Thread: unhappy with my incra ts ls 32" fence

Have you made your supplier aware of your problems?

Always seems a good first step.

I will the next time I go and visit, as it doesn't directly affect the running operation of the jig and I guess I can call it that as its something used to cut straight but the fence not being dead on 90 deg is unacceptable. If the rip fence I got with the saw can be square then why can't an after market product that cost me $749 and in Victoria at woodworking supplies charge $1280 can't be square.

But today is another day and I'm going to tackle this issue again and hopefully find a solution.
I did however write to Incra and told them the condition I received the fence and will write again informing them of the problem I'm having in regards to it not being square. As this is incra's fault and not that of the supplier, this is the condition it left the factory floor and they need to be aware of this.

My aim here is not to put anyone off from buying this product it does what it says but check the product before you leave the store, it may be a pain in the butt but it's well worth it.

Lastly for those who are going to purchase this fence if you own a 10" saw like myself you have to cut one rail to accommodate for the splitter and use the two extra brackets you received. You will also have to drill an extra hole in your table to get the extra bracket in. Or use a simpler method which I'm going to do and simply make splitter yourself and not go through any of that.

I contacted Incra and they were very helpful in resolving my issue.

Yep. I wouldn't be surprised if they replaced the whole thing. Mine was perfect out of the box and that's the experience most people have. Incra take quality and customer satisfaction really seriously.

Everyone makes mistakes, if they are willing to sort it then that's probably fair enough ?

Have you thought of making an insert and fitting a microjig splitter or something similar ? They are cheap, quick and easy to install and work well.

They have been really good about it, as the marks and chip doesn't affect the accuracy of the fence they don't feel it's necessary to replace it and frankly neither do I. They have offered me a $40 or 4000 credit points instead to go towards any of their products. The best thing that's come of this is that their having a word with their manufacturer who should keep an eye on their staff better.

One thing I found strange though he said having a fence square to the table from the top is not important only from the bottom. I don't understand why that is.

Guys, I have a LS setup here as well (except I'm using a 27 inch positioner) and I've had no issues at all! Mind you, one does have to read the destructions carefully when setting up! I've fallen into that several times with Incra gear...

I don't know that it matters if the fence is not square to the table - it just needs to be parallel with the blade doesn't it?

Damian, what is a "microjig splitter"???

Rob

According to the guy at Incra the fence doesn't have to be square to the table but I think it should so I stuck some sticky tape as shims where it needed and that fixed it. Strangely enough it wasn't in the fence manual but in the ls positioner manual which threw me off at first because I thought that was for the wonder fence manual.

A microjig splitter is a small bit of plastic that acts as a splitter, truly I don't knoww why they even bothered with it, how hard is it to replicate this with timber.

I used shims between the carriage arm and the fence itself to get the fence vertical to the table. I then set the fence absolutely square with the blade by locking the positioner, loosening the positioner cariage screws on the cross rail and after adjusting, tightening them again.

I've never checked for squareness with the table itself as I can't see the sense. If the blade isn't perfectly perpendicular to the tables front and back edges, squaring the fence with the edges is a BAD idea!

Still, if your setup works, go for it! The Incra system is a dream to use... I also have my router table setup as a wing on my saw table and it gives me the best of both worlds...

Thanks about the microjig splitter... Can't see that it woukd do much good either. Always thought that a splitter should be only a little thinner than the blade... Oh well, I've discarded the splitter/saw guard ages ago - evn before I got the Incra fence. Not recommended, I know but the guard was getting in the way all the time - particularly when using the router...

Rob

I too discarded the guard but not the splitter atleast when I did need but having said I bought myself a microjig and now I don't need a splitter anymore. This jig is an absoluter dream to use and very safe, it guarantees anti kick back, saves your fingers and makes cuts unbelievably close to the fence. I've also spent an extra $18 for a bit you can screw on to rip 1/8" strips. How cool is that! admittingly I haven't used that accessorie as yet but with some of my projects I know it will come in handy. Check it out if you haven't it costs aaround $80 for the standard or 90 for the advanced.

Whereabouts can I find details/buy??? (I've been thankful for the heavy leather apron several times now...)

I picked mine up from Welcome to Jet Tools & Machinery Australia but first check it out on youtube see if you like it.

yeah, i found them on my own. They don't list the micro splitters though. I've sent them an email to see if they carry them. Thanks...

Originally Posted by section1

One thing I found strange though he said having a fence square to the table from the top is not important only from the bottom. I don't understand why that is.

If the fence is leaning out from the blade then a square piece of timber will still be cut at the size the fence is set to as the bottom of the timber is in contact with the bottom of the fence.

If the fence leans in towards the blade then a square piece of timber will be cut narrower than the width the fence is set at as it will be the top of the workpiece that will be in contact with the leaning fence.

However this theory is incorrect as even if the fence is leaning away from the blade, if the workpiece is not square (ie a mitre cut piece with the thick side uppermost or a rebated piece with the rebated side down), is in contact with the fence then the cut will still not be accurate. for accurate results 100% of the time the fence needs to be at right angles to the table along its entire length and height.

Doug

Originally Posted by section1

One thing I found strange though he said having a fence square to the table from the top is not important only from the bottom. I don't understand why that is.

If the fence is leaning out from the blade then a square piece of timber will still be cut at the size the fence is set to as the bottom of the timber is in contact with the bottom of the fence.

If the fence leans in towards the blade then a square piece of timber will be cut narrower than the width the fence is set at as it will be the top of the workpiece that will be in contact with the leaning fence.

However this theory is incorrect as if the workpiece is not square (ie a mitre cut piece or a rebated piece with the rebated side down, is in contact with the fence then the cut will still not be accurate. for accurate results 100% of the time the fence needs to be at right angles to the table along its entire length and height.

Doug