Sawdust on the Floor

There are some questions a guy learns not to ask, like which is better; Ford or Chevy, Republicans or Democrats, Packers or Patriots. There are no correct answers, just a lot of opinions. The same thing could be said if I were to ask who makes the best band saw on the market. Either thru extreme product loyalties, or because we all like to think what every particular product we own is the best, we would without hesitation announce to anyone within hearing, that our Delta, Jet, Powermatic, Steel City……, is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And there is nothing wrong with that, and I am not here to debate the merits of a particular brand. There are pros and cons of each and every band saw made.

It doesn’t matter if you have a 14” or 18” band saw; there are certain things that separate the okay  from really great band saws. Among those would be a smooth running saw, which means good bearings in the wheels, good blade guides as well as a table top that is flat and can be easily adjusted for angle cuts. One of the other options that can make or break a saw is a good fence.

I happen to own a Jet 14″ Band Saw and when I got it, it was an okay band saw. I have since upgraded the blade guide blocks, built a sturdy stand for it and connected it to my dust collection system. I also added a magnetic lamp, for those fine cuts. But I found that I still didn’t use it as much as I had hoped to. Straight cuts were difficult at best. I have attempted to use a straight edge held on with clamps but this proved to be a hit and miss proposition.

Last year, I purchased a KREG Band Saw Fence and I love it. The Fence took about an hour to attach to my band saw. I had to drill and tap an additional hole in the face for mounting, but other then that, it was a easy install. The instructions indicated that I might have to do the drilling, so this was no surprise.

This simple add on made it a much more useful tool, and moved it into the really great band saw category. Now straight cuts are easy, and more importantly, safe. The fence is easily removed when not needed. Using the printed scale along the front rail, repetitive cuts are easy to set up. KREG offers a Micro adjust option for the fence. Personally I think it’s an overkill . Band saw cuts are a lot rougher then that of a table saw, so I think the run out of the cut, over weighs the Micro adjust, but that’s just my opinion.

So, would I change anything? Yes, I wished I had gotten the 18” band Saw!. I love my 14”, but it limits the height of wood that I can re saw. And I haven’t seen any band saws with the KREG Fence installed, so I am not sure I want to start all over again.

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