Incra Products

[woodburner]

Hi Everyone,

Just out of curiosity, I am wondering how those who have purchased Incra products that fit on the Shopsmith like them.
I have all three:) (Incra Ultimate Fence/Router System, MiterSled 5000, Miter Gauge 2000, and some of Incra's Rulers) and they have turned my Shopsmith into one heck of a woodworking system.
I am just curious because I haven't seen any threads on the forum about them.
And I haven't seen any of them for sale on ebay either. Owners must be holding on to them because of how well they work with the Shopsmith., or they sell really fast.
Anyone who wants to comment, I will be interested in reading what you have to offer in the way of comments/opinions.

[timster68]

I have the miter gauge 2000 - just haven't taken it out of its box yet.

[8iowa]

Both my son and I have acquired miter sled 5000's recently, but have not yet used them.

[pinkiewerewolf]

I'm going for an OPR for my next purchase, but the Incra TSIII Ultra Fence is on my list after that. (with the Shop Stop Repeat Positioner).
I have always liked the gear & pinion crank method of aligning fences and the Incra looks like the answer for this method on the 520 system. (If I am wrong let me know as I'm still a newbie to the Mark V and its accessories.
I'm awefully envious of the Ultimate Fence Router System and Miter Sled 5000/Miter Guage 2000 that you have Woodburner.
You have one accurate system at your disposal.
What would be the most difficult cuts you've tackled with the Miter system?
Eventually I'd like to make custom frames. (frames inside frames and odd sizes to allow for grouped inserts) Mainly for family and friends, as I have a 1 yr. old niece and my brother is getting ready to have a child with his wife.

Everyone have a good/safe weekend, I'll check the thread when I get back on Mon./Tues.

[woodburner]

Hi Pinkie,

The toughest mitering I have done? Well that's a tough one with this system. It makes it pretty easy to do. But I'd have to say it's when I make segmented woodturnings. Some of the angles are odd, like 21.75 degrees and such, and you have to make a lot of cuts that match perfectly with each other.
Before I had this system, there was a lot of trial and error, but not anymore. Rick Davis put a bug in my ear about how much this system can help me with this (I do a lot of woodturning) and I haven't regretted the purchase since then.
As for the gear, crank and pinion? The Incra fence actually uses very precise teeth that mesh together when you lock the fence in place. You slide the fence into posistion and then lock it. You also have the option of the mico-adjuster to get your measurements within one-thousandth of an inch. Pretty incredible when you think of measurements that accurate on a table saw and router table.

[kd6vpe]

So woodburner,
When you cut your segments which Incra do you use for them. I built a sled to do mine but it is a fixed miter. Do you sill need a sanding jig to finish your segments before glue up? I may have to readjust my want list after hearing from you. Thank you for your knowledge.

[woodburner]

Hi KD,

I use the Incra MiterSled 5000 for my segment cuts. This allows for more precision because the wood isn't sliding on the table which can cause it to move just enough to ruin the cut. Instead, the wood is being held stationary as the sled is moving past the blade.
I also clamp a temporary stop block on the stationary panel (infeed side) of the sled so I can just slide the wood up against it for precise length cuts.
I also prefer the sled because it has a miter fence that extends up to 64 inches. The fence also has 364 angle stops, and even that is continuously adjustable for those odd angles like 18.15 degrees and so on.
The Incra Miter Sled also has more angle stops than the Miter Gauge 2000. It also has a 90 degree range, compared to the 55 degree range the Incra Miter Gauge has.
Don't get me wrong. I use the Incra Miter Gauge 2000 for a lot of cuts. It's just as easy to use as the Shopsmith miter gauge. But if you make, or are planning on making a lot of segmented woodturnings, the MiterSled 5000 would be my first choice.
As for sanding, I use a Forrest Crosscut Blade, which cuts fine enough that I usually don't need to sand the ends. If I do, a quick, careful swipe with a sanding block is all it takes.

[charlese]

No don't have an Incra system. I would seriously look into one if ever having a need for weird angles. However, in the meantime for 90s, 45s and 22.5s my 510 is doing a wonderful job of getting dead on. I credit the sandpaper face on the miter gauge and miter pro.

I would be interested in how any system can yield a saw cut (measured) to the nearest .001" The only way I can think of is to find the one tooth on the saw blade that protrudes the furthest toward the side and gauging from that one tooth. Also if this was done the table (miter slot) to blade alignment must be right on. Most table alignments aren't quite there. Isn't a common alignment .002?

Whoops! The curmudgeon in me just came out. There goes that resolution!

[pinkiewerewolf]

Woodburner, thanks for the response. I was wondering about how the system handled additional length stock and compound miters. (since the table tilts for these).
It sounds like you've been having alot of fun with the set-up.
As you stated with the system, I'm all for reducing trial and error. With school and getting back to work (hopefully in a couple of years) I just don't have the time, or money to mess up the cuts in my projects.
Though, they haven't been as complicated as segmented turnings I'd still like to minimize ripping and resawing to the initial run through.

[friscomike]

Howdy,

I have the Incra Miter 2000 on backorder, but after reading this thread, I wonder if the Incra MiterSled 5000 might not be a better purchase, since it does what the 2000 does, plus more. I haven't used sleds before, but am finally convinced I can get far more accurate cuts using one.

Best Regards,
mike