Incra Miter 3000SE vs. 5000 sled?

[travis howe]

So I got a great deal on a new 5000 sled that can be converted to a 3000SE.

I've got it all mounted only to realize that the opposite side of the sled is seperate and stationary (duh, obviously)...

It would seem if you were doing only miter cuts this would be awesome but for anyone moving back and forth between miter and ripping this would become a real pain or am I missing something?

Just curious before I strip it down and into a 3000SE.

thanks

[Lorne Steed]

Hi travis;
I would use it a bit before converting it. You will probably get more use to it than you think. I have the 5000 and thought the same as you at first and so I also bought the 1000SE. I find that I use the 5000 the most even though it is a bit unwieldy to lift on and off the tablesaw. I tried converting it to the 3000 but fond that the unit seemed unbalanced without the base. Hope this helps.
Lorne Steed

[Roger Jensen]

I had the 1000SE that I converted to the 5000. I stopped tightening the stationary part so it just dropped in. There aren't any forces on it so it isn't going anywhere. After loading up the sled, dropping in the cutoff support section isn't a big deal.

[John Bush]

I have the 5000 and use it all the time. Very accurate for repetitive cuts. As Roger mentioned you don't have to tighten the stationary part, or just enough not to move yet easy to drop in and out, or don't use it for short cut-offs. I built a TS storage cabinet under the fence table and left enough room on top to slide the sled in for storage. Convenient and I don't bang it around and I don't swear as much when I want to use it.

[Gary Venable]

I also have the 5000 and a 1000. I use the 5000 for larger pieces or when I have a lot of repetitive cuts. The 1000 is more my day to day go to miter. If I had to chose just one it would probably be the 1000/3000 just because I would use it more.