Looking for recommendataions..

Brent Grooms

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46
For a new miter gauge and a tenon jig. This weekends adventures in saw work, proved that I really need to get a better miter gauge than what came with my saw. I am looking for one that will adjust to the slot width without breaking the bank. Also, I think it would be wise to pick up a tenon jig, any definate recomendations? I see that Grizz has one in the new catalogue at ~$59, Thoughts.. good, bad, indifferent?
 
FWIW, I have the Kreg miter gauge and the Delta tenon jig. Both adjust easily to the miter slot and have no slop at all. With a little practice, I got good enough on the tenon jig that I can cut the tenon just a hair proud and get a tight fit in the mortise with a few swipes of a sanding stick.
 
Brent, I also have the Delta tenon jig. I paid $99.00 at Johnsons a few years back. A bit more than maybe you hoped to spend, but it was in a test by FWW (IIRC) along with some other tenon jigs, and did very well or maybe it was rated #1 (can't remember for sure) . I based my decision to buy it based on the article from FWW.
 
What saw and what miter gage do you have now? Curious because I have never had one that was loose in the slot. Wondering if you have a mismatched set there.

As for Tenoning jigs I tried one and the checks were not square so I gave up on that and just do them with my miter gage and dados. So I can't offer any suggestions there.
 
Jeff, the gauge that I have now is the one that shipped with my pm64. not the greatest but servicable for most things, joints not included. Good point however on the use of dado's for the tenons, by not splitting my budget I can do better on the miter gauge while getting features that I can use more!!:thumb:
 
Brent,

I have the Grizzly tenon jig that you are looking at. It is very good. I think that they are all about the same but the good thing about the Grizzly is that it comes with very good instructions and I understand that some do not. I have seen some guys on other forums that save five bucks by buying another brand on sale and pirate the instructions from Grizzly on line. I personally think that is pretty crummy and have said so and then I get jumped all over. In any case, I do not think that you can go wrong with the Grizzly.

I have the Incra V 27. It is very accurate and has adjustments to make it fit your slot exactly. It will not brake the bank either. I think that I bought mine from WoodCraft. You might find a better price but here is the link to theirs. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4787
 
I have and love the Incra Miter 1000SE. I highly recommend it. I hesitated to spend the money, but I'm very glad I did. And comparatively speaking, the Incra is priced competitively.

I haven't had a need for a tenoning jig, but just last night I saw a picture of a tenoning jig someone had fabricated to attach to the Incra 1000SE, and it uses the Incra flip-stop's micro adjust to fine tune the tenon. I don't recall where on the web I saw the pictures, but if I find them I'll post a link. (I was on a different computer last night, so it's not in my History on this computer now.)
 
One more question Brent. Whats the problem with you miter gage? Sloppy fit in the slot? That is what I was assuming but that would surprise me with PM saw.

Of is it setting the angle accurately? I use a couple of OLD Delta miter gages so I am curious.

Vaughn what is it you like about yours? The accuracy for setting angles? I have just never seen a reason to spend that kind of money on one. But, we work differently so we have different needs. But you may know something I don't and need too. ;)
 
Jeff, the original gauge doesnt fit well in the slots... sloppy. Not a lot, but when I am trying to cut square joints, its enought to bug the bejeezzus outta me. I am thinking right now on one of the Incras or a JessEm
 
I've got the JDS and it's just OK. If I were buying right now, I'd be looking at one of the Incra units or the Jessem (or possibly Woodhaven). If you want a good one for use on the bandsaw though, get the small Incra V27.
 
I picked up the Kreg miter gage last year at the WW show ($129 i believe), used it a few times and gave it away. It worked fine for small pieces and was accurate but the aluminum miter bar flexed too much on larger parts, say 8" x 20". I then got the Incra V27 for $49 from woodcraft at the time it it's a much sturdier gage. I've considered the 1000SE many times but the V27 has never let me down. I personally shy away from aluminum jigs and such if possible, preferring steel/cast iron for it's heft and stability.

I also own the Delta jig and although it's only been used a couple dozen times I'm quite pleased with it. No opinion on the Grizzly jig.

