Incra TS-LS Joinery Upgrade Worth It?

[Terry Thillemann]

I'm buying a TS this week and was planning to put a router table extension onto it. I'm sold on the Incra fence system and believe it will be a great investment. I'm going to make all my kitchen and dining room inlay cabinets next year including drawer boxes and doors. I thought the joinery version of the fence would be excellent for making all the dovetails and raised panels; however, I read it's really only good at smaller drawer boxes and for the dovetails I'd be better off with an expensive Leigh D4 or something of that nature.

It'd obviously save space and be cheaper to add my router to the TS and get the joinery version of the fence than to separate and buy 2 Inras, assuming the router version is really helpful for things other thsn dovetails, but now I question if I even need the joinery version and should get the standard TS-LS instead.

Can the joinery version do my larger drawer dovetails? If not, are there other things it can do which make it worth buying the combo fence rather than the TS-LS?

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Joe Cowan]

I am just now learned the Incra router table package and love it. It is easier than the Leigh (I just sold mine) and also get the benefit of other functions that are available.

[Danny Canning]

I got the TS-LS combo around 6 months ago. I got it in the main because I needed to replace my table saw fence.

It took me several attempts before I was happy with the level of the rails but aside from that I have to say that I am more than happy with the purchase. I've not tried doing any dovetails over eight or ten inches long but I cannot foresee any major issues.

I've not tried the Leigh systems or similar and they may be worth it, others will need to chip in on that but for what it's worth from my point of view, with what the Incra does for me, I could give you a VERY long list of other toys I'd rather buy before I'd look at a separate router jig.

It is a truely fabulous piece of kit; my only regret with my purchase is that it wasn't made sooner. My joinery has improved no end and the stress levels and rework have dropped significantly.

Good luck with your purchase.

[Prashun Patel]

I have the Incra LS + Wonderfence for my router table. It is typical Incra quality: ultra precise, but requires considerable set up. Once set up, it works very well. Incra products tend to be 'jiggy' and require screw drivers to adjust them. For example, the Wonderfence allows a lot of flexibility, but requires you know which of the 5 screw holes to loosen/tighten to perform each adjustment. That can be annoying for some people.

Basically, you pick your drawer stock size and then choose from about 20 different dovetail layout patterns from their manual. You then insert a measuring tape for that pattern into the carriage and calibrate it. After setting depth the bit height, you can gang tail cuts. The carriage does work as advertised, you set it to the marks on the layout tape, and then lock it. You can rely on the precision to cut the locations perfectly.

The pin cuts are done flat, so they can't be ganged.

I will say that I am not a big fan of the right angle attachment. It relies on nylon screws to secure it to the Wonder Fence. The screws serve as bearings as well. So, they need to be tight enough to eliminate slop, and loose enough to allow smooth sliding action. It's fine. It produces fine results.

I've said this here before, but the Incra fence system is wonderful even for the tiny joinery kludges. I would pay the same price if it were JUST a fence. The reason is that it's so accurate in each dimension. Even the Wonderfence has a wonderful wedge adjustment system. Once you learn how to use it, it allows precise shimming of the left and right halves of the fence. I made an entertainment unit with inset doors, and this allowed me to shave micro inches from sides of the door for a perfect fit. It is a superb jointer.

I would also counsel you to get a router LIFT with your system. The Incra MastRLift is a great lift. A lift will allow precise movement vertically. You'll want this kind of precision when calibrating bit height for your dovetails.

[Terry Thillemann]

I talked with Incra technical support and they recommended going with a separate router table and Inca fence so I wouldn't have to always do changeovers or have parts in the way.

For those who've combined the router to their TS, do you regret it and wish you had 2 separate machines?

[Ray Newman]

many years ago, I tried the TS/router table combination. Quickly became a chore to reset the router table fence or bit height if I needed to use the table saw. Went back to a small router table and have not looked back.

[Prashun Patel]

If you are not space constrained then I also vote for separate router table. Know, though, that the footprint on the Incra LS positioner is quite wide because of the carriage. So, you'll need more space than the average router table.

[Terry Thillemann]

If you are not space constrained then I also vote for separate router table. Know, though, that the footprint on the Incra LS positioner is quite wide because of the carriage. So, you'll need more space than the average router table.

It appears to be 27x43 ... this surely adds a lot of cost if I have to buy another fence and table. Unfortunately, I don't know how often I'd really switch back and forth between the saw and router. Is it that difficult to go back and set the router height to the exact height? I will be getting a Incra lift and I have digital calipers.

[Earl Rumans]

I talked with Incra technical support and they recommended going with a separate router table and Inca fence so I wouldn't have to always do changeovers or have parts in the way.

For those who've combined the router to their TS, do you regret it and wish you had 2 separate machines?
I have my Incra router table mounted in my saw and I am very happy with the results. I am space limited and don't really have the floor space for another table setup. I mounted mine reverse to the way Incra recommends. I just flip the fence around and have practically a stand alone router table. It is extremely easy to flip the fence around and everything registers accurately in either position. Here are a couple shots of my setup.

In saw mode.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u65/retfr8flyr/Saw/Saw1_zps78ff3ca1.jpg (http://s165.photobucket.com/user/retfr8flyr/media/Saw/Saw1_zps78ff3ca1.jpg.html)


Setup for router with my Incra Mast-R-Lift II.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u65/retfr8flyr/Saw/Router1_zps61cfbc09.jpg (http://s165.photobucket.com/user/retfr8flyr/media/Saw/Router1_zps61cfbc09.jpg.html)


http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u65/retfr8flyr/Saw/Router2_zps5f6659c8.jpg (http://s165.photobucket.com/user/retfr8flyr/media/Saw/Router2_zps5f6659c8.jpg.html)

[Terry Thillemann]

Thanks for sharing Earl. I went with an extra 12" cast iron wing and the 16" cast iron Bench Dog Promax with Incra lift. With all that weight I have to build a custom mobile base to support it before I can set it all up. Oh well, that's part of the the fun of woodworking!