A band saw fence is set up by aligning it parallel to the miter slot, checking that clearance above the table is even front to rear, then locking it down and tapping it true with the cap screws.
For the full breakdown, see our best Band Saw Fence guide.
A fence square to the blade but skewed against the miter slot will cut a taper on every board. Grizzly’s support documentation and Purdue’s vertical band saw guide point to the same reference edge: the miter slot, not the blade.
What Has to Be True Before You Touch the Fence
The fence can only be as accurate as the table underneath it, so table and blade alignment comes first. Grizzly says to confirm the miter slot runs parallel to the blade before mounting anything.
- Disconnect the saw from power.
- Verify the table is aligned to the blade.
- Mount the fence on the right side of the blade.
- Position the fence against the miter slot.
- Lock it down only after the face is parallel.
Delta’s 28-365 manual adds a scale step: mount the guide rails, slide the fence on, move it next to the miter gage groove, clamp the front end, lock the rear clamp, and with the fence just touching the blade, set the scale pointer to zero. The zero mark means nothing until the fence has been squared to the slot first.
Aligning the Fence Face and Setting Even Clearance
The fence face should be parallel to the miter slot along its full length, and the gap between fence and table should measure the same front and rear. Purdue’s guide says to lock the fence, then check the gap at both ends of the table.
When the fence is not parallel, loosen the top cap screws, nudge or tap the fence into alignment against the slot, then retighten. Tightening before coarse alignment is correct is a common cause of a skewed fence, because the clamps lock in whatever angle the fence was sitting at.
For uneven clearance, Purdue describes using the supplied hex wrench to loosen the locking nuts and rotate the two fence square adjustment screws equally to raise or lower the fence body, then re-tighten. Turn them equally or the fence tilts instead of lifting.
Some fences split the job into a coarse slide and a separate knurled fine-adjust knob. Coarse first, fine second, then lock. Resaw fences follow the same logic — loosen the knobs, slide the resaw fence onto the guide rail, tighten, and confirm it is parallel to the miter slot before the first cut.
| Symptom | What to Check | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Tapered cuts on every board | Fence face parallel to miter slot | Loosen cap screws, tap into alignment, retighten |
| Fence rocks or rubs the table | Front-to-rear clearance gap | Rotate both square adjustment screws equally |
| Fence moves after locking | Coarse alignment done before clamping | Unclamp, realign to slot, then lock |
| Scale reads wrong at zero | Pointer set before squaring fence | Square fence to slot, then reset pointer to zero |
| Cut wanders on resaw | Blade lead angle | Test with a straight board, then recheck fence |
| Fence binds on the rail | Wrong rail/clamp hardware for the model | Follow that machine’s manual, not a generic method |
Blade Lead, Model Differences, and Costly Mistakes
Even a perfectly squared fence can cut crooked if the blade leads, so run a straight board through by hand and note the angle before trusting the fence as a reference. Some fences are aligned to the cut line rather than the slot depending on the machine.
Hardware varies: fences ride a guide rail on some saws, front and rear rails on others, and a straight-edge clamp on others, and the adjustment method changes with the design. The machine’s own manual governs which screws you touch. If you are replacing a fence or upgrading to one with a fine-adjust knob, a tested comparison of options makes the choice easier — see this roundup of band saw fences before you commit.
Never force the fence into the blade during setup or test-fitting. Forcing it can bend the blade, ruining the alignment work, and signals the fence is hitting something the clearance check would have caught.
FAQs
Should the fence be parallel to the blade or to the miter slot?
On most machines, the miter slot is the reference, so the fence face should run parallel to the slot along its full length. Grizzly’s setup article uses the slot as the alignment target. Some designs instead align the fence to the cut line, so check your manual.
Why does my fence cut a taper even after I locked it down?
A taper almost always means the fence was clamped while still skewed, or the cap screws were tightened before coarse alignment was correct. Loosen them, tap the fence parallel to the miter slot, confirm front-to-rear clearance is even, and lock it again. A leading blade can also cause this.
How do I fix a fence that rubs the table at one end?
That is a clearance problem, not a parallelism problem. Purdue’s guide describes loosening the locking nuts with the supplied hex wrench and rotating the two fence square adjustment screws equally to raise or lower the fence body, then re-tightening. Turning them unequally tilts the fence instead of lifting it evenly.
References & Sources
- Grizzly Industrial. “How to align the fence on a bandsaw” Covers miter slot reference, right-side mounting, and tapping the fence true via cap screws.
- Purdue University BIDC. “Vertical Bandsaw” Documents front-to-rear clearance checks and equal rotation of the square adjustment screws.
- Delta. “Delta 28-365 Band Saw Manual” Details guide rail mounting, front and rear clamping order, and setting the scale pointer to zero.
