see Biesemeyer fences for sale, and I know they're good, at least the commercial models. Amazon has one for $469 at the moment. Honestly, that's almost exactly what I paid for my saw. I'm reluctant to spend that kind of money unless I need to. It might be a good choice if I need pro cabinet saw precision, however.
> 
> Really, I've always been interested in the Unifence. I see it on a lot of sliders and I like the features. For example, you can slide the fence out to the middle of the blade and use it for repeatable cross cuts. Again, I'm going to be doing some production work, so this appeals to me. However, I can't find a unifence for sale as an aftermarket fence system. Does anyone know where I can get one?
> 
> I'm all ears for any recommendations. Thanks.


If you want repeatability and accuracy then get the Incra TS-LS. You can't get more accurate then this fence. http://www.incra.com/product_tsf_lsts.htm


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## trevarthan

retfr8flyr said:


> If you want repeatability and accuracy then get the Incra TS-LS. You can't get more accurate then this fence. http://www.incra.com/product_tsf_lsts.htm


How does the ts-ls compare to the Biesemeyer? They're in the same price range.


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## rbk123

1. The stock fence is actually very good. Big key is to push forward on it before locking it; that performs the t-style centering.

2. http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/vega-pro-40-4512-a-58204/


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## knotscott

Here's my 2 cents - IMHO, the Delta T2 is one of the best bangs for the buck going when it's under $200. The Vega is a step up, costs more, but also tends to be a good value....watch for sales. The Biese is a great fence, but is pretty expensive and seems a little extreme price-wise vs what the saw costs. The Shop Fox Classic is a similar design that's a better value....fit and finish is not quite as nice, but it's functionally comparable. You might find a deal on an HTC, Jet Xacta II, PM Accufence, Steel City or Saw Stop equivalents. The Incra has better precision than the Biese overall, but it takes up more room, isn't as convenient to use, isn't as rugged, and is also very pricey for a $500 saw. Keep your eyes peeled for a good used fence too. You should be able to sell the stock fence for $50-$75 to offset costs. It could be worth adding an Incra, but it really depends on what you'll be doing, and just how much precision you'll really need. Just because the Incra offers better precision, doesn't necessarily mean that the others aren't precise enough.


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## Paarker

I'm not one to brag but I got a T2 on my ridgid 4512 that I picked up at lowes when they where closing them out at a price of &99.99.


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## trevarthan

Ugh. Stamped steel wings are such a pain to level.


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## Manco247

Thw problem with 4512 fence is that it can lock in at a slight angle therfore causing your cuts to be off, and or burn. Or it may deflect while pushing stock through as well. Rbk123 gave good advice on this. One thing also that ii did on mine was to attach a piece of rubber to the rear lock just where it grabs the rail. It seems to keep it more stable


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## ryan50hrl

trevarthan said:


> How does the ts-ls compare to the Biesemeyer? They're in the same price range.




The problem with the TS-LS is it ruins the use of your table saw side table......it might be ok if you have a huge shop with lots of benches to work on....but any of us with small shops likely use the side table of our table saws as work surfaces.


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## Brentley

ryan50hrl said:


> The problem with the TS-LS is it ruins the use of your table saw side table......it might be ok if you have a huge shop with lots of benches to work on....but any of us with small shops likely use the side table of our table saws as work surfaces.


I have a 4512 and I use the side tables all of the time. I have a router table and I built an extension for the left hand side.


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## ryan50hrl

Brentley said:


> I have a 4512 and I use the side tables all of the time. I have a router table and I built an extension for the left hand side.


Do you have the incra fence?


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## rbk123

trevarthan said:


> Ugh. Stamped steel wings are such a pain to level.


I think the wings on the 4512 are the real weak link (I think the fence is actually underrated); very low quality on the stamped steel. The wings that come with the Craftsman version are much nicer. I would build your own (or find some CI wings) - like the cool job Troy did here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/r4512-fence-wing-upgrades-28490/


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## trevarthan

Smells like opportunity. Someone needs to make some bolt on cast iron wings for this thing. Simple part to cast. Would take a while to mill down though.


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## ryan50hrl

There have been a few people that have used the saw stop cast wings. Just a few holes to drill and they fit.


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## trevarthan

Looks like these would do nicely for $189 and labor drilling holes for the saw and fence.

http://www.rockler.com/sawstop-cast-iron-wing-assembly-pair-for-cns-table-saws

You'd buy yourself an extra 2" on each side of table surface too. The stock wings are 10" and these are 12"


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## rbk123

I have them on my 4512:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/r4512-saw-stop-cast-iron-wings-upgrade-50664/


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## trevarthan

rbk123: how do you like that Vega fence? Would you recommend it instead of a T2 or a Biesemeyer? Why?


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## MT Stringer

By the time you finish upgrading your saw, you could have bought the Grizzly 1023. :yes:

Here are some pics of my old saw - 1977 Craftsman w/Vega Pro 40 fence. The fence worked great.

Last year, I bought a new Grizzly 1023RLW (router wing). I couldn't be happier. I followed Knotscotts directions to reposition my fence rails 10 inches to the right and filled in the open area with a plywood spacer. I now have 37 inch rip capacity which is perfect for the kitchen cabinets I am fixing to build. New cabinets for Stringerville coming this Spring!


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## rbk123

trevarthan said:


> rbk123: how do you like that Vega fence? Would you recommend it instead of a T2 or a Biesemeyer? Why?


The T2 is a step above the stock fence, and the Vega is another step above the T2. The T2 can be had for $170'ish and the Vega 40 can be had for $270'ish. If I cut a board with each one, could you tell which is which? No.

The Vega is much heavier duty than the T2 and has the micro-adjust feature. Vega also sells a "finger-saver" attachment that works only with their fence which is a pretty cool safety device. Are all of these worth an extra $100 to you? Only you can say; you already know my answer. If I were to ever upgrade to a cabinet saw, I'd put the Vega on it; doubtful that would be the case for the T2 since most cabinet saws have nicer fences than the T2.

If you Google the Vega you will find a lot of people asking for recommendations between it and the Bies. Numerous responses from people who have had both and they almost all say it's a toss-up. Some say the Vega is better, others say the Bies is better. The Bies is much more expensive though, and seems to be having a fair bit of quality control issues these days: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/biesemeyer-fence-reface-little-rant-58587/

I was going to sell the stock fence to supplement the cost of the Vega but I plan on using the Vega with any future saw so I will put the old fence back on the 4512 if I ever sell it. Same with the CI wings. I can take both the wings and the Vega with me to my next saw, which would be used, so that gives me extra purchasing flexibility.

Oh and would I rather have the Grizzly 1023? You bet, but I'd replace the stock fence with the Vega. However I don't have anywhere close to $1500 into my 4512, even with the CI wings and Vega.


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## Brentley

ryan50hrl said:


> Do you have the incra fence?


yes
I have a Incra fence, as well as their router table on the right hand side. it is simple to move the fence all the way out of the way to use the router table.

I also built a left hand side extension out of 3/4 plywood and use that a lot. the Incra fence is really high quality.


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## trevarthan

Sounds like cast iron saw stop wings and a vega fence are logical upgrades, unless I decide I really need a slider first.

Thanks for all the input. I really appreciate it.


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## jokker78

I put a saw stop fence on my craftsmen saw . The one similar to yours.
I love it.


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