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Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:02 pm
by RFGuy
I recently purchased one of the special Shopsmith version miter bars that were left at Incra (they ended production for it). This allowed me to get an Incra V120 to use on my Mark V. Unfortunately I don't have the necessary hardware to attach the Shopsmith Safety Grip to it, but that is okay. I decided to get the Incra Flip Fence to attach to the V120 miter gauge and also the Flip Shop Stop which is their indexable stop block. Everything works and looks good with the exception of the Flip Shop Stop. The anodization looks good on the flip fence and on most of the Flip Shop Stop, but there are some areas that look very, very worn. Keep in mind this product is brand new out of the box from the factory. So, it doesn't look perfect...I can live with that. :( What really bothers me though is on top of the screw used to micro adjust the Flip Shop Stop, I can see metal shavings and other unidentifiable "gunk" stuck on top of the threads. It doesn't fall off if I invert it or blow air across it. I contacted Incra and sent pictures. They responded to explain how their anodization process works and that what I received looked normal to them. On the threads being dirty with metal shavings they said this too was normal and gave me tips on how to remove them. I am less than satisfied with this response so I went into my shop and attempted to turn this micro adjust screw for the first time and I can feel/hear scraping/crunching noises - yes I loosened the other screws so that the micro adjust can work. Before I start using it, I feel like I should back this screw all the way out, clean it and re-tap the extrusion.

So, am I nitpicking here??? Don't get me wrong, I believe Incra is a good company. However, this is my first ever Incra purchase. I have received differing levels of quality on anodization on various products so while I think Incra can do better on this, I am not going to knock them for the color/appearance of their anodization. This screw with visibly worn threads, shavings on top and less than smooth action when turned definitely gives me pause. Did the shavings come from a less than clean factory or more likely was the extrusion not properly tapped resulting in an operator re-cutting the threads when they installed the micro adjust screw? I don't consider it "normal" to have a tool or machinery with suspect threads like this, unless I am buying it from Harbor Freight. Not trying to ding Incra's reputation here...like I said I believe they are a good company. Still, I would like feedback to know if I am justified in pushing this issue more with Incra or whether I am just nitpicking on this one. Thoughts?

Actual Pic - Zoom In 1:
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Actual Pic - Zoom In 2:
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Glamor Shot Pic from Incra Website: For Comparison
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Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:18 pm
by jsburger
IIWM, I would pursue it further with Incra. The stuff in the threads should not be there in a new factory product from a company with their reputation.

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:43 pm
by RFGuy
jsburger wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:18 pm IIWM, I would pursue it further with Incra. The stuff in the threads should not be there in a new factory product from a company with their reputation.
Thanks John. Yeah, that is why I contacted them first before posting here. I was surprised to hear them say it looked "normal". I have high standards and sometimes I nitpick so I figured I'd get feedback here.. I didn't expect the product to be perfect but seeing the threads like that on a new product out of the box was shocking.

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 7:04 pm
by reible
I have the same or possibly an older version of this and I have not needed to do any extra work on it. I'm not really sure where the pictures are taken but if you can give me an over head indication I'll pull mine out and take a photo of what mine looks like, perhaps I never really looked at it???

I just placed an order from incra and I sure hope the quality has not gone down hill, I hate when that happens.....

Ed

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 7:19 pm
by RFGuy
reible wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 7:04 pm I have the same or possibly an older version of this and I have not needed to do any extra work on it. I'm not really sure where the pictures are taken but if you can give me an over head indication I'll pull mine out and take a photo of what mine looks like, perhaps I never really looked at it???

I just placed an order from incra and I sure hope the quality has not gone down hill, I hate when that happens.....

Ed
Thanks Ed. Below is a zoomed out pic. The screw in question is a cap head screw that is used for micro adjusting the Flip Shop Stop. It is basically in the center of the picture below with a nylon spacer on it.
FlipShopStop.jpg
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Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:46 pm
by reible
OK will try to do it tonight.

Ed

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:18 pm
by reible
This is what mine looks like:
rf1.jpg
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Ed

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:47 pm
by twistsol
My shop stop is still in a box somewhere and I'm about a month from unpacking into the new shop. Sometime in the past 4-5 years or so Incra changed suppliers or processes or something but here are a couple of things I've noticed

First, there was a marked color change from deeper gold almost orange color to the pale gold color.
It doesn't look like much if any effort is put into finishing the metal before anodizing with the pale colored parts.

The deeper gold color is from an older Miter 5000 fence., The pale yellow one is from a newer Incra product but since it's in a pile of parts, I'm not sure what it came from. My TS/LS system has parts of both colors / qualities.
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Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:32 am
by dusty
With regard to your Miter Gauge (Safety Grip) issue, you could build your own adapter It is just a block of aluminum with holes..

Re: Incra Flip Shop Stop & Quality Issues?

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 7:05 am
by RFGuy
Ed,

Thanks. Yeah, the picture of your Flip Shop Stop looks more like what I would expect. The micro adjust screw and the corresponding threads in the extrusion look much better on yours than on mine when I zoom in on your picture. Also, the gold aluminum rail on the extrusion right next to this screw looks almost pristine on yours, but on mine there are lots of scratches creating a very uneven surface. Mine looks like it has been used and abused for many years yet is brand new. Lastly, I do see some of the blotchy color on the red anodized parts on yours just like on mine. This part doesn't worry me too much. I know certain anodized colors can be more difficult to get uniform coloring on so maybe this is the case with red anodized.

Chris,

Thanks for the Incra info. Yeah, I was wondering if it was possibly a supplier issue or a change in manufacturing. You are right about the new color. The gold on most of the aluminum rail extrusions looks nice and uniform on mine, but it is definitely more yellow than gold anodized. Seeing the two of yours side by side is surprising. The gold anodized is more of what I thought of when it comes to Incra products, but now I see they have switched their company colors to yellow and red. :( One thing Incra told me is that small parts like the stop's base are "tumble-deburred" which can leave a rougher finish in spots unfortunately. Supposedly they don't use this on fence rails so I am surprised by the machining marks left on the fence rails in your last picture. In summary, it seems like Incra is not putting adequate attention on surface preparation prior to anodizing, but also why do fence rails have scratches? I mean flat sides on extruded rails should be a very flat surface with no visible scratches to begin with right?

Dusty,

Thanks. Yeah, I might try to make the adapter block myself. I do want to try the Incra Flip Fence on the V120 for a bit and see how I like it first. If it works well without the Safety Grip handle then no need. It may be a bit awkward or unwieldy to use the Safety Grip handle with the Incra Flip Fence so I figured I would try without it first.

P.S. I am reaching out to Incra one more time, but as a first time buyer of Incra products I am more than a little disappointed and frustrated with what I received. It is unfortunate when the quality of products from a manufacturer degrade over time. :(