Looking for a new miter gauge

[jeff vanek]

looking for a new miter gauge to cut 45's with for picture frames, which one's do you guys like the incra, kreg, osborne, etc??

[Joey Chavez]

I couldn't live without my Incra 1000SE.

[scott spencer]

I like both my Incra and my Osborne EB-3.

[Rod Sheridan]

Jeff, for something critical like frames, I would make a mitre sled.................Regards, Rod.

[Ron Natalie]

I bought the Incra as my band saw didn't have one. Works well enough for me.

[Rick Thom]

Jeff, for something critical like frames, I would make a mitre sled.................Regards, Rod.

I like the Incra too, but that's not to say the others aren't as good.
For picture frames, I prefer a shop-made jig (sled) that is exactly 90 degrees and runs in the miter gauge slots. As you advance the sled it bisects the 90 degree. Cut 1 leg on the left side and repeat with another on the right side. This forms a perfect match of 90 degrees. You can add stops on both the left leg and the right leg on the sled to ensure both sets are cut to specific lengths.
There are lots of plans available such as this one http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=30357

[george wilson]

I have an Incra,but the front surface is just too slippery. I faced it with beech finally. Problem solved.

[Ron Kellison]

The Osborne EB-3 does everything I need with accuracy. I occasionally check the angle position detents against my blade using a drafting square and it's bang on everytime.

Ron

[Doug Colombo]

I have the Incra 1000SE and have been very pleased with it.

[ian maybury]

I suspect it depends a lot what sort of cuts you want to make, and the situation in which you want to make them.

The basic issue is that if cutting a wide panel we need a lot of accuracy. e.g. an accuracy of 1mm in the 600mm width of say a piece of worktop would give a lousy looking joint with a 1mm gap at one end. Yet that 1/600 angle is a bit less than 0.1deg which is about the limit of even quite high quality non specialist digital angle measurement tools.

Bring that 600mm down to the approx 100mm radius at which the average mitre fence controls it's angle and the 1mm tolerance is down to 0.16mm - but reduce this 1mm gap to the say 0.1mm gap/tolerance that probably amounts to an accurately fitting joint over 600mm and you're into controlling the angle to within 1/10 of this - which is about 0.016mm or .0007in (a bit over half a thou) at that 100mm radius. Which takes a lot of precision to achieve.

Picture frames don't necessarily need that sort of accuracy because they are narrow, but on the other hand they are something we're likely to be picky about. I don't know what the realistic numbers may be.

Incra claim 0.1 deg accuracy using the vernier scale for the Mitre 1000 SE using the vernier scale which is very good going given the relatively small radius of the toothed detent wheel that controls the angle setting - but may or may not be close enough for your purposes. Something like the Osborne gauge may be a bit better due to using a longer radius for its adjustable strut. All of these will be disturbed a sloppy mitre slot fit or the like.

In comparison a fence dialled in to 90 deg using the four sided cut method can end up very accurate indeed - it's pretty amazing how precise our senses are on this sort of stuff, and sometimes it's easier to use them to finesse our way up to a target than it is to do it by absolute measurement. The type of sled that makes the two mating cuts of a mitre in one pass sidesteps a lot of the need for absolute accuracy. You need to get it set up accurately to 90 deg in the first place, but this can as above be finessed by trial and error.

Which in a round about way is maybe saying that if you plan to use a device to set your cut angle that's not going to be disturbed/can be left set (is dedicated to the job) it'll do it - provided the setting can be finessed, and provided it'll stay reliably at this correct setting once this has been found.

So something like a finely adjustable mitre gauge can probably be set to do the job - provided the design is such that (as e.g. in the case of the Incra) the calibration adjustment allows you to sneak up on the setting by trial and error - in much the same way as a sled can. (but the sled brings advantages like zero clearance too and minimal cost - although a zero clearance throat plate would solve most of that one)

Whether the gauge once set would tolerate being adjusted to another angle (to handle another task) and then return precisely to the previous setting is another thing. That'd be asking quite a lot of it, and I don't know the answer - although Incra sound pretty confident about it on their website: 'INCRA manufactures the only Miter Gauges in the world that are accurate enough to produce gap-free hairline glue joints on the mitered corners of any multi-sided object without trial-and-error setups. WE GUARANTEE IT!....' (my personal view is that it probably can, but that a very wide cut could present problems...)

I guess a sled is the easy way in, in that it's (a) cheap, (b) incorporates the above adjustability if designed right, and (c) can be dedicated to the specific job. On the other hand if I had the Incra or had other uses for it I'd certainly give it a try....


ian

[glenn bradley]

A sled. I have a couple Incras and they are great but a sled that rides two miter slots serves me best.

[Frank Drew]

209160

Here's one solution. :D

[Ulmia rolling table saw set up for mitering.]

[Dan Bowman]

I like my Incra but when tight joints really matter, I use my shop-made sled

[Bill Trouard]

I like my Incra but when tight joints really matter, I use my shop-made sled

I agree with that mindset
I like my Kreg KMS7102 but when tight joints really matter, I use my sled.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61nK9cD2oRS._AA1000_.jpg

[Kyle Brooks]

I'm an incra man. That is all I use except for 90's and I use a sled.

[Brian Kent]

I loves my Incra 5000!

[jeff vanek]

does the incra have something that rides along the fence that holds the wood down like the kreg ?

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

The Incra 1000SE suits me fine. When I need a tight fit I attach the gauge to a sled I made... similar to the Incra Miter Express. No problem yet.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Either a shop made dedicated miter sled, or a Dubby from In-Line Industries. I have both. With the Dubby, I can make a seven sided frame for a picture in nothing flat

[jeff vanek]

Either a shop made dedicated miter sled, or a Dubby from In-Line Industries. I have both. With the Dubby, I can make a seven sided frame for a picture in nothing flat


the dubby looks like a good one

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

does the incra have something that rides along the fence that holds the wood down like the kreg ?

