T/S Miter gauge......

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Osborne, Incra or Kreg?

I got a belated Christmas gift from a family member. I need an accurate miter gauge for my table saw.


Which of the above mentioned ones should I get and why is it better than the competition?

Your opinions and experiences please!

[Brian Hale]

Hey Ken!

I gave my Kreg away to a friend. The miter slot bar is aluminum and flexed too easily on larger parts. Also the long aluminum fence can flex because it's unsupported beyond the miter head. Otherwise it was quite accurate and fine for small parts.

I use my Incra V27 (?) for all my small parts and it's quite accurate and and very very sturdy. Steel componets throughout.

The Osborne is great for larger parts but not quite as accurate. The problem is in how the angle locating pin fits in the bar. It's spring loaded and naturally needs a bit of slop so the pin will retract easily, but this creates a small amount of slop in setting angles. The solution is to always pull the fence back towards you when setting an angle, then it's very repeatable. The design is very sturdy, once it's set it ain't gonna move or flex.

Brian :)

[Tony De Masi]

Hey Ken,

Of the three you mentioned I only have experience with the Osborne. I've had it for four years or so and have never seen the need to replace it. In my experience it's very accurate and quite simple to use too.

Tony

[Lee Schierer]

I've not used the others, but I really like my Kreg. It is accurate and easy to use. Once you get it set up the scale on the fence is accurate and you can switch from left to right if you want to easily.

[John Coloccia]

This guy's done a bunch of reviews of miter gauges, including the Osbourne and the Incra:

http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/reviews.htm

I have the Incra crosscut sled and I really like it for what I'm using it for. That said, I don't really like the Incra miter gauge that much and would not be happy using it as a stand alone miter gauge. If I really needed an accurate miter gauge for molding and the like, I'd most likely go with Osbourne or maybe even the Jointech smart miter($$$) or a Dubby.

I'm not sure I like all the detents the Jointech has. I don't know that you can set them to in between settings for really fine tuning a difficult miter. They are on sale now, though.

Nothing against the Incra gauge but I just personally think there's better ways of making miters.

[Larry Norton]

Ken, I've got the Jessem and love it!

[Bill Huber]

I am just like Brian, I have the Osborne and the V27, both are very good.

I use the V27 for the small stuff and anything longer then 6 inches or if I am making multiple cuts the same length I use the Osborne.

I did have a little problem with getting the Osborne to repeat angle cuts. I sent them and email about it and was told how to use it. You just push the little plunger up and leave it, don't fool around, just push it up and tighten the lock, that worked and I have no problems any more.

The V27 I great for small stuff and I also use it on the band saw, the Ridgid sander and the router table.

I had an Incra 1000 for about a week and sold it, it was just to bulky and did not work very well for me. You get it all set up with a fence on it and it just to big for me.

[gary Zimmel]

Ken, I can't say much about the ones you mentioned but I i also have a Jessem and have been real happy with it.

[Dan Karachio]

This is tough. If someone just gave you one of the three, you would be a happy camper. I have actually used all three. Over the standard miter any of the three would be nice. I tend to be very much a gadget sort of guy, so I went with the Incra 1000 HD and later added the sled. This is pricey, but I now have a set up that is super versatile and can do just about anything. I have some pretty darn tight miter joints to prove it! :-)

[John Thompson]

I wouldn't refuse any of the three but.. I have two V 27's with one set up with long fence the other set up with short. I also run a fence forward sled for use with up to 30" panels so with the 2 V 27's and home-made sled it relates to get er done accurately for cheap! ;)

[Paul Ryan]

I have a incra 1000hd. 80% of the time I have the fence removed and use it as a normal miter guage. I use my cross cut sled for large 45 degree miters. The incra doesn't see a lot of use for miters since I use a miter saw when ever possible. I had been doing projects lately that require angled dados and angled tendons and it works great for those cuts.

[Matt Meiser]

I've got an Incra 1000se which I love. So much so, that since I don't have a factory miter gauge for my vintage saw, I went and bought a V27 for a second one when I want to use a sacrificial fence and the like.

[Brian Penning]

Another satisfied Osborne user here.

[David Christopher]

Ken, I have the osborn and the jessem...both are very good miter gages but the jessem is built like a tank....I think you could run over it with a bulldozer and it be OK but it is heavy. the osborn is much lighter

[Sean Nagle]

I really like the miter adjustment on my 1000HD.

[Rod Sheridan]

Ken, I can't say much about the ones you mentioned but I i also have a Jessem and have been real happy with it.

Ken, I had a Jessem for about 5 years and really liked it, it was heavy, however it was solid and the flip stop coupled with the extension allowed me to cut most cabinet parts without having to break out the ruler/tape measure.

Regards, Rod.

[Ken Garlock]

Greetings Ken.

I have the Incra 3000SE and I am quite happy with it. I bought it from the Woodpecker people.

