Harvey Big Eye Fence Review

[@tshiunzawambuji]

Makes me miss my Unifence! Still the greatest fence ever!

[@JosephStymeist]

Regarding the fine adjustment wheel slipping: If you look in the installation manual for the Big Eye fence, you will find that there is an adjustment you can make to bring the wheel closer to the rail which will give it more traction, thus reducing or eliminating the slippage.

[@stlwoodworking]

Yeah but it does still slip. Not a deal breaker at all because I love the fence.

[@mindyhall4638]

Thanks for the tip about the JessEm stock guides; had that exact question as I’m considering this fence. One question, though, where did you get the rail that the guides are sitting in on your hardwood? Thanks!

[@stlwoodworking]

That rail comes with the guide kit from JessEm

[@steelhead1194]

My fine adjust was slipping as well, the problem was that the rail were installed to low, when I rasised them it fixed it and it works great now.

[@jstabiley]

Thanks for the honest review. I'm wondering if you have thoughts about attaching either a sacrificial fence or a vertical hold down to the fence? Does clamping to the fence with the knobs on the other side get in the way? Or do you remove the aluminum fence and add a separate auxiliary fence? Thanks for any information you can share.

[@stlwoodworking]

I do use a sacrificial fence at times and nothing gets in the way.

[@ShuhDonk]

I purchased the harvey 52" 4 hp saw about 4 months ago, wish they would have had the big eye fence system bundled with it at that time, it looks very nice but don't think I will be springing the 1100 for it anytime soon or ever.

[@RAcreativewoodworks]

I understand that Sr you really need to have a job or jobs to buy it but it would be nice to have it in the shop

[@stlwoodworking]

I can understand that. It really depends on each person and their needs. I am thinking the price will come down.

[@ShuhDonk]

@@stlwoodworkingI own the Harvey 4 hp table saw, Harvey alpha 15" band saw and their G700 dust processor, they make great stuff. The one thing I can't stand is how they drastically change the price of everything on their site almost daily. I waited a month or two before purchasing as I was waiting for the price to get to rock bottom. Sometimes the table saw would be 3700 dollars and when I bought it it was 2500, same with the band saw and the dust processor, huge price swings almost daily. I don't understand their pricing model and don't much care for it. :)

[@RossWilliamsDC]

Wondering if you are happy with the stock fence? I just ordered a Harvey table saw and they offered to sell me the Big Eye for an additional $845 minus the stock fence. I'm trying to decide if it's really worth the upgrade. Thanks.

[@ShuhDonk]

@@RossWilliamsDC I have not even opened up the crate yet. I just today finally opened up the dust processor and band saw. I purchased a new house with a pole barn and decided to remodel the pole barn before setting everything up as it was old and needed some work. I am just now starting to get equipment in place, will be unboxing the table saw soon. :)

[@dave_ecclectic]

Harvey has sales so keep your eye open for them. I suppose they have a yearly October sale and imagine they have other sales during the year at holidays?

[@stlwoodworking]

Yes they do and I can tell you to keep an eye out for black Friday.... hint hint

[@lewkohl]

doesn’t the rear rail make using an outfeed table a bit trickier?

[@stlwoodworking]

Not at all. I set my outfeed about 3/4 shorter than my saw so it works well

[@lewkohl]

@@stlwoodworking Might make a nice follow-up video. thanks

[@JayBergCustoms]

What about jigs that would typically ride on the fence, like a tenon jig or a spline jig (plywood DIY type). Would you be able to make something that would work with this fence?

[@stlwoodworking]

Yeah for sure. I think with that track that goes all the way down all you would have to do is make that the securing point like I did with the stock guides.

[@ArmyVet76]

I am currently saving up for this fence. Might take me at least a lifetime but worth it 😂

[@philfrank9483]

thank you! it's becoming increasingly rare to see honest reviews on you tube which are not sponsored by the company. Ive had my Harvey alpha with the stock "master rip" fence for about 3 years. my biggest problem with that fence was that the square tube wasn't flat or straight. i spent a lot of time sanding it down but still need to shim the high low fence to get it straight. do you see any issues like that with the big eye?

[@stlwoodworking]

I definitely always do honest reviews on anything even if I have a company sending me a tool it is very clear that I will be honest no matter what. No I have had absolutely no issues with the big eye. I am very happy with it everything I stated in the video still holds true.

[@charlieg424]

Very informative. Thanks for the review.

[@stlwoodworking]

Thanks for watching!

[@sabregunner1]

do you have plans / parts list for the fixture you used to use the JessEm stock guides?

