Incra TS/LS install issue

[Brian Tymchak]

Well I finally finished my workbench and today was able to start on the other project that's been sitting in the corner of my shop for many months..:o

I bought an Incra TS/LS system for my tablesaw, a Ridgid TS 3650. Today, while installing the rails, I discovered a problem and I'm blocked. Hopefully someone here on the Creek has figured it out and can point me in the right direction.

With the new rear rail in place, I can only get 37 degree blade tilt. As the first couple pictures show, the stock guard/splitter base and the motor bracket run into the bottom of the rail. To use the stock guard/splitter, I would have to cut the rear rail and leave about a 10" gap. Not the way I want to go. So, I'm thinking, if I can come up with an aftermarket guard/splitter/riving knife solution such that I can remove the stock base, I can clip the corner of the motor bracket and get the clearance to go.. "full tilt".. :cool:

If anyone here on the Creek has solved this problem or has a good guard solution for the TS 3650, I would surely appreciate hearing from you. I checked out the Shark Guard splitter for Ridgid, but it appears to use the stock base.

Thanks for your help on this,
Brian

[Greg Portland]

Have you called Incra? They may have a solution that you haven't thought about...

[Brian Tymchak]

Greg, good thought. That did not occur to me. I will do that tomorrow.

Thanks!
Brian

[Joe Spear]

I currently have an Incra fence on my Jet cabinet saw, but I used to have a Ridgid 3612 with a Vega fence. When I first installed the Vega, I had the same problem with the tilt mechanism hitting the back fence rail. I finally took a hack saw, files, and angle grinder and cut out enough of the bottom of the rail to allow a full tilt. I think the instructions said you could cut out a complete section of the rail. (Maybe the Incra instructions say that also, but I don't remember.) But I figured that I didn't have to do that if cutting out part of the rail worked, which it did.

Also, I find that I rarely use the rear rail of the Incra to lock down the fence--just if I use featherboards of some other device that might lead to lifting of the rear of the fence. I couldn't tell from your photos, but cutting a relief opening in the bottom of the rail might work for you and allow you to keep the top section continuous.

[Tim Null]

I had the exact set up and problem. The Incra solution is to cut the rails. I didn't want to go that route, so I took off the blade guard. I then used a splitter and Gripper system.

My ultimate solution was to get a Sawstop......LOL

[Bob Potter]

Hello Brian.

I have a 20 yr. old Delta contractor saw [ right tilt] which of course has the motor hanging out the back. The top of the motor would hit the back rail of the Incra fence system when I would try to tilt to a 45. So what I did was to drop the motor all the way down on the mounting bracket and that give me just enough clearance to cut a 45. I also did not want to cut the rail.

Hope this helps,Bob

[Brian Tymchak]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the feedback.

Joe - I had not considered cutting away just part of the rail. Looking in to that this morning, that would indeed give me the clearance of the splitter mount. But I realized that I would still need to cut all the way through the rail for the splitter itself to mount. Still holding out for a "no-cut" solution, but hope is fading...

Tim - I looked at the Micro Jig splitters and Gripper today. May end up going that route. ...And, I have already started considering the "ultimate solution" you mention...;)

Bob - Mark at Incra (kudos to Mark btw. very quick email response!) also suggested getting a longer link belt and dropping the motor back and down a bit. As it turns out, I only have about 1/2" of rods left in the rear guide and I need about 1" of movement to clear the rail. Mark also suggested clipping the corner of the motor mount plate and I think I will do that to solve that bit of the issue.

Mark also gave me some suggestions for aftermarket blade guards - Delta Uniguard, Excaliber. He provided a link to a blog (http://lumberjocks.com/MarkColan/blog/17700)where someone bolted the Uniguard on to the Incra rails. I might be interested in the Uniguard, but I'm wondering about the motor itself clearing the Uniguard rail on a 45 bevel cut. Wish I could find a store around here with one so that I could look it over, but no luck there.

One other thing I thought of, if I were a metal working kind-of-guy, this might not be such a big problem. It seems like I could add about a 3" extension block behind the base mount of the splitter and then replace the stock splitter panel for one 3" longer, I think the whole splitter assembly would clear the rails and everything would work. But I don't have the skills, the machines, or the contacts around here to explore that.

This is turning into a bit of a frustrating exercise. I expected a bolt-on solution. Wish I had dug into this deeper than I did before I bought it. Oh well, lesson learned..

Brian

[Bob Potter]

Brian
One you start using the Incra fence you will not be sorry. The repeatability is something you will enjoy time after time. And being able to micro adjust the fence to get those perfect cuts. Once it is set up properly you can go back to a certain cut and be right on. It does take up a little more room on the right side because of the carriage, but you will be able to work around that.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

Bob

[David Hawxhurst]

i have the 3650 with incra rail system. had the same problem you are having. since i do have access to a milling machine i made a spacer block to move the stock splitter back to clear the rail. this solution lead to another problem now the splitter is to far behind the blade (and the dust hood was also moved to far back). my final solution and current set up is a micro splitter and gripper.

[Heather Thompson]

Brian,

I do not have your saw but had a similar problem with my PM66, the stock splitter/guard would not work with the Incra rails and there was no way that I would consider cutting them. I ended up buying a Biesemeyer splitter and could not be happier, also found a fellow Creeker that was restoring an older PM66 and he was looking for the stock spitter/guard, I gifted him with the stock system for the cost of shipping. I was happy to get it out of my shop and glad to see it go to someone who could use it.
As Bob stated, once you start using the system you will love it, there is no guessing and the repeatability is spot on.

Heather