An after-market fence is a fantastic way to ratchet up the performance of a basic table saw, turning it into a precision tool. And this big-capacity Vega system is easy to install and a pleasure to use, with a very agreeable price for passionate woodworkers and do-it-yourselfers. The quality and capabilities of this "utility" model match those of the professional version that Vega’s better known for, and though the company markets it for saws that don’t get "extremely heavy use," it’s absolutely rugged enough for the exacting home woodworker. Hands down, the best feature about this first-class fence is the micro adjustment. We’ve all done it: tap, tap, tap on the fence, hoping for just the breadth of a hair’s change in position. Enjoy that? We don’t either. But this Vega has a threaded rod and thumb nut that moves the fence thousandths of an inch in either direction. A full rotation of the nut carries the fence 1/16th of an inch, and the cam locks the position securely.
Another feature we love is the fence bar itself: It’s high, wide and has a channel along its length, perfect for substantial sliding jigs, like, say, a miter spline jig. And while the finish on some of the other parts isn’t as refined as it could be, the fence bar is sweet. It’s made of aircraft quality aluminum alloy extrusions, lightweight for easy handling, but extremely rigid, and we like the way the black anodized finish cuts down on friction. The fence rides beautifully on the rails, and we found lockdown to be rock-solid.
Installation wasn’t nearly as complicated as we had anticipated, and it probably won’t take you more than 30 minutes even if you happen to have one of the saws that requires drilling a couple of holes. But if you’ve got a Delta Unisaw or contractor model, a Powermatic 66 or a 10-inch Craftsman, for example, you’ll be ready to roll without the extra drilling.
This is the larger of the two models in this line, and you get an impressive 50-inch capacity to the right of the blade and 8 inches to the left. (The smaller version offers 26 inches to the right of the blade.) You could spend a whole lot more money than this on an after-market fence, but the results you’ll get from this Vega will rival any big-ticket fence’s performance, and you’ll depend on it for the ultimate accuracy and reliability.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste.../ Vega U50 Table Saw Fence System: 36-Inch Fence Bar, 50-Inch to Right / delta table saw fence
