INCRA TS-LS Fence lock down cam lever

[Bob Gores]

This is my first post - I just want everyone to know that I have gleaned a lot of wisdom from all of the great information on this forum and appreciate everyone that participates to make it as great as it is.

I don't know if anyone else has already thought of this...

I have a contractor sawstop that I purchased from a cabinet shop that was downsizing. As part of the fixup/tuning of the saw - I was able to talk the wife into letting me purchase an INCRA TS-LS Combo 3 whiich is the 52" with the router table on the left and the wonder fence. I have done some cutting with it already and love the INCRA! I have yet to install the wonderfence and do any work with the router.

In doing research on what INCRA to purchase - I had combed the entire internet (at least it felt like it!) - to help convince me I wanted to spend that amount of money on this system. In doing so, I had come across some posts that brought to light some areas of improvement. In using the system - I also felt like I could at least contribute something to making it work better for me.

One thing I didn't understand was why INCRA put an allen head screw at the back fence lock down. In the limited time I have used it - I really only lock down the front of the fence and it is solid. But - I really didn't like the idea of having to use the tool to lock down the back - I like to lock the back if cutting/ripping plywood. So - I first I thought I could get extra parts from INCRA to make the back look like the front.

But - I came across this cool cam lever and it is red to boot! It is a HART DESIGN MOBY CAM LEVER JIG KIT - 2 PK from Hartville Tools - http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/3809/knobs

It seems to work really well and it takes just a quick flip and the fence is locked down. With is mounted front and back - I can easily lock one or both down quickly.

I have attached some pictures. With this being my first post - I hope it comes out right... One picture shows a close up of the front cam lever loose, one picture shows the front cam lever locked down, and the last one shows an overall picture of the fence with both cam levers installed.

Thanks,

Bob

[Brian Kincaid]

Did you purchase new 1/4-20 bolts for the mod? (how long?)
I am going to copy your idea, it's a winner!
-Brian

[Craig Behnke]

i like the idea, i may try it. thanks for the pictures of what you did

[ken carroll]

I think the allen was used at the back to satisfy the ambulance chasing lawyers. Imagine leaning over a spinning blade to
flip a lever - gasp!
That's why we have $3500 Chinese saws with a clever blade stopping mechanism.......

[ian maybury]

Hi Bob. A similar alternative I've thought of for the same reason is to fit another hand knob (as on the infeed end) on the outfeed end/back lock on the fence. The one issue that needs care is that to get a good lock down it's necessary to slide the stud/knob assembly towards the table before tightening.

A related fix i've gone with that might be of interest makes it easier to set the toe out on the fence (which needs to be a few thou over the width of the saw blade) is to install a pivot screw as as follows. The problem with the stock arrangement is that when the screws clamping down the LS base to the base support panel are loosened to adjust the toe in/out the two assemblies can slide about relative to each other. (the screw holes are oversize) With the result that fine toe in/out adjustments of the fence are difficult - because the fence and positioned assembly is not pivoting around a single point.

1. Adjust the fence per the manual close to being correctly aligned relative to the saw blade - by loosening the clamping screws that run through the LS base (the assembly with the large red lever that locks the positioner) into the base support panel. (the very approx 6in wide wide aluminium extrusion it sits on that locks down on to the rails) It's then possible to use a parallel sided strip of wood set against the face of the saw plate to align the fence roughly parallel. Then tighten everything up again.

2. While still assembled drill a single hole through the mounting flange/foot of the LS base and through the base support panel at a handy location mid way between the two pairs of clamping screws on the infeed side of the LS base - use the tapping size drill for an M5 metric or similarly sized US cap head screw. The exact position isn't important except for visuals. Remove the LS base and tap the hole in the LS base support panel. Enlarge the hole in the flange/foot of the LS base to fit the shank of the cap screw.

3. Re-assemble the whole lot, including the new pivot screw.

Adding the pivot screw means that when the LS base screws are loosened to adjust the toe in/out the LS base, LS carriage and fence 'T' assembly can pivot around the new screw - but not slide about the place.

A handy and very controlled method of using this set up to fine tune the toe in/out is as flows. Cut a strip or block of hardwood or birch ply, drill a hole in it so you can bolt it down to the saw table in a line parallel to the saw fence and near to the fence (mine had a conveniently placed tapped hole) with one end butted against the LS carriage. (that's the long extrusion that carries the fence at one end, and that has the threaded bar that does the locking mounted down one side) Or clamp it down if you can reach.

Run the usual check with a dial gauge to decide how much of the blade needs toeing in or out. It's then fairly simply geometry to calculate how much the LS carriage needs to move at the point where the piece of wood is touching it. Loosen the LS base clamping screws, and use a feeler gauge between the LS carriage and the piece of wood to precisely make the adjustment. Then lock the LS base (which will have pivoted slightly around the screw just fitted) down again.

It should be pretty much right first time.

Not sure if that's clear, but i can post some photos if it's of interest...

ian

[Bob Gores]

I think I used 1 1/4 length since I found a couple lying around in the shop. 1 1/2 may be a better length....

Thanks!
Bob

[Bob Gores]

Oh - one more thing - when I first put these on - I thought they weren't going to work very well untill I finally realized this: remember you can rotate the 1/4-20 bolt in either direction to loosen or tighten the cam action of the lever depending upon which way you want the lever oriented to the fence... If that makes sense... I had to do that on both of them since it was going to be too tight and the cam action was going to put too much pressure. I could have rotated the cam lever a 1/4 turn or so but then the fence would have interfered with the action. So I rotated the bolt to allow the cam lever to be slightly looser...
Bob

[Bob Gores]

I have found in using the INCRA fence system - that the natural flow is to lock down the positioner cam lock and then flip the cam lever/s on the fence. All of this is done on the right side of the fence. Safely away from the blade.

Thanks,

Bob

[Bob Gores]

Yeah - I thought about putting the same hand knob at the back also - but like the cam levers better.. I have not had any issue with the stud assemlby shifting.

Can you provide pictures on your toe in/toe out modification? I too found the whole assembly sliding everywhere when setting it square with the blade...

Thanks,

Bob

[ian maybury]

BTW - should have said that the cams look neat Bob.

Here's the photos of the way i adjust the fence toe out. Adding a definite pivot in the form of the screw into the base support panel definitely makes it a lot more controllable - it's the single screw in the middle.

The strip of wood between the fence and the saw blade is just a rough but fairly reliable way of getting them set more or less parallel before fine tuning the toe out.

The feeler gauge isn't that obvious in the photo showing use of it between the carriage and my bolted down ply fixture, but the point is that it gives good control of how much the toe out angle is changed by. The fixture is long and further from the fence than otherwise might be the case - there was a convenient tapped hole in the saw table.
ian

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