Best router fence?

[Phillip Bogle]

I have seen many ideas and offerings for router tables, fences, and lifts. I have a nice base and a Triton router, but the top and fence leave much to be desired.

I have seen Woodpeckers fence, the Incra LS, the Kreg system. I have seen very nice work come from men using each system. I have seen nice work from home made systems. Can anyone tell me what is the best system for versatility, repeatability, and quality construction?

Any input is greatly appreciated, Just like to know what all the possible considerations are.
Thanks,
Phil B.

[Myk Rian]

Take a 2x4 and joint/plane it true square. Clamp it to the table.

There really is no BEST fence, except for the one you're happy with.
Depends on what you're willing to spend. If money is no object, get an Incra or Jessem.

[Ed Labadie]

I prefer a Jointech or Incra that is kept parallel at all times. Either one allows you to move the fence in .001 increments for fine adjustment. Makes life a little easier.

The Jessem with master slide option is a really nice unit also.

Ed

[Norman Pyles]

I built Norms fence, but left the top part off. Didn't want a tall fence. I did put a T-track just above the faces to attach feather boards.

[willie sobat]

Phillip,

I wouldn't take Myk's advice too lightly. I built Pat Warner's Fence http://www.patwarner.com/routerfence.html from a set of plans published in one of the WW magazines. It is great and offers all of the features you mention. However, I am happiest with my results when I use an auxiliary fence made from 3/4 plywood with a custom cutout for the types of bits I use (ie. round-over, cove, straight, etc.). In my case simplicity has proven to be the best method.

[Drew Loehr]

I prefer a Jointech or Incra that is kept parallel at all times. Either one allows you to move the fence in .001 increments for fine adjustment. Makes life a little easier.

The Jessem with master slide option is a really nice unit also.

Ed


The question becomes, parallel to what?

Another vote for making your own.
My fence is held in place with a dowel on one side and a clamp on the other. I have a 16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster that works pretty darn good too!

[Stephen Edwards]

The question becomes, parallel to what?

Another vote for making your own.
My fence is held in place with a dowel on one side and a clamp on the other. I have a 16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster that works pretty darn good too!

Drew, Do you have a photo or a link to the "16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster", please?

In regards to parallel to what?: It seemed to take me forever to get it through my hard head that parallel for a RT fence (same with a DP table fence) is a non issue! For me, parallel for a RT fence is simply a "mental convenience" that in reality performs no meaningful, useful function. The only thing that matters is the distance from the bit to the fence.

For anyone who hasn't yet discovered this to be true, set up your fence so that it's way out of parallel with the front edge of the table or the router plate. Cut a shallow dado on a piece of scrap. You'll see that the dado is parallel to the edge of the work piece, regardless of how the fence is set.

[Phillip Bogle]

Retaining parallel is not the problem. End cuts as in cope and stick,lock miter, 45 degree bevels on a box corner. Retaining square and fit. To mention one of the problem areas. The top and fence I have right now is fine if I want to put an edge on a table, shape some crown molding, or build a nice baseboard. On and on. Edges are not the issue. Everything comes apart when I have to keep right angles and tight or square fits. Making a box joint, or half blind dovetail for a drawer corner, or ladies jewelry box.

I look at the nice work that guys are doing on their Incra LS systems, and I want to do the same. I built some wooden window sash for my home, and it worked nice but not easily repeatable, and there are a dozen more windows to go. These are the problems I am looking to solve.
Phil B.

[Steve Hayes]

+1 for the Incra.

[Randy Klein]

Drew, Do you have a photo or a link to the "16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster", please?

It's a hammer....

[Drew Loehr]

Drew, Do you have a photo or a link to the "16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster", please?



Here you go.

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00938045000P?vName=Tools+%26+Equipme nt&cName=Hand+Tools&sName=Carpentry+Tools

[Drew Loehr]

Retaining parallel is not the problem. End cuts as in cope and stick....

Just run a square block of stock along your fence. Makes a great miter as well as a tear-out block.

[Paul Murphy]

If you do a lot of cope and stick doors you might want the fence paralell to the miter slot. The Kreg fence is paralell, and can be had with a micro adjuster.

