Kreg Bandsaw fence

[Rick R]

I just purchased the Kreg bandsaw fence for my Porter Cable 14" bandsaw. I set it up yesterday and am impressed with it. It was easy to go together and feels very solid. I originally thought that I would have to drill a hole on the support but it bolted right up to the saw table. I have to do a couple minor adjustments as the fence does not sit flush on the table. Overall I like it!

[David Dean]

well let me now how good it does on dreft. my crafmen does it bad.

[Rick R]

I don't have a lot of experience with cutting on the bandsaw. I have used them many times but never understood all the nuances of blade drift, resawing, tpi etc. I did some research on youtube and watched some videos that bring me to the conclusion that drift can be from too many teeth for the cut i.e. resawing requires fewer teeth due to large evacuation of sawdust from the cut, blade flex and to high/low speed for the type of cut. The one consistent solution to drift is a sharp blade. I will let you know how things go as I have the factory provided blade on it now. I don't/haven't done any resawing yet and probably won't until I get a better blade for that.

[Claude Bradford]

My experience was that blades that came with my new band saw machine was no good.  What I did was order  better blades from www.sawblade.com.  Excellent results.

[Jaime Castells]

I purchased a Porter-Cable 14" bandsaw a month ago.  [So far, very happy with it, BTW.  Seems like a great value at only $400.]  This past week I purchased the Kreg Fence.  I'm having problems mounting it to the saw.  The bolts to hold the track onto the table won't seat.  They go in most of the way, but stop solidly with about 1/4" to go.  Same behavior for all four holes.  Went to Lowes, where I bought the saw.  A knowledgable woman listened to my description, found some #6 metric machine bolts and had the same problem.  She suggested that this was by desgin on the part of Porter-Cable.

I'd really appreciate any and all feedback.

[Rick R]

My thought would be to cut the 1/4" off the bolts. I had no issues with the bolts that came with the fence though.

[Jaime Castells]

Thanks Rick!  I was hoping you would reply and confirm that you had no such issue.

 

I'm thinking of buying shorter bolts.  They are #6 metric threading, BTW.  Don't want to contemplate damage to the table's threading...  Its a trivial expense and Lowe's is exactly 1 mile away.

 

I've posted the question to P-C service.  One of the questions I asked them is, "If the threading is not all the way through, how deep is it?"  That way I'll know exactly what I'm shooting at.

 

I'll post my results, including info gathered from P-C, just so the next guy down the trail knows what to expect.
 
Rick R said:

My thought would be to cut the 1/4" off the bolts. I had no issues with the bolts that came with the fence though.

[Ken Darga]

Jaime,

Measure the depth of the threaded hole.

The screw may be too long for the hole depth.

If it is, it's a simple fix.

Remove the bolt(s) from the device---

apply a nut to the threads of the bolt---

place the bolt with nut in a vise---

cut-off the excess length of the threads, using a hacksaw, or the like---

remove the bolt from the vise, and remove the nut.

The nut will ''chase'' the threads, and make the leading edge suitable for installation.

A machinist file can be used to smooth the leading edge of the first thread.  

NOTE:  Cut to a finished length, so when the bolt is engaged, there are 2-3 turns of the screw, from the bottom of the threaded hole.

(You don't want the screw to bottom-out in the hole.  There is generally, 2-3 imperfect threads at the bottom of the threaded hole.   This is part of the machining process---''bottoming taps'' are used in the manufacturing process.  Sales people, as well as most others, don't know this and they are quick to find fault).

Jaime Castells said:

I purchased a Porter-Cable 14" bandsaw a month ago.  [So far, very happy with it, BTW.  Seems like a great value at only $400.]  This past week I purchased the Kreg Fence.  I'm having problems mounting it to the saw.  The bolts to hold the track onto the table won't seat.  They go in most of the way, but stop solidly with about 1/4" to go.  Same behavior for all four holes.  Went to Lowes, where I bought the saw.  A knowledgable woman listened to my description, found some #6 metric machine bolts and had the same problem.  She suggested that this was by desgin on the part of Porter-Cable.

I'd really appreciate any and all feedback.

[Ken Darga]

Jaime,

I wouldn't expect for the OEM rep to know the thread depth.

They don't have the manufacturing drawing/machining specifications.

Trust me, I've been that route ''many'' times with OEM's.

Jaime Castells said:

Thanks Rick!  I was hoping you would reply and confirm that you had no such issue.

 

I'm thinking of buying shorter bolts.  They are #6 metric threading, BTW.  Don't want to contemplate damage to the table's threading...  Its a trivial expense and Lowe's is exactly 1 mile away.

 

I've posted the question to P-C service.  One of the questions I asked them is, "If the threading is not all the way through, how deep is it?"  That way I'll know exactly what I'm shooting at.

 

I'll post my results, including info gathered from P-C, just so the next guy down the trail knows what to expect.
 
Rick R said:

My thought would be to cut the 1/4" off the bolts. I had no issues with the bolts that came with the fence though.

[William Brady]

I might have to try this band saw fence. The manual is online.