# Bandsaw Fence - Suggestions?



## TLA (Jan 10, 2011)

I have a 14" Jet bandsaw and am looking to get a fence for resawing. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either the Jet OEM fence or the Kreg after-market fence?

I'll also be installing the Jet riser block. My awesome wife got me a 8/4 piece of walnut that is 9" wide and I need to hotrod the 'ol saw a bit top handle it!


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## mking1 (Jan 11, 2011)

I also have the Jet 14" band saw, riser block and a Kreg fence. Both are very good products except the Kreg fence is not tall enough for serious re-sawing work. I've replaced it with a Carter fence that is taller by a bunch and is held in place with magnets. I also suggest purchasing the Carter products DVD "How to Make Your Band Saw Work - with Alex Snodgrass". This DVD will show you how to setup your band saw for the best re-sawing results and is very different than any method I've seen before.


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## tommyt654 (Dec 16, 2008)

http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaw-driftmaster, The best fence available for the money IMO and light years above anything available on the market today, but its not cheap or cheaply made either like the Kreg's or most other fences on the market. If it was me and I was planning on doing a lot of resawing now or in the future this would be the way to go and I believe its still on sale for $325. If your interested call Laguna and ask for Tim Lory, he'll get you the best deal possible on this, otherwise just get another fence and make your own tall resaw fence and hope it works out. But I 'd hate to see you ruin a nice piece of lumber cause you had a poor fence, http://sandal-woodsblog.com/2011/02/14/first-look-at-a-new-tall-resaw-fence-for-the-band-saw/


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## TLA (Jan 10, 2011)

@mking1: I didn't know Carter made an after market fence, looks pretty decent for the money. Thanks for the tip on the DVD - good idea and I could use the tips.

@tommyt654: that tall fence looks awesome. I'm not sure I can swing the $$, but definitely worth looking into further. I'm a resawing rookie, but I'd like to become comfortable and proficient at it. The right tools will help.


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## GregD (Oct 24, 2009)

I put the Kreg Precision fence on my Rikon 14 deluxe BS several months ago because I was getting frustrated setting the drift angle for resawing. I then built a resaw fence for it.

However, I attended Alex Snodrass's talk at the Houston Woodworking Show last Friday, and since then watched his video. He doesn't bother with drift angle (I asked him). In his view it isn't important and that is reflected in the design of the Carter fence. With that fence you just eyeball the alignment between the fence and the blade. The other key learning for me was to run the blade so that the bottom of the gullets were centered on the top wheel. The rest of what he demonstrated was stuff I had heard/read before, other than he likes to remove the table when setting up the saw (easy on some saws, but a PITA on mine).

So using Alex's methods the critical things for resawing is a good blade and the setup instructions in his video. Anything tall, flat and sturdy should work for the fence. And "sturdy" is for me a function of the length of the work. I find that when I'm resawing longer pieces - 40" now and 80" soon - I push a lot harder up against the fence. This will probably go away as I get more experience, but I'm not there yet.


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## TLA (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for the post Greg D. I really like your resaw fence. Since you have the Kreg and have seen the Carter fence in action, what are your opinions? Do you still like the Kreg?


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## Pop (Aug 6, 2007)

The Carter fence is really not a fence as we are use to. It's a magnetic guide that sets anywhere on the bandsaw table you wish. I use the factory made fence on my Delta 14 in. Works fine. I use a Shopsmith fence on my 10 inch SS bandsaw. Very good fence. If I had to buy a fence, it would be the Kreg. It's the best after market fence I've seen. The Laguna fence is a fantastic piece of equipment, but it's very very expensive and I'm not sure (I review my video of it) that it will fit on a saw other than a Laguna.

Pop


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I have the Jet OEM fence on my Jet 14" BS … it is OK, but it has the same shortcoming the Kreg does in that it is not tall enough for serious re-saw work.

I get by with it, but my saw is a bit unusual in that it cuts straight as a string … zero drift. All I do is position the fence to the left of the blade, with a Rockler double feather-board on the right.

-Gerry


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## TLA (Jan 10, 2011)

Good suggestions. I'll get the riser block for sure and see what happens.

I have yet to try resawing anything yet since I don't have any fence at all and no resaw blade.

Question - even if the saw is setup whereas drift is not really a concern, don't you still need a fence for resawing, or will any type of guide work?


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I don't even currently own a bandsaw, so I'm probably not allowed in this thread. BUT when I have run capable ones, the Laguna drifter was on them. It sounded counter-intuitive at first but is really easy to control. Once I get a big bandsaw capable of some big time resaw, I'll fork over the dough for the carter stab's and laguna drift.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Tyler-You can make shop-built re-saw guides pretty easy. I made one for my old Craftsman that was basically just a piece of stock with a rounded end that was clamped to the table even with the teeth on the blade.

-Gerry


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## bubinga (Feb 5, 2011)

Grizzly has cast iron fences with aluminum re saw attachment complete 
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2011/Main/106


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## tommyt654 (Dec 16, 2008)

Hey Tyler, I'll agree the Driftmaster is expensive, but well worth it. Check Al's website often as he does a great deal of resawing on bandsaw's and has a ton of experience,Heres a blog about cutting some veneer size pieces off a chunk, http://sandal-woodsblog.com/2011/03/07/resawing-a-huge-block-on-the-band-saw/ , or just his regular woodblog full of information, http://sandal-woodsblog.com/


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