If the paralell doesn't matter, there are others that are sturdy with t-tracks for flip-stops and feather-boards.

[Glen Butler]

If you do a lot of cope and stick doors you might want the fence paralell to the miter slot. The Kreg fence is paralell, and can be had with a micro adjuster.

If the paralell doesn't matter, there are others that are sturdy with t-tracks for flip-stops and feather-boards.

I see no reason the fence has to be parallel to the miter slot to do cope and stick. For the coping you should be using a miter gauge or a sled and that just has to be made perpendicular to the miter slot. It has nothing to do with the fence.

Unless you need repeatability to the .001, I vote make your own and save the money. MDF is easy to get perfectly straight and it doesn't warp. Just don't make one out of hardwood. It will move on you.

[Ed Labadie]

The question becomes, parallel to what?

Another vote for making your own.
My fence is held in place with a dowel on one side and a clamp on the other. I have a 16 oz craftsman micro-adjuster that works pretty darn good too!

The fence always moves in a straight line. If you have a miter track...set with the fence at 90 degrees to it, it's always at 90 deg. Probably poor wording on my part...but the fence always moves in a straight line. Fine tuning is done by rotating a knob, the fence moves straight, not on an arc, much more precise, easier to fine tune even when setting the fence to contact a bearing guided bit.

Jointech, Incra & Jessem have a miter slide that attaches to the fence, for end cuts in stile & rail construction, it can't be beat.

Ed

[glenn bradley]

In the 'keep it simple' camp, I run Rockler's old style fence and have for years. I have upgraded the table top, the router, added a lift, etc. but have always kept the same fence. I made a micro adjust doo-hickey that I really no longer use. I just snug one side and nudge the other for micro-adjustment.

Just goes to show we are all different. It really bothered me not having very specific control over the router height, therefor the lift, but the fence has always done very well for me. Less bling, less to go wrong I guess. They are still blowing them out for about $30 (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1383&filter=Rockler%20Outlet). I picked up a second one and it is one of three fences I use on the DP. All my stop blocks, etc. can move easily between my RT and DP.

[paul dyar]

I have had the Incra for 12 years, and am very satified with it.

Paul

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have a pair of fences. One is from Wood Magazine, and is a high split fence with T-track across it for feather boards, and I can use shims to joint with it. My other fence is a standard Incra original jig and fence, very simple, and straight.

Doc

[Paul Murphy]

I see no reason the fence has to be parallel to the miter slot to do cope and stick. For the coping you should be using a miter gauge or a sled and that just has to be made perpendicular to the miter slot. It has nothing to do with the fence.

Unless you need repeatability to the .001, I vote make your own and save the money. MDF is easy to get perfectly straight and it doesn't warp. Just don't make one out of hardwood. It will move on you.

Never said the fence HAD to be parallel, but it may just ultimately be easier and cheaper. Also the original poster mentioned a desire for a micro adjuster, to aid setup and repeatability. The Kreg has the micro-adjuster, while most floating fences do not. The scale on the parallel fence would aid setup and make multi-step /multi-profile operations much easier.

Cost example:
I have the Bench Dog Tools 40-132 profence @ $139.99. If I want the repeatability and ease of setup for cope and stick I can buy a JessEm MITE-R-SLIDE @ $259.00, or a Woodpeckers Coping Sled @ $139.99. The coping sled costs at least as much as my fence. The Kreg is cheaper in total cost, and setup might just be easier for many operations.

Some cutters do not have a guide bearing, so without a fence set to parallel/depth, or a sled adjusted for depth, how will the second end of the rail be cut to proper total length?

The Kreg seems cheaper and simpler in the long run, if starting from scratch. More than one poster mentioned using a squared piece of scrap for an inexpensive backer-board/sled. I use this method, and it works pretty well with bearing guided cope/stick, but the setup is more involved on cutters without guide bearings. Repeatability depends on the same effort as the original setup, and multi-bit/multi-step profiles involve multiplying setup times by the number of bits.

If someone has a floating fence solution to all the above, I for one am very interested to learn more!

[dan sherman]

A floating fence can actually be set more precisely thanks to geometry. This is accomplished by by keeping one end fixed, and moving the other. If you move the loose end .001" the fence might have only moved .0005" by the bit.

