how's the Incra router table combos for general use?

[Mike Kelsey]

Been thinking of buying the router table combo#3for some time. I haven't read much about these setups for general routing purposes. For those who have one of the combos what are your opinions/comments on these units? I noticed in a recent FWW comparison review it wasn't even mentioned.

[glenn bradley]

You'll hear this many times, so I'll start ;-) Build your own router table. The Incra products are top notch and I am sure the combo would serve you well. But, I would save some of that money and buy material for a stand that had drawers, dust collection, better table support and any other special design item that would fit your shop and your methods better than a generic four leg stand.

Now that I have fulfilled that response requirement, I hope someone who has actually used that setup will chime in, I can speak from experience about the high quality of Incra product in general.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I don't have the router setup but I do have a table saw fence and am VERY impressed with it. At first it seemed overly complicated but now that I have used it a bit I REALLY like it. I get the same feeling looking at the router setup so I am sure it would become second nature very quickly. And they ARE accurate.I did have a problem initially getting it set properly but a phone call the their support guy had me up and running in a few minutes.

Regards
Fred

[Duane Meadows]

I have used the Incra Pro system on my router table for about 18 years. Love it! For general work, you do need the wonder fence or an auxiliary fence. Wouldn't use anything else for most routing jobs.

[Adam Diethrich]

General use?

Incra I'm sure is nice (have not used), but I sure like my Bench Dog universal fence on my homemade bench/router table.

A.W.D.

[Prashun Patel]

I have the Incra Router Table package #3 (I actually bought #2, but upgraded to Wonderfence after the fact). I also have a Jessem MastRLift II.

I have no regrets. The fence is top notch. Where it differs from all other fence systems is 2 places: 1) PRO: it is micro adjustable and has a long carriage that allows you to mark along it for repeatability. It locks into the indexes. If you wish to do boxes or joinery, then this will make it very easy. It also allows you to sneak up to the perfect depth of cut very well and with repeatability. 2) CON: the super long carriage has a large footprint. If you are space-challenged, this is a pain.

The dust collection in the fence is pretty good.

The fence also shims very precisely; the front face rides on a tapered shim between it and the rear fence. By sliding that taper, you can adjust the in and outfeeds very well. It makes jointing parts very easy; I was able to fit a bunch of cabinet doors quickly and effectively with this and a straight bit.

If you are working on limited funds, then I'd first invest in a good lift. However, the Incra, while expensive, is excellent for everyday routing and gives you more options for advanced joinery if you wish.

[Shawn Pixley]

I think Prashun nailed it. Iy is very good ... if you can afford the space. I have one but I don't use it very regularly. I've added a cabinet for dust control and bit/accessory storage. I hate the space it takes up. I've been thinking of getting rid of it and find an alternative so I might regain space.

[glenn bradley]

I have the Incra Router Table package #3

Now here's the guy to listen to. Prashun's opinion would be good enough for me ;-)

[Earl Rumans]

I have the Incra setup on my Jet saw with the router mounted in the table extension. I haven't had a chance to use it that much, it's all new but so far I really like it. It took a little getting use to, compared to a regular fence. Not having to measure and bump the fence all the time is great. When you want 4 inches you have 4 inches, that's a great confidence builder. I like the accuracy of the router portion and I have limited space so the combination router/table saw works great.

[Craig Behnke]

Mike,

I have basically that same setup paired with the incra router table/stand. i used the table/stand as the frame to build a router cabinet with built in dust collection and drawers for storage. the incra frame + my cabinet is a mix of build and buy.

As far as performance of the incra products, I have had no major issues whatsoever, and the minor issues i've had incra has stepped up and solved them right away.

Precision and repeatability are the reasons i have the system. i don't have a tremendous amount of natural woodworking talent/skill and i don't have 20+ years of hard earned experience that has honed my skill. Having done hobby woodworking for a few years, I have found certain things help me produce decent projects. One of the things that has helped is precision control over certain tools such as my table saw (incra fence) and my router (incra fence).

The incra fence system does a fantastic job with the basic routing work that I do, in fact, for most basic router work it's a bit of overkill, but for tougher projects I have come to love (and rely on) the capabilities of the system.

The wonder fence has great DC, the offset fences are easy to use and the sliding wedges mean they are infinitely adjustable.

The LS positioner and micro-adjust have saved my projects more than a few times....it is easy and precise to use.

I really, really like the incra router fence stops for the wonder fence. they make it so easy to set up to make multiple pieces at once.

With that said, it needs to be set up properly to work well.

[Stan Mitchell]

I built my own table and stand, but have the 17" LS super system - which would be the #3 package without the table and stand.

I like all my Incra products including the super system - terrific tools.

Be forewarned though. There is a down side to the Incra fence system in that that they can take up a whole lot of real estate compared to a traditional router table setup - that is - there is more router table behind the fence than in front of it and can take up a lot more shop space than anticipated.

[Mike Kelsey]

Thanks for all the encouraging replies. I've had the Incra 5000 sled for three years now and agree incra's quality is great. I was actually thinking of getting the #3 combo with the LS25. I have the space: the ground level of an old barn I've been converting to a woodworking shop for the last six years. Now that I've finally retired I hope to get it winterized and make the space ready for the router system soon

[Aleks Hunter]

In a word, its excellent. I have a TS/LS set up on my table saw with a bench dog iron wing on the left side I love the stability that only comes from mass. Still working out the dust collection for dados (I use upcut spiral bits and they suck the chips down) but for general profile routing it is superb. The through the fence dust collection works well. The high fence attachment is a nice touch. The planes of the infeed and outfeed are independently adjustable, and the repeatability just cannot be had for five times the price. As someone else pointed out, building a router table cabinet is a great project.

[Earl Rumans]

I forgot to mention the dust collection on the router table. With the Wonder Fence attachment and the Incra Clean Sweep system, router box and special MagnaLOCK router plates, there just isn't hardly any dust.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Fancy router fences a great, but I seldom rout anthing but an edge and that doesn't need a fence that travels much. For joinery the Incra fence does its thing with dovetails and box joints. That's a style of work some people like to do. Dados are better cut topside, imo. The depth is more consistent. All that travel things like INCRA do are great for router table grooves I suppose, but they don't do anything to hold the work down tight over the cutter so the the depth is consistent.