Brian :)
 
Vaughn what is it you like about yours? The accuracy for setting angles? I have just never seen a reason to spend that kind of money on one. But, we work differently so we have different needs. But you may know something I don't and need too. ;)

First, it was dead on the money, right out of the box. My factory miter gauge, like most, has fine adjustment screws for the 90° and 45° stops. Getting those screws set exactly right, then keeping them in place, never worked out for me. I could never trust the cut. With the Incra, I can trust it. I seldom cut anything other than 90°, with the occasional 45°, but knowing that it's dead on is a great thing. And if the need arises for a 28° cut, I know the Incra will do it and be right on.

Another thing I really like is the adjustable fence, and it's easy to add a sacrificial fence to that, so you can have a zero-clearance backing for the cut. Makes it real easy to align a cut mark on the board and know I'll hit the line exactly.

Third is the flip-stop. Since it's an Incra, it has the toothed 1/32" increments for repeatability, with an additional micro-adjust for the spots in between those 1/32" increments.

Fourth, the bar that slides in the miter slot is adjustable, so you can remove any slop that might be present on your particular saw.

And finally, the gold color is nicely coordinated with my Incra TS-III, the orange Ridgid TS, and my green shop carpet. ;)

I also use the Incra on the router table when the need arises. The only reason I don't use it on my bandsaw is that the BS doesn't have t-shaped miter slots, and I have the Incra set up for t-slots, not regular ones.

I also have a Jointech Smart Miter, which has also been useful, particularly for crosscutting longer pieces, but the Incra is my go-to guage for most cuts.
 
I have the Osborne EB-3. Have no clue what it cost as the LOML gave it to me for Christmas a couple years back. It is extremely nice, only downside is you cannot use it in the right hand miter slot.

As for tenoning jig, I have the Delta, no problems, but I don't use it much. FWIW, I think a cheaper one would be as good, but I can't say for sure.
 
As far as the tenoning jig goes, I have the Powermatic model that I got when I bought my PM66. But you can make a pretty decent one yourself if you need another shop project. The one I let go with my previous Craftsman Contractor Saw was a shop-made one from a Wood Magazine article (with a few modifications). It worked just fine. I'm sure if you Google searched you'd find a lot of plans or examples.
 
Jeff, the original gauge doesnt fit well in the slots... sloppy.

That is what I was assuming. Says a lot about the quality! What a shame. My old Deltas just don't move. Good snug fits.

Vaughn, thanks for the info. I guess I will keep mine for now. I always set mine with my old drafting triangle square to the blade or at 45. I pull out my adjustable triangle for the odd ball angles. Works for me and saves me $100 plus bucks.

Now the adjustable fence with stops would be a nice addition. I screw on a wood fence sometimes and clamp on a stop block. Usually just use the regular fence with a block on it to set lenght. But I could see where that would be a very nice feature.

Jeff
 
Another vote for the Incra miter gauge. I would get one with the longer fence with the stops. I added the longer fince last year and love it. Makes repeatable cuts a breeze.

For the tenon jig I went with the Delta. I don't recall the number but it's the one for $100 or $120. Not bad. Sometimes the dado method works as well. I always cut mine thick and then work them to final size with a shoulder plane.
 
Just an update... I picked up the Incra1000 SE for $119.00 at a local tool store. I can't wait until this weekend to try it out! Will keep you posted...
 
Brent, I have the Incra Miter 2000. It’s a little cumbersome to switch from one miter slot to the other, and for that reason I’m not sure if I would buy it again, but the thing’s dead-nuts accurate.

Don't have a tennon jig... yet
 
a little update...

Well, I spent the morning setting up the Incra miter gauge and cutting some dados that will form some mortises (cheating, I know but it works!) If you have never used a upper end or a premium mitergauge, you owe it to yourself to try one! All I can say is WOW!!!! I LIKE IT!!!

As for the one I recieved when I purchased the saw, I am planning on drilling and tapping it and adding some springloaded bearings to one side to take up the slack for additional use.
 
I had an Incra 1000SE on my previous saw. I used it only for one task, cutting some bevels on t&g. It was good. But I'm glad I sold it with the saw!;)

I think crosscut sleds are better than miter guages. I realize not as convenient.

I don't have a miter guage now, but don't plan to get one. My saw has 1 1/4" miter slots in it. I'm just gonna use hardwood for the bars. I don't use the miter too much on my table saw, I crosscut on my miter saw. It would only need to be for stock wider than 12".
 
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