Incra Miter Gauges

Rob Keeble

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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Paul has a post going about the fence and i did not want to hijack it.

But i have had a Incra miter gauge on my to buy list for a long time.

Thing is they got so many models that each time i get to take a look they confuse the heck out of me so i pass.

To me this is a real issue with too much choice and loads of marketing hype. When i have to spend a ton of time to study an entire range to make a decision then i give up.


So which miter gauge and why is what i want to know.

Usually i would go to Lee Valley they tend to put up more a fact version hype write up, but even LV has three on offer.

I only want to buy once and i don't want to have regrets about it after. But i also don't want to be buying more complexity than i need.

For example they have brought out the 1000HD yet most stores i see like for example LV are still selling the 1000SE

These guys need to give some thought to just how many people are in my boat and stick with what they have rather than end up with something they disappointed in.

What say the family? Thanks in advance for all your inputs.
 
I say you are correct, it is confusing. They need a chart (and maybe they have one) so you can compare side by side. Right now I would buy the 1000se, because it has a red gage on it instead of black!
 
I have the 1000SE, I love it.

Some questions are answered here......

https://www.incrementaltools.com/Articles.asp?ID=162

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What's the difference between the 1000SE and 3000SE?
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The 1000SE has a more compact fence 18-31"), has 41 positive stops at the most common angles, and the vernier scale reads all the way to tenths of a degree.

The 3000SE has a longer fence (27-49") and miter bar. It also has 364 positive stops 1/2 degree apart, but it lacks a vernier scale.
 
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I have the 1000SE. The 1000HD wasn't available when I got mine, but the extended size and 1/2 degree increments weren't important for the type of work I do. I'd guess that 99.5% of the cuts I've made with mine have been at either 90º or 45º.
 
I have the HD it is a very nice miter why not get the HD its about the same price as the SE and has more accuracy
I also have an osborn EB-3 its also nice but no where near as accurate as the incra
Cass
 
OK, I'm stuck in the L shop and I'm bored......

View attachment 75317

You are welcome :wave:

:D:D:D I love Stu's posts :thumb:.

As is the answer to many of our questions; it depends. I bought the V-27 years ago for about $35. I added an Incra telescoping fence that I bought direct as a separate item at that time. It has met all my needs. I picked up another one when they were on sale a couple years ago to use on the router table. One disadvantage (if you want to call it that) of a miter gauge that is dialed in for a no-slop fit on your tablesaw is that it may not port over to your bandsaw or router table without being re-adjusted. I got burned out on re-adjusting and got the second one when the price was right

I find the telescoping extension to be of some value but, the accuracy of the face falls off once you get it extended out a bit. In practice I don't find this to be an issue as I am generally holding the stock on the fixed portion of the fence. Incra did send me a replacement telescoping section that was better than the first but, not as precision as one might expect; shimming the tube helped. My point is that unless you need 24" (or more) of miter fence, I wouldn't pay for it. My fixed fence is about 16" long with about 4" of extension section which can telescope another foot or so.

The tape measure on the extrusion is somewhat useful but, again, must be reset for any change you make. If you did a lot, of a few things, with the same setup, I could see the tape being of more value. I do use it, just not for determining dimensions on things being cut. That is, it is handy to have but I would not select the gauge based on it's existence :). The V-27 is dead-accurate once aligned and I have only re-calibrated it when changing machines. Now that I have a dedicated one for the tablesaw, I expect it will remain accurate until I change saws (if ever).

The value of the more intricate or granular features will be directly proportional to your need for such things. Some features will be a blessing for some while completely ignored by others. Think about what you wish your current gauge would do and target those features in your decision making process. Getting a decent miter gauge helped me make a major step in the things I do and how I do them. Most of all, have fun.
 
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What say the family? Thanks in advance for all your inputs.

Rob,

It's actually an easy choice. I forget what kind of saw you have (forgive me!), but here's my best advice: buy the 5000, and never look back. Yes, you'll weep at the price (I sure did!), but now I smile every time I use it! You may think now that you don't need all that functionality, but you never know what you'll need in the future. And you'll find yourself doing all sorts of stuff, just to see the results... ;)

Best,

Bill
 
Thank you everyone for your input. Stu glad u were bored and found that comparison chart.
Whilst the V120 would solve my needs i have found a local source for a HD 1000 at a real good deal for $155 plus our taxes.
I could do without the telescoping fence but want the stop. Like the idea of being able to set each degree, dont exactly need that but when i look at buying individual components its not viable so HD1000 for me.
Old gauge will now move to Band saw.:thumbup:

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
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