CARTER MAGFENCE II Universal Magnetic Fence

This was purchased directly from Carter's along with their F.A.S.T. (Fence alignment bars). Initial impression is positive - it's solid, well made and once the magnets are turned "on", it sits perfectly square to my bandsaw (Jet 16") table as verified with woodpeckers measuring instruments. Squaring it to the blade was extremely easy with the FAST bars. My first (and only use so far) was creating 16 tennon and open mortise joints (as seen in the pics). Setting the fence to the blade for these cuts along with a T-track flip stop, I used the 1/8" FAST bar to set up the saw to cut the "arms" and then the 3/16th fast bar to cut the tennons. The set up test cuts had the tennons a few thousands too thick so I put a little lateral tension on the blade while setting the fence and that made up the difference of the blade kerf and the 3/16" to 1/8" gap. Overall it was pretty easy to do and I'm very pleased with the results. This fence has added a new dimension to my bandsaw.6 Month update: This thing is great. It takes about 30 seconds to set it up for resawing with the "F.A.S.T bars" and holds strong once set. My update can't add a star, and I doubt that I would, but I do very much think this is a great tool for use with your bandsaw.

I bought a used 80’s era Craftsman 12” bandsaw and restored it using Alex Snodgrass’ method. He’s a Carter spokesman, so I wasn’t sure if this would work better than the more invasive Kreg bandsaw retrofit fence.I am so glad I bought this. It is well made. I made a slight adjustment to square the fence to my bandsaw table. The locking mechanism is easy to engage and disengage, and the magnets are powerful. I was able to cut through 2x4 into flat, square pieces as well as make precise thin cuts with smaller pieces of wood (see pic). I plan to resaw maybe short pieces (<3 ft long, <6” height, and <3 1/2” thick), and I think the fence will hold. Will post an update if the fence ends up not capable of this resaw.

In the photos you can see my old school home made “rip fence” for my 35 year old 14” Jet bandsaw. It’s a piece of rock maple with some home made “J” bolts to hold the fence to the bandsaw table. It worked but it was annoying to set up, moved at the wrong time.The Carter Magfence 2 is a massive improvement over my home made attempt. The Carter fence is simple to use, locks down solid and is easy to square up with a simple measurement off the miter slot.The one small item missing is a holder for the Allen/hex key on the fence. But once you get it set up and locked down for your saw, you shouldn’t need the hex wrench too much. I’ll add a holder of my own design.I read a few complaints about the Carter fence being out of square, bent, unable to hold tightly on a saw table etc.I suppose that’s possible but when I checked the 90 degree angle of the Carter with both a laser and an Insize 90 degree square, the Carter was dead accurate. It may be your table - check that as well.Overall, this Carter Fence is a HUGE improvement over my old set up, is reasonably priced, allows for the use of a sacrificial fence and locks down tight. All good here - hope that helps !

I bought this to use on my Shopsmith Mark V 500 bandsaw with cast iron table. No this is not the newest Shopsmith or bandsaw, the newer tables are extruded aluminium, but the original older version with cast iron are perfect for using the Magfence II. The Magfence II is a bit longer than the table but the the magnets fit just fine. My first use of the Magfence II was to re-saw some short pine pieces. I set the Magfence II on the table, and spaced it the width I needed from the blade. I locked the rear switchable magnet and then squared up the fence to my blade and table and fine tuned the width then switched the 2nd magnet on. It held great and provided a nice fence to resaw some wood. No movement, and easy adjustment with the switchable magnets.I love the switchable magnets!!! I can think of so many uses for them if only the newer equipment I have didn't have aluminum tables and surfaces. The 2 magnets that come with the Magfence II are enough to hold 90 pounds, although I'm not sure why you would need to use more force on a bandsaw. There are 4 slots where the switchable magnets can be mounted. it comes with the magnets mounted in the outermost slots, but you can move them if your table is too small. Carter recommends to use the widest slots possible for stability. If you need more holding force you can add up to 2 more switchable magnets. I don't think that would be necessary.My Kreg resaw guide fits perfectly on this fence. With the T-slots you can add stops, jigs and other accessories as you see fit. Carter makes a sacrificial plastic fence for when you cut very close to the fence. You could make one yourself if you like. You can also add a taller fence using the T-slots.the Magfence II is a much better upgrade to the original magfence where there were no switchable magnets. The older version was very hard to maneuver and required some potential safety hazards when moving the fence.Pros: Easy to switch on magnets no fighting always on magnets, just turn a switch. Switchable magents are the way to go. Easy to line up by switching one magnet on lining up the fence and switching the second magnet on. Steady. Looks nice in Blue.Cons: Price, I think it could be sold for 1/3 less. Only 2 magnets, would be nice to get 4 magnets for the price. Have to use with cast iron so newer aluminum tables can not use this, but that is not the fault of the product. I do wish there was a way to use magnetic fences on aluminum tables.Although the cost is up there for this attachment, I absolutely would recommend this fence if you have a cast iron table. The ability to adjust quickly with the switchable magnets is just awesome. Shopsmith folks with the old tables on the bandsaws, think again before upgrading to the newer aluminum table. I think Carter has a winner with this product.

Ok, so it was not 90 degrees (fence square to the table locked down), it was 90.3 as you see from the first photo - you can see daylight between the fence and the machinist square, photo 2 shows 90.3 degrees on the electronic square with the fence locked down to the table. The good new is they provide adjustment screws so you can square the fence to your bandsaw table. Photo 3 shows the fence adjusted to square - no light showing between the fence and the machinist square. Price is high, but I like that I didn’t have to bolt a frame to my bandsaw table to get a fence. I’m a knife maker and this works great for cutting scales. Amazon price with shipping was much better than the Carter website.