You can now find heavy duty fences from Biesemeyer (now owned by Delta), Shop Fox Classic, Jet Xacta II, Powermatic Accufence, HTC, General T-fence, Steel City, Saw Stop, and more. Vega also makes an excellent fence with some similarities but a different approach. There are also some lighter duty versions of steel t-fences: Delta T2, Jet Proshop, GI, Grizzly, Steel City, Saw Stop, and others. There are some key differences in steel thickness and construction, so make a point of examining a heavy duty t-fence before settling on a lighter duty version. Either may be suitable for your needs, but it’s worth investigating in advance if possible. It’s more common to find the lighter duty versions on contractor saws and hybrids, but all can be adapted to nearly any style of full size stationary saw, and many are available as aftermarket accessories. The Incra ultra-precision fence is arguably among the precise and repeatable aftermarket fences available, though it’s worth noting that it takes up some extra space on the right side of the saw.
You’ll also discover that some saws have table mounted trunnions, while virtually all modern industrial cabinet saws and some contractor/hybrid saws have cabinet mounted trunnions. Cabinet mounted trunnions are generally easier to reach and easier to align. Table mounted trunnions can be more tedious, but it’s usually a one time deal and is manageable.
The Great Debate – Right Tilt or Left Tilt?
Virtually all modern table saws have the ability to tilt the blade for bevel cuts. Some tilt towards the right, some tilt towards the left. There are pros and cons to both which many feel are minor concerns, and it really boils down to a matter of preference. Right tilt bevels toward the fence on a standard bevel cut, which is considered less safe than if it beveled away from the fence. You can move the fence to the left of the blade for safer bevel cuts, but that makes it a non-standard operation, which is still not quite as safe as a bevel cut on a left tilt saw. On Left tilt saws the blade bevels away
from the fence with the fence on the right of the blade (standard location), which is considered safer.
The downside of a left tilt saw is that any changes in blade thickness will skew the zero reference on the tape measure because the left side of the blade registers on the right side of the flange (the same direction as the tape measure reads). This can be adjusted by recalibrating the cursor and always using blades of the same thickness, using shims as spacers, or just measuring by hand. Blade thickness changes make no difference with a right tilt saw because the right side of the blade registers against the left side of the flange, so changes in blade thickness don’t impact the tape measure.
Here’s another difference that will also be a matter of preference. The arbor nut on a right tilt saw gets applied from the left side of the blade and uses a reverse thread orientation, which is typically done with your left hand. The arbor nut on a left tilt saw goes on from the right side (easy for right handers) and uses a normal thread orientation.
What to Buy?
Which saw to get is a personal decision that we all face. Each of us has different criteria for a saw, so make your decision based on your situation. Price is often a big consideration, as is size. The old adage, “buy the best saw you can afford” rings true. If space and price allows, a bigger saw would be my recommendation: more power, more capacity, better reliability, and more stability is seldom a bad thing. The performance advantages of the larger full size saws are hard to argue, but many of the better portable jobsite saws and some of the compact saws are capable of producing accurate cuts. If a smaller saw is all there’s room for, or if you need to move the saw from location to location, a larger saw may not be an option.