For cope and stick joints all you need is a fence ridding sled, made from scrap plywood or hardboard.

[Paul Murphy]

A floating fence can actually be set more precisely thanks to geometry. This is accomplished by by keeping one end fixed, and moving the other. If you move the loose end .001" the fence might have only moved .0005" by the bit.

For cope and stick joints all you need is a fence ridding sled, made from scrap plywood or hardboard.

Dan, perhaps I am missing something, but I have one cutter pair without guide bearings, and they are very time consuming to setup properly so as to produce rails of the proper finished length. I have better results with the bearing guided cutter pairs. Not such a big deal if I'm setting up for a larger run of parts, but in a small project it becomes a time waster.

Anyone have setup tips for the situation where you have no guide bearing on your cutters?

[Stephen Edwards]

Here you go.

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00938045000P?vName=Tools+%26+Equipme nt&cName=Hand+Tools&sName=Carpentry+Tools


Thank you very much.

[Bill Huber]

There are more ways to make a fence out there then I think there are router tables.

When I was looking at them some of the things I wanted was NOT to have slots on the table. My first one had slots and I hated them, so in finding a fence I went with the Jessem.

The fence is not cheap but it is not made cheap, it is built like a battleship. It has rails that bolt to the table and then the fence rides in the rails. It has all the T slots you could ask for.

You can go here and see the fence close up and also see the micro adjuster I made for it.

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/micro_adjuster

[dan sherman]

Anyone have setup tips for the situation where you have no guide bearing on your cutters?

What brand/model bits do you have?

[Paul Murphy]

The set that I have the most trouble with are tongue and groove cutters that I think came from MLCS. I made farmhouse style cabinet doors with them, and the setup took me longer than cutting the parts. This was the experience that had me looking at the fences that had micro-adjusters, and some sort of repeatibility measurement scale.

[dan sherman]

do you mean 2 bits sets like #7842, #7736 on this page?

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/bit_tongue_groove.html

if so, setting up bit's like these that don't even have a steel pilot are always a pita. However once you get the depth of cut right for the first bit, the tedious work is done.

before you switch to the second bit, place a piece of scrap up against each end of the fence, and then clamp them down to the table. Your now have two points to reference your fence off of once you switch out the bits.

I would recommend skipping over bits like this in the future, and only use ones that have pilots (steal or ball bearing) that way you can use the ruler trick to set up the fence.


My dad has the Kreg fence, and both of use have found the micro adjust to be overrated, it's nothing more than a brass bolt threaded into aluminum. a $15 dial indicator mounted on a wood block clamped to the bench blows it out of the water.



The set that I have the most trouble with are tongue and groove cutters that I think came from MLCS. I made farmhouse style cabinet doors with them, and the setup took me longer than cutting the parts. This was the experience that had me looking at the fences that had micro-adjusters, and some sort of repeatability measurement scale.

[Paul Murphy]

Thanks for the tip Dan, The reference idea sounds like it will save me some time. I had to pretty much start over when changing to the second bit.

I agree about not buying these type of bits without bearings in the future!

For the benefit of the original poster, is your Dad happy with the Kreg fence? I can't help thinking that the scale referenced to the cutter centerline would make some operations easier, especially those with multiple steps or bits.

[dan sherman]

For the benefit of the original poster, is your Dad happy with the Kreg fence? I can't help thinking that the scale referenced to the cutter centerline would make some operations easier, especially those with multiple steps or bits.

I haven't specifically talked about him with it, but when I have worked with him he used the scale for course adjustments. and the ruler trick or test pieces fore fine adjustments.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Here you go.

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00938045000P?vName=Tools+%26+Equipme nt&cName=Hand+Tools&sName=Carpentry+Tools


OMG!!!! I was so excited that I was about to learn about some new fangled dangled tool!!! I had no idea it had a new name! I have like 7 of these. Now I have to go and change all their labels!! Geesh!

[Brent Ring]

+3 or +4 for the Incra.