[@stlwoodworking]

I do not. It's simply a piece of hardwood with slots for t bolt that slide into the track

[@sabregunner1]

@@stlwoodworking thanks. will be likely doing this upgrade after a while. i gotta get started working 1st. but want to get as much info as i can

[@stlwoodworking]

@@sabregunner1 I may put up some.plans at some point

[@scottbelt8642]

I have a couple questions and concerns. First it seems to me that the front guide rail design is going to be excellent at catching and collecting dust and debris that will find its way into the bearings. Second, the reason why beisemeyer and the old unifence were so popular were that they removed the rear guide rails from earlier designs that allowed cabinet makers to build tables tight to the saw table. This new design eliminates that advantage and creates a new space for dust and debris to collect. What has been your actual experience?

[@scottbelt8642]

One more question and concern. Have you had any issues with the adjustable tape getting bumped or moving?

[@stlwoodworking]

I do not do cabinets, so I am not sure what you mean on that part but as far as collecting dust and such, yes it does collect there. For me that is not an issue because I like to keep a clean shop, so I never have more than one day without a vacuum touching everything. As far as the tape, not at all. it is very secure and when you do move it to the low it has to be on purpose.

[@CampfireWoodworksRVA]

Always appreciate the sincerity of your content. Waiting to give a genuine review holds value for sure. On a positive note- you can always use a “3rd party rubber band” to replace your “fine adjust” knob when it wears out 🤦‍♂️

[@stlwoodworking]

You have a very good point 😂

[@joshweaver8806]

Just ordered mine yesterday. I’m coming from the incra system which I really liked but was limited by the 32” cut capacity. Do you find you have enough reach with your stock guides after getting past the high/low fence?

[@stlwoodworking]

Yes. If you will just use a Half inch max piece of hardwood like I did and use the bolts it works fine. I have cur as thin as 1/2 in and as thick as 2in so far with no issues.

[@MRrwmac]

You never mentioned (in this or the other video on this new fence) if Harvey got back to you about the instructions AND the missing nuts and washers?

[@stlwoodworking]

They did not nut I have heard from others the instructions have been fixed. I used some extras that I already had on the washers and nuts

[@kip9668]

My neighbor ordered one also , and said ,the .micro wheel on the promo website is the same rubber wheel, just a ribbed one never a rack and pinion.

[@stlwoodworking]

I said it looked like it. If you notice though the one that came out was not ribbed at all.

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

The locking system itself isn't new. Many table saws in the past lock to the front and back rail. It looks like Harvey has done an amazing job of engineering their version. That deflection on the back end of a typical T Square style fence is indeed a BIG problem. On my Grizzly saw, I use a heavy duty Magswitch to mitigate that deflection. I am REALLY debating selling my Grizzly and buying a Harvey saw, just for the fence system alone. I know you can buy them aftermarket, but they are $900. EDIT: I commented prior to watching the entire video. I would be PISSED to pay $1100 on pre-order and find out they are $200+ less now. Not sure if current pricing is holiday pricing, but sucks either way.

[@stlwoodworking]

Yeah it sucks lol but such is life. I would still buy it again. The fence is great. I am actually adding the new nickel 52in 4HP to my new shop.

[@RAcreativewoodworks]

1100.00 dollars is a tough sale but a nice tool. I will be buying a band saw first. Thank you for the video Sr and till next time 🎉🎉🎉

[@stlwoodworking]

Thank you. For me it really is worth it because now I feel like I have an almost perfect saw..... I would like a little more HP lol

[@laff000]

Looks like a great system but the price is a deal killer.

[@stlwoodworking]

It is a bit on the high side but I can say after using it for this amount of time I am glad I got it

[@worstworkshop]

Nice fence!

[@stlwoodworking]

Thanks. I really do like it.

[@sabregunner1]

can someone give me a TLDR on the high / low setting? it has me a bit befuddled edit: nevermind, i had to watcht the harvey video 4 times and RTFM to understand. i diddnt realize it was a horizontal shift not vertical

[@stlwoodworking]

I must be getting old. I had to google what your acronyms stood for 😂😀

[@sabregunner1]

@@stlwoodworking yeah i was new to me a few years ago

[@kip9668]

I don't think harvey invented the double locking fence, there are lots of saws that have been doing it for well over 50 years

[@stlwoodworking]

I know they didn't invent it, just glad that they came out with this on their fence

[@dp1381]

Seems overly complicated. A fence should be simple, stable, and versatile. I’m sick of all these fences with proprietary t slots. I’m sticking with my VSC Tools fence with an 80/20 extrusion. I got some of their linear bearings and was able to make an awesome tenoning jig as well.