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If you are interested in upgrading your table saw you have probably spent some time on the woodworking forums and blogs for ideas and guidance.  Many users like you are surprised to read advice from woodworking experts that suggests you might be able to get the ripping performance you need simply by upgrading the quality of your table saw fence, not by starting over with a new table saw.

So why don’t manufacturers include high quality precision rip fences with all their table saw models?  Well with higher end contractor and cabinet saws most of them do, but with the mid and lower priced models they go for the “lowest common denominator” with the fence and put their design and construction dollars into the table saw itself.  Since these models are aimed at a broader market, the idea is that the majority of users don’t need high precision ripping capability and would be less likely to buy if the price of the saw went up considerably to accommodate the inclusion of a top quality table saw fence.   If you’re not in that category, what should you be looking for in a good table saw fence?

Rip Saw Performance

The key things to consider in a quality rip fence system are precision, consistency, and ease of adjustment.  If you want to rip framing lumber to a width of 1 3/8 inches your rip fence system should allow you to easily “set it and forget it.”  If at some point you need to change the width of the cut to 1 5/8 inches you should be able to do that quickly and easily.  A good fence has an easy to read gauge so you can set it to the desired width and when attached to the table or rails should come into alignment with the blade right away.  And once you start the job, the fence should stay in place without your having to recheck the alignment after every cut.  In short, if you are cutting ten pieces of lumber the tenth should be exactly the same width as the first, and you shouldn’t have had to adjust the fence at all along the way.

Many novice users forget that sometimes problems with fence alignment are due to problems with blade alignment.  So the first thing you should do when evaluating the performance of your rip fence is make sure the blade is properly aligned.

Blade Alignment

To do this you need a fixed position against which to test the blade’s alignment.  The miter slot on the surface of the table saw provides this position.  Since manufacturers use a variety of blade mounting systems, the alignment procedure varies from table saw to table saw.  Your owner’s manual will outline the procedure and don’t worry if you’ve lost it.  Get the model number and serial number of the saw from the face plate and head for the internet.  You can easily find owner’s manuals for almost all saws online.  In almost all cases the procedure involves measuring the distance from the miter slot to the blade at both ends and loosening a few bolts to tap the blade into the correct position if does not line up properly.

After Market Rip Fences

There are a wide variety of aftermarket rip fences available.  Amazon.com is a great place to look as their listings include customer reviews.  Which system is best is a matter of debate and you would be well advised to spend some time on the woodworking forums to get an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the most highly rated systems from manufacturers like Biesemeyer, Vega, Inca, and Accusquare.  If the thought of shelling out between $300 and $400 is more than you can bear, Delta has a highly rated system, the T2, for less than $200.  It comes with rails which are a huge advantage when it comes to positioning your fence easily.  Amazon also offers the Shop Fox W2005 for a little over $200.