Thread: incra ts-ls questions

I am looking at buying the 52"(90"rails) Incra table saw fence system but am confused on a couple of things.

Only a couple ?

How do you tell how far you are away from the blade. I watched a lot of vids and on one they say there are 3 distinct stops along the rails. Are these at a certain distance from the blade and then set the sliding scale to zero and go from there and just add the set distance related to the 3 stops. If that is the case can you use a smaller positioner like the 17" so it does not stick out the back end so far. I already have a 17" with no attachment and a 25" with the router fence that I am waiting to arrive.

You set the stops. They are just bolts tightened up in the rail channels and the positioner mount butts up against them then you tighten it up. They are very accurate, more than you would expect. There is a setup proceedure to get teh offset right for teh router spindle and the saw blade. You ahve the option of setting spindle centre, near side of bit or far side of bit. I set up for centre and take up offsets in the sliding rules in the positioner channels. You cna use a 17 or 25 with a ts/ls, I have a 25. The only restriction is how far you can move the fence without repositioning the positioner. So I can cut 25" dovetails for eg, but I couldn't really cut 30" without a lot of fiddling when I move the positioner.

Also on the base that the postioner attaches to the rails for the router fence can you move the positioner off center on the base to acomodate the off set router table that I have to the right of the saw blade

No. You wouldn't want to. The system is very rigid so even if the positioner is offset from your tool it won't flex in the horizontal plane. The fence can be slided (slid?) back and forth as you want but again isn't necessary. I'm not sure what you mean by offset router table. Obviously the router spindle is to the right of the saw blade, I assume it is somewhat nearer you or further away aswell ? How far ? If it's offset a couple of feet you might want to consider an overlong subfence to get good infeed and outfeed length ? The TS fence can be locked to both rails which makes it strong and rigid enough to hang your whole saw off a crane by it. Piece of mind when handling very heavy logs and slabs but even then the positioner alone would probably not move.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

If I haven't made myself clear or not answered your questions ask more and I'll try to help. I reckon mine is the best woodworking thing I've ever bought. I would love a 32" positioner though.

Hi,

I have just set up my 52" system (actually the 1320mm metric version). You are correct - the actual sliding positioner can only cope with 810mm (32"). So you set up the system on this basis first, including setting the first stop. But the 92" rails have plenty of room to the right. Once you loosen some knobs (two on each side of the positioner) you pick up the positioner and move it to the right and butt it up against your next stop. Note that I believe you have to undo the grub screws and slide the four knobs as well as it is these that hold the positioner in place. If this is the case then I may buy another set of knobs (if Incra will sell me a set) as it would be quite fiddly to move them repreatedly. Note that all the stops are set by you - they are not preset at the factory. You could set it 400mm if you wanted.

You could do the same thing with a smaller positioner - you would just need to chop and change more often. The first stop would cover 0-17", the second could cope with 17"-34" and the third could go beyond that.

Cheers

Thanks for the replies. things are a lot clearer now. still pondering if i should buy my self an early xmas gift. i think it is a go
Al

You probably don't need extra knobs. I'm not quite sure I understand what your proposing there.

To relocate the base you loosen the hand knobs, lift the base move it to the new position, butt it against the stops and tighten. Takes seconds. Once your happy with your stop locations it's very repeatable, probably better than a thirty second (.75 mm). I have a system with the scales to keep track of my offsets. I don't understand what grub screws your referring to, but I am 99% certain you don't have to loosen them.

My next comment is personal preference. Lots of people disagree with me so YMMV.

If I had my time again I'd have a 32" positioner and the longer rails. Both would make my setup more versatile. I have a hybrid 12" saw with router mounted to the right and right hand fence. As it is my rails are mounted as far to the right as I can get them. Obviously longer rails take more shop space. The saw/router is my main machine. It is on wheels and I swing it to the wall to store.

Depends on how you work, what you make and your workshop space. Like I say YMMV.

incra.com has a number of very useful videos demonstrating the products. Well worth a look. You can also download all manuals and read them. The incra system take some getting your head around it. Some stuff happens the reverese of what you might expect. Once you've got it though it's spectacular, and even a twit like me can produce a predictable result.

Just to clarify what I meant about extra knobs. The knobs are secured to the rails with grub screws (I am not talking about the stops). In order to relocate the positioner you loosen the knobs themselves (by turning). This allows you to lift the positioner from its current position. But now you need to move the knobs to the new position in order to fasten the positioner in the new position (it is the knobs that hold the positioner onto the long rails). This involves undoing the grub screws etc. I would prefer to simply have a second set of knobs in place (ready to go and to simply loosen and relocate the positioner). Hope that makes sense. I have had mine up and running for less than 48 hours so perhaps I have missed something.

Cheers

Demos :: Precision Woodworking with Incra Fences, Jigs, Rules and Other Precise Woodworking Tools

go to ts ls super system and watch the video. At about 1:20 they demonstrate moving the base. All you need to do is loosen the 4 knobs and slide. If you happen to have an intermediate stop you should use the part stops demonstrated in the vidoe, in which case the base just needs to be lifted and moved. You should never had to undo anything else.

I am happy to believe I don't understand what your saying, but as far as I understand it you shouldn't have to be undoing any grub screws.

Please understand I'm not arguing with you or anything, just trying to help.

Don't worry - I know you are not having a go at me. Perhaps I am using the wrong words. The Incra instructioins call them "set screws" and they fasten the knobs firmly to the rails (see Figure 8 on page 5 of the TS-LS owners manual). I call them grub screws. My understanding (and I haven't used the system properly yet) is that once you have the stops in position you tighten the set screws so that the knobs can't budge (see figure 14 on page 7).

I suspect the answer may be that the set screws are "overkill" and that you could get by without them if you use the 92" rails - perhaps the knobs are sufficient to hold them laterally. I will try this on the weekend. But if you just had the 72" rails then you would never need to move the positioner so the set screws provide a further level of security that the positoiner won't move.

Cheers

I understand now.

I am confused. I don't tighten the set screws in use. I don't understand what they are for. I think this is a question for incra themselves.

When I use mine, as is shown in the video, you just loosen 4 knobs and slide, using the stops to locate the base, then nip up the knobs. There is a tone of leverage and friction which holds the whole assembly in place, no need for extra screws. If your concerned you just lock the fence at it's ends with the mechanism there. That done the thing would withstand a locomotive crashing into it.

I am going to write to incra and ask about those set screws. I'll post here when I get an answer.

Edit: I have the shorter rails but move my positioner all the time. The offset for the router is different than the saw and besides I can get a bigger throat for cutting sheet stock with the bigger offset. The setup is designed to be quick easy and repeatable in various locations left and right of your cutters.

Here is the answer from Mark:

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The purpose of the set screws is to lock the knob assemblies in place on the rails, primarily to keep them from vibrating around when working without the fence on the rails (like when crosscutting really long boards with a miter gauge).

The knobs are plenty for locking the base assembly in place, so it's not necessary to tighten the screws. Personally, I put a dab of thread lock on the set screws, run them in until they seat in the T-slot, then back them out 1/8 turn or so before letting the thread lock set up. This allows everything to slide by loosening the knobs, but it makes the base assembly easier to drop over the knobs when putting it back on the rails.

We occasionally have customers order extra sets of knobs for a second base position...there's always more than one right answer, and depending on how the rail stops are set up, a second set of knobs could be more convenient than just sliding the whole assembly.

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So you have 3 approaches. Move the knobs tighten the screws, move the knobs and leave the screws (what I do), set up several sets of knobs (as you were proposing to do). Your approach might be especially easier where you have intermediate stops, ie more than 2 positions.

There you go, I've learned something.