Router Table with Jointech Fence or Save up for the Incra

[Ken Frohnert]

I am looking for a better router table. I know the old Jointech systems were really well liked but based on my research the company went out of business a number of years ago and there are no replacement parts available.

A guy has a Jointech table and fence system for sale for $275. I really like the system but wonder if that is really smart to buy that given that there are no parts/service available now. I was wondering what the likelyhood I would need parts and service for it?

Or should I just wait and buy the incra table and system which runs about $700? I understand that incra is very much like the Jointech. However, the advantage is parts and service are readily available. Plus I think there a a lot of them out there now - the Jointechs are not to common. So down the road parts for the Incra would be much easier to obtain.

Of course the Incra is $425 more.

Any thoughts?

[Mark Carlson]

I have an incra LS positioner with a wonderfence, and I'd imagine it will last my life time. Not much that could break. Router lift would be a different story.

[Ken Frohnert]

mark,

So should i assume the same about the Jointech and go for it? Or are you saying saveup for the Incra?


I have an incra LS positioner with a wonderfence, and I'd imagine it will last my life time. Not much that could break. Router lift would be a different story.

[Mark Carlson]

If the jointech is similar to the incra I wouldn't expect much could go wrong but I'm not familiar with the jointech fence system. My concern would be buying something used and needing a missing or broken part and being SOL.

~mark

[Todd Davidson]

I have a JoinTech 12" Clincher & Fence (JoinTech's original positioner was the "IPM" - the "Clincher" was the upgraded version and - in my opinion - better constructed) on one of my router tables and it's built really well, so I'm not concerned about parts breaking. As fate would have it, I found another JoinTech at an estate sale (18" Clincher, Fence & Table Saw Rails w/ Manuals & Templates). If you opt for the JoinTech and need copies of either the manual or templates, let me know. The only downside are the original zero clearance fence inserts are hard to come-by (ebay is your best bet - JoinTech systems themselves pop up frequesntly for reasonable prices compared to the Incra). I rarely use/need them, and have made my own on a couple occassions. Truth be known, I haven't attempted many of the fancier dovetails, but for use as an accurate, repeatable fence system the Jointech is top notch. If you go with the JoinTech and have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Oh, I have heard about issues with JoinTech's router lifts, so you may want to avoid those, but their Fence system (and the JoinTech Smart Miter) have proven to be bulletproof.

[Chris Hachet]

I have the Incra Bits and they work brilliantly. YMMV.

Chris

[Prashun Patel]

Hope this doesn't come across glib, but I think you should first figure out what you want out of a router table. If you want a joinery system for dovetails and box joints, etc., and you want a microadjustable fence with a lot of bells and whistles like stops and 'shimmability', and split faces, and dust collection, then it's hard to overstate or beat the Incra system. There are three downsides: 1) the price 2) you need to stick a tool into various holes to make certain adjustments; it's jiggy. For many that's a pain. 3) The footprint; because the Incra is designed for drawer box joinery, the carriage that guides the fence is wide, requiring a large router table. If you are spaced challenged, this may be inconvenient.

If you 'just' want an excellent router fence that is accurate and sturdy and adjustable, then you can do fine with cheaper solutions - you can even build your own. Many people do not use the router table for joinery or prefer to take the tool to the wood. There are also after market jigs for box and dt joinery at the router table that would moot the need for this to be integral to the fence as in the Incra solution. Of course, when you add the price of these after market jigs to your fence price, you're back to the price of the Incra +-.

I would also seriously consider getting a router lift. IMHO, this is even more critical than a good fence. The reason is that even a piece of plywood-cum-fence can be jimmied into perfect position with a c-clamp and a balled fist. But raising the bit to perfect height without a precision lift can be frustrating (forgetting even about the ability to do above-the-table bit changes).

So, what I'm saying is: figure out what you want out of your table, then determine your budget, then put the most dollars to the lift, and finally to the fence.

[Frank Martin]

Prashun has a good point. When I had a router table I never used it for joinery. So a simpler fence was the solution along with a very solid lift and a 3hp router.

[Bill McNiel]

Prashun has absolutely defined the decision process I utilized when reconfiguring my one person shop recently. I ended up purchasing the Incra Master Lift II and Incra LS Positioner with Wonderfence (overkill for most applications other than box joinery). I built a 3" thick torsion box TS extension that is dead flat and houses the router lift. It takes me about 2 minutes to remove the positioner and fence which leaves an additional 4' x 6' plastic laminated surface (can't begin to comunicated how much this additional flat surface helps). I am very happy and at peace with this setup.

[Rick Crawford]

I think I have some blank inserts

[Ed Aumiller]

Have had the Jointech system for over 20 years... never a problem... first had it mounted on table saw with a router lift in the table extension on saw where I could use it both as a router table and also as a fence for the table saw... lot of use there.... now have it mounted on a dedicated 5' table with lift...
The main screw shaft is metal and never expect it to cause problems...
The accuracy and use of both the Incra and Jointech are the same...
When I bought mine, I stocked up on the inserts thinking I would need them.... In over 20 years have only used 3 and they are not really needed...

Either one you buy, Incra or Jointech, if you take care of it will last you forever...

[Michelle Rich]

I have had Jointech for 30??? yrs? no issues.

[Charles Lent]

I have a Jointech IPM-1 and bought it new over 25 years ago. It is solidly built and I don't think you could break it from normal use. If you dropped it off a high building, well...... I use it frequently with my router table, but not so much for the fancy dovetail, etc. cuts. For me, it's mostly just a very accurate fence for my router table. For making fancy joints on a few boxes, it works great, but for doing any kind of dovetail or box joints in volume, there are faster ways. I now do the box joints in quantity with an Incra I-Box and dovetails with a Leigh D4R Pro.

I have the digital files for printing the strips for the IPM-1. A PM with your email address will get you a copy of them. You will need to print them on a good inkjet printer using 8 1/2 X 11 photo paper, and then cut them apart using a good accurate paper shear. There are 4 files. The original strips were plastic, but the inkjet photo paper version is quite good and will last a long time, if you make them carefully and store them in a sealed plastic tube.

Had the president and chief engineer of Jointech lived, I think he might have put Incra out of business. He was sure giving them some stiff competition for a few years.

For the price, I don't think you will go wrong buying the router table with the Jointech fence. Just make certain that everything works and is complete when you buy it.

Charley

[ChrisA Edwards]

The original question was posted nearly 5 years ago...

[Norman Pirollo]

I have (2) of the Jointech IPM-1 fence systems with microadjust. About 22-23 years ago, when the dovetail in dovetail was all the rage, I pursued this as I thought it was the coolest thing. Both Incra and Jointech were heavily advertising at the time. So invested in a inexpensive Incra jig, the plastic one. It worked, but the plastic detents began to get knocked off. Contacted Incra and they mentioned it was the nature of the design. Not acceptable to me. Returned it and decided agianst purchasing a higher quality Incra fence system. I was concerned the upgraded Incra fence system worked the same way with teeth detents, did not like the concept. So splurged on the Jointech IPM-1 system with linear screw shaft and never looked back. Liked it so much I bought a second IPM-1 system with all the templates and options. Still have these IPM-1 units to this day. Very well engineered!

Norman