[Neil Brooks]

For anyone who hasn't yet discovered this to be true, set up your fence so that it's way out of parallel with the front edge of the table or the router plate. Cut a shallow dado on a piece of scrap. You'll see that the dado is parallel to the edge of the work piece, regardless of how the fence is set.

Aaaaaa-men.

When I first set up my Kreg PRS2000 (http://www.kregtool.com/products/prs/product.php?PRODUCT_ID=92), I wondered to myself why there was no easy way to get the fence parallel to the miter slot.

And then I stood there for a minute ... scratching my noggin' ... until I finally realized just exactly that: it didn't matter.

I think it IS worth repeating :)

[robert micley]

i love repeatibilty or ability to creep up or just take alittle more off so i have the jointech. but the incra does the same. to make a dado just a little wider or change a molding profile just a touch- the incremental sysytem of jointech or incra is the way to go. it is basically the ability to microadjust. i also like to microadjust the router bit height which most router lifts offer now even in digital. i even have a digital on my free hand router to save time in adjusting bit heights when using my dovetail jig.

[Rich Bygness]

I have read that a lot of you don't think that keeping the fence square with the table, or t-track, or anything else is at all important. My concern is when I am using a relatively large Freud bit to make baseboard trim, I need to take of just a little bit at a time. I have the Kreg PRS 1040 Precision router table system including the micro adjuster. The problem I have is that even with the left side knob loosened, if I move the right side of the fence 1/16" back, the left side does not move an equal distance unless I put a square to it to make it square with the table, so I am not actually taking an extra 1/16" off the workpiece. Will the Incra, Jessem or other fence move the entire fence equally the same distance? I am also wondering which fence would be most adaptable to the Kreg router table. Thanks for any helpful recommendations.

[Brad Sperr]

I have the Jessem fence w/ slide attachment and really like it. I have the Incra fence on my table saw, though, so I could see how that system would also be ideal for a router fence.

[Prashun Patel]

It'll be hard to figure what's best because very few people have tried ALL of them. As an owner of the Incra LS positioner here's my 2cents:

1) The quality of construction is top notch.
2) The micropositionability is top notch. The locking latch has 3 positions: locked, unlocked (slides freely), half-lock (micro-adjuster thumbwheel engages)
3) If you add the Wonderfence:
- The DC is pretty good; the 2" port connects to either side of the split fence
- There's an integral wedge in the fence that allows either face to be shimmed perfectly in or out. I just used this ability to joint the edges off inset doors. It was perfect.
4) The Positioner comes with fence extenders and flip stops
5) The positioner has about 5 different tracks for sliding measuring tapes (which are included). This makes it easy to zero out the carriage and to set it accurately for box sides - which is really what the positioner is designed for.

Cons:
1) The positioner requires 17" or 25" travel. It requires an eccentric table that is deeper than it is wide; so it poses issues for the spaced-challenged. This is easily solved with swivel locking casters.
2) Like all Incra products, they use a screw driver to adjust the locks and stops and nuts. I like it; some don't. Some also find Incra products over-jigged with too many locks, stops, and nuts. Again, I like it.

If you do a lot of drawers and don't have a preferred method yet, this system probably has an edge on other fences.

[Bill Huber]

I have read that a lot of you don't think that keeping the fence square with the table, or t-track, or anything else is at all important. My concern is when I am using a relatively large Freud bit to make baseboard trim, I need to take of just a little bit at a time. I have the Kreg PRS 1040 Precision router table system including the micro adjuster. The problem I have is that even with the left side knob loosened, if I move the right side of the fence 1/16" back, the left side does not move an equal distance unless I put a square to it to make it square with the table, so I am not actually taking an extra 1/16" off the workpiece. Will the Incra, Jessem or other fence move the entire fence equally the same distance? I am also wondering which fence would be most adaptable to the Kreg router table. Thanks for any helpful recommendations.

Are you using a miter gauge of some type for these cuts, if not then you don't have to worry about it.

To answer your question I have the Jessem and it is a great fence, built like a tank and works very well but if I move one side the other side will not move, the fence will pivot on the opposite side that I move. So if I would to take off a 1/16" I will move one side about an 1/8".

If I need it to be spot on 1/16" I will measure the distance from the fence to the bit and then adjust the fence to get the 1/16".