Jeff, what you see on the Kreg fence is a stop not a hold down. The Incra does come with a stop.

[Alan Schaffter]

Miter gauge or sled- then do what frame shops do, finish off the cut with a miter trimmer like a Dosch/Pootatuck/Lion/Grizzly/Veritas!

http://www.leevalley.com/US/images/item/woodworking/saws/03h0101s5.jpg

[Bill Huber]

I am in the sled camp for frames, like was stated, cut one cut on the left and then the next cut on the right and they are spot on.
For other things I use the EB-3 and the Incra 27

[Bill White]

I use the Incra 1000SE. Like the stops, adjustable slot bar, and extension for longer cuts. I'd buy it again.
Bill

[Trent Shirley]

Rick, thanks for the link. I like the idea of these sleds, especially the thin stock one, if you are even slightly off 90 degree on the blade each side will still match up.

I have an Incra 1000SE myself and it is a wonderful tool but I agree, a sled is much better for this type of work.


I like the Incra too, but that's not to say the others aren't as good.
For picture frames, I prefer a shop-made jig (sled) that is exactly 90 degrees and runs in the miter gauge slots. As you advance the sled it bisects the 90 degree. Cut 1 leg on the left side and repeat with another on the right side. This forms a perfect match of 90 degrees. You can add stops on both the left leg and the right leg on the sled to ensure both sets are cut to specific lengths.
There are lots of plans available such as this one http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=30357

[Alan Lightstone]

I like my Incra 1000HD. But agree with the sled for really finicky stuff.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I don't see any mention of the frame size. I have built hundreds of mitered frames with sleds and miter gauges. I prefer a quality miter gauge. For me it's easier to dial in the miter to exactly 45º. It also easier to cut to a precise length, both of which are needed for tight joints. A quality frame clamp also helps a great deal.

With a miter sled, you loose the base material thickness in your total depth of cut, so this can be an issue.

I made this frame in 2004. I don't remember the size, but there were several #20 biscuits in each joint. The walnut started out a 12/4 stock and had quite a cove cut to it.

http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz35/HarveyMelvinRichards/photo-1.jpg

[Jerome Hanby]

I like everything about my Incra 1000se except the maximum extension of the arm. Looks like the 5000 would take care of that! Had the 5000 on my Amazon wish list for years and finally jumped on a Woodcraft sale on the 1000se. May have to move it to the bandsaws and get that 5000 after all...


I loves my Incra 5000!

[jeff vanek]

i was looking at the incra 1000SE today at woodcraft, looks very well made, i think i might wait for the woodworking show next month in chicago to pull the trigger, thanks for the info guys.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

Jeff, with the 1000SE you can also have a sled for small pieces. The sled I made put me back only the cost of a miter bar - $15. I had the hold down and scrap MDF laying around. It is assembled in a way that I do not have to re-calibrate the angles whether the miter gauge in in the TS miter slot or the sled. The angles are the same in both. Very safe also.

0209276

[Ken Harris]

Brian
are you able to get good cross cut and 45 cuts I am considering the 5000.From your comment you would buy again.

[Brian Kent]

Yes, absolutely. I double-check with a combo square or a plastic artist's triangle. It has several points to secure it in exact place and holds there fast. Yes, it gives very exacting cuts. After double checking the 90° mark, I can use the gauge as the most accurate angle gauge in the shop for exact measurements.

[Van Huskey]

Brian
are you able to get good cross cut and 45 cuts I am considering the 5000.From your comment you would buy again.

BTW Amazon has it for $253.14

[Rob Holcomb]

I just bought the Incra 1000HD from Rockler. It's on sale right now for $119

[Lee Schierer]

I looked at Incra and Osborne when I was looking for a new miter gauge for my saw. I chose the Kreg miter gauge and couldn't be happier. It is easy to use and is very very accurate. It sets up easily for the left or right side of the blade and comes with an adjustable stop for repeat cuts.

217491

[Ole Anderson]

I have the Incra 1000se and haven't used it in 2 or 3 years since I made up a couple of sleds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/CJ7ole/IMG_1758.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/CJ7ole/Crosscutsled.jpg

[Bill White]

Incra 1000SE for me. Never lets me down. Once set accurately, it works for all I have asked it to do.
I do have a sled, but I find that the Incra setup works well for most cuts I need. No need to remove guards and splitters, and the stop(s) has never failed my projects.
Bill

[Peter Quinn]

I have a JDS accu-miter that I like a lot, but for mitered frames it's usually a sled for me. Or a pair of sleds, one left one right . Wth a miter gauge you either need to set up twice for rights and lefts or cut half your corners face down, which isn't ideal for some moldings and causes more chip out. A good sled or pair of them is quick, repeatable, and accurate. I made a set at work for about $0.29 worth of MDF from the scrap heap, a piece of scrap for the fences, and a strip of UHMW for the miter bar. I've probably cut 1000 panel mold frames with that set up, no issues. I'd gladly spend te $0.29 again!

[Van Huskey]

I have the Incra 1000se and haven't used it in 2 or 3 years since I made up a couple of sleds.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/CJ7ole/IMG_1758.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/CJ7ole/Crosscutsled.jpg

Interesting use of the square to make the sled, would have never thought of it!

[Bill Geyer]

Another vote here for the EB-3.
On sale at woodcraft this month, too.

[Robert Joseph]

Miter gauge or sled- then do what frame shops do, finish off the cut with a miter trimmer like a Dosch/Pootatuck/Lion/Grizzly/Veritas!

http://www.leevalley.com/US/images/item/woodworking/saws/03h0101s5.jpg

x2....picked one up at an estate sale years ago.