I had one problem with it several years ago. I Emailed Woodpecker. They in-turn sent it on to Incra. Incra Emailed me, asked for my mail address, and then sent me the new part with no questions asked. All this took place in about a week. Both companies are easy with which to deal. (out, out oh damned preposition, out.):)

[Orlando Gonzalez]

Ken,

I just sold my Incra 100SE and Osborne EB-3. I had to shim the Incra to square it to the table (bottom of p. 3 of the manual) and I couldn't get accustomed to the how the Osborne was adjusted. They are both great miter gauges, but they didn't work for me. I opted for the Woodhaven 4910 because it meets my needs - simple as well as accurate.

[Sean Nagle]

I also have an older Woodhaven miter gauge. Maybe they have changed their design, but I don't like their miter adjustment mechanism on mine. They have 4 or so set screws that push little phenolic cylinders out the other side of the miter bar. It's not as easy to adjust than the Incra and I found that the phenolic cylinders can fall out of their holes.

[Ray Bell]

Wow, great question Ken, lots of opinions. After reading all of the replies, and looking at the different gauges on the net the Jessum looks very nice. I have not used any of these, so my opinion of course means nothing;) but it does look like a nice machine.

[Von Bickley]

Ken,
I recently got the Incra 1000HD, a Christmas gift for myself. I looked at the Osborne and the Incra 1000SE, but I lucked up and got the 1000HD at Amazon for less money than the 1000SE. I just lucked up and caught it at the right time. I think they are all good miter gauges so it comes down to which one you can get the best deal on.

Take a good look at the Incra 1000HD..... 180 indents/stops. ;)

[Jim O'Dell]

snip
If I really needed an accurate miter gauge for molding and the like, I'd most likely go with Osbourne or maybe even the Jointech smart miter($$$) or a Dubby.

I'm not sure I like all the detents the Jointech has. I don't know that you can set them to in between settings for really fine tuning a difficult miter. They are on sale now, though.

Nothing against the Incra gauge but I just personally think there's better ways of making miters.

John, and others...I don't believe the Smart Miter by Jointech can be set between the detents But the detents are in 1/2 degree increments, and I've never found I couldn't get what I needed out of it. Only problem I have is it wasn't made to work with my new saw!! :confused: It won't adjust close enough to the blade...lacks about 3/16". I've found it to be very accurate, and is my go to when I want precise angles. But yes, it is on the expensive side. Jim.

[Mike Leung]

I have the incra v27 and the woodhaven deluxe. Both are great. V27 for small pieces and woodhaven for larger pieces. The woodhaven with the extruded fence is very precise and is super snug in my miter slots after adjustment.

[Curt Harms]

I use an incra1000 (pre SE). I found the fence kludgy and replaced it with a home-made 3/4" ply with T track on top for a stop. Works for me. The new Incra fences may be better but mine works well enough that i don't need to find out. the Incra is solid and repeatable. I can see where the Osborne would be more stable for large pieces but I use a sled or miter saw for longer crosscuts.

[Robert Chapman]

If price is not a concern I would go with the JessEm. It is very nicely finished, accurate, very heavy duty and red. What more could you want? Trouble is I don't think that JessEm is making the miter guage any more.

[Bobby O'Neal]

A happy Osborne user.

[Keith Pitman]

I have a Jessem, also. It's very rugged, accurate, with lots of capacity. My machinist friend spotted it in my shop and was impressed with it.

[Paul Hingco]

I'm pretty happy with my Incra 1000SE

[Ken Shoemaker]

Incra V27 is all I've ever needed or wanted. So far...:rolleyes:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Well,

I ordered a V-27 and an Osborne EB-3.

Thanks for the input!

[Bill Huber]

Well,

I ordered a V-27 and an Osborne EB-3.

Thanks for the input!

You will lover them, great miters, both of them.

Now when you get the EB-3 you will find that the flip part of the stop is on the left, mover it to the right and it works better with no slop. You will understand when you see it.

Also when you put the stuff on the face make sure it is 1/8 inch off the bottom so it will not drag on the saw top. Also after you get the stuff installed rub the heck out of it with something to get the loose one off.


Looking from the back of the saw to the front.
Before, as it comes.

149770

After you have moved it.

149769

[Heather Thompson]

Well,

I ordered a V-27 and an Osborne EB-3.

Thanks for the input!


Ken,

You will love the Osborne EB-3, I was lucky enough to get one new from a fellow Creeker last year for a very good price. Bill Hubers recommendation to flip the stop from left to right is sound advice, took me about a month to figure that one out, I also swapped out the plastic washers for brass which was another improvement. Enjoy your Christmas in May presents.

Heather

[Jason White]

Don't get the Incra MITER1000SE.

I hate mine! :eek:

If I had to do it again, I'd get an Osborne.

Jason


Osborne, Incra or Kreg?

I got a belated Christmas gift from a family member. I need an accurate miter gauge for my table saw.


Which of the above mentioned ones should I get and why is it better than the competition?

Your opinions and experiences please!

[Will Rowland]

I have the Jessem, and it is a very solid piece of equipment, with lots of cool features, but on mine at least the indexing pin for 90 degrees has quite a bit of slop in it. You can lock an angle down by tightening the handle, but you can't use the indexing pin as a reliable method for setting the gauge at exactly 90 degrees.

I've seen a number of other posts over the last few years complaining of this problem as well.