Got My New Incra Fence

[fRED mCnEILL]

Just receive my new 52" Incra table saw fence and finally got it installed. I saw a video that suggested you could get it installed in a hour. Heck, it took me over and hour to take the old beis fence off. LOL. And while installation of the new fence is pretty straight forward , installation in a hour is pretty idealistic. It probably takes an hour to unpack and assemble all the parts. But the instructions are excellent and the various nuts and bolts are grouped very nicely. Anyway it took me the better part of a day to get it installed and all dialed in. There are a number of adjustments that all have to work together to get accuracy. And while I have made a number of test cuts today I will actually use in in anger so I am looking forward to see how that goes. There are some features I like better that the beis and some not so much but time will tell.

I will say this about the old beisemeyer fence thought, it certainly is built like a tank. And while the fence itself was reasonably accurate (just not accurate enough for me)the Wixey DRO I was using became horribly unreliable. Too bad.

Regards

Fred

[Earl Rumans]

I think you will like the Incra Fred, I am very happy with mine. It did take a little getting use to, looking way over at the positioner instead of down at the fence rail but it didn't take long. I think the accuracy and repeat ability is unmatched but then again I am new to using a real cabinet saw. Compared to my old saw and fence setup, it's like going from a Model T to a Ferrari.

[Victor Robinson]

Overall I think it was a positive change when I changed from my Sawstop's fence to the Incra. It definitely is not as convenient and also not quite as solid feeling as a good Bies, but I've been willing to trade some of that subjective feeling for the repeatability. I do not enjoy locking/unlocking the front knob though...probably my only gripe with the Incra...curious if others just leave it unlocked. I once saw a cam-lock conversion someone did, which would make that action a little swifter.

[tom gepfrich]

Had my Incra for over 4 years. I only lock the back of the fence if I am breaking down large sheets what could move the fence. I do make a habit of locking the front though. An important newbie lesson is understanding the micro adjust. Once zero is set, adjusting the micro adjust to shave a piece will change the zero position. I chased my tail on this one until I had the 'Aha" moment.

[Scott Snyder]

I also usually leave the front knob unlocked unless I'm cutting large panels. I installed the cam system and it is MUCH easier to use.

[Paul Douglass]

I installed one on my saw about 2 months ago. After 40+ years of "fence tapping" to fine adjust a fence, I'm really having a hard time getting out of the habit. Tom, I hadn't even thought about the fine adjust changing the zero adjust yet! Thanks, you just solved some of my frustration I have been experiencing! I love the Incra fence, but being a slow learner, I am having difficulty adjusting to it.

[Aleks Hunter]

"I saw a video that suggested you could get it installed in a hour. "

I feel your pain. I watched the same video and bought the ts/ls system. I think that the one our time frame is to build the second fence! But on the bright side the more you use the thing the faster it fades. And yes the pre-packs were logical, complete, and very well labelled. Someone was paying attention to customer service calls. The functionality adjustability of the thing is everything they say it is, phenomenal. Make notes when you're building things and you can duplicate your work very very easily. I love the tall fence setup. One thing I found very useful was a roll around work light to hover over the

[fRED mCnEILL]

Well, I used the fence in real anger today cutting 2 sheets of Baltic birch and one 1/2 " 4X9 sheet. The fence now gives me 59" of rip capacity(can probably be adjusted for and additional 12-15 inches).I LOVE IT. I was REALLY concerned that I would miss the digital display but not having to tap-tap-tap even with a digital was so nice. And not worrying about the Wixey diigital going out of adjustment was priceless(as the commercial goes) All you have to do is get the fence "close" to what you want and it automatically locks on to your measurement. And, the one thing I was worried about was how much effort it would be to move the carriage to rip over 32 inches, turned out not to be a problem at all. I do agree with AleKs Hunter who suggested a separate light to shine on the cursor not because it is particular difficult to read but just to help "old" eyes.LOL. Must be a suitable LED light out there somewhere.

Regards

Fred

[richard poitras]

I installed the cam system and it is MUCH easier to use.

Scott do you have any pictures / directions of the cam system you installed and or a list of parts to install a cam system?

Thanks Richard

[Earl Rumans]

Fred, my old eyes like some help also, I use a small LED clip on book light by Light Boss to light up the cursor. I just clip it to the cross piece, it works great for me.


Earl

[fRED mCnEILL]

Earl, thanks for the tip. I will look into one.