The fence is now more accurate than my saw!
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Jul 19 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Accuracy, ease of use
Cons: Takes up more room than other solutions
The Bottom Line: If you can spare the room to the right of your saw then you'll love this fence.
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| charlesj68's Full Review: Incra TS III Table Saw Fence |
Why?
I bought the TS-IIIa after I grew tired of trying to get repeated cuts from the Delta Unifence that was mounted to my Delta Contractors Saw. Do not get me wrong; the Unifence would repeat cuts at a given setting just fine. My problem was when I came back and tried to repeat a setting after moving the fence. For example, suppose I cut a number of pieces that are 4 5/16" wide, and then a couple that are 8 1/2" wide. Later in the project, I need one more 4 5/16" piece. With the Unifence, I almost never repeated the exact measurement on the later cut.
For the purposes of repeatability, this fence is fantastic! Incra installs a series of polycarbonate "teeth" into the fence system, and these teeth mesh on 1/64" increments when you lock down a measurement. Repetition therefore is trivial! A micro adjustment wheel is also present which makes for adjustability down to 1/1000”. For all but the most anal of woodworkers, this has to be sufficient! Indeed this is actually more accurate than the line-up of my blade to the miter slots.
Setup
The instructions claimed that I would be cutting wood in about an hour. I smirked at this suggestion because I tend to take things very deliberately and an hour’s time for set up would be wildly optimistic. In truth, it took about three hours to finish, although this also included some time messing with the Incra WonderFence that I had purchased along with the TS-IIIa. The installation instructions were great. I found all the parts separately bagged and clearly identified. I also found everything packed carefully and well protected.
It’s big!
The biggest drawback to this fence is the amount of space it takes. The long center bar holds the meshing teeth and a number of rulers and scales. This bar is over 30” long and when you have the fence at full extension then you need a total of 6 feet in free space to the right of your saw! I was able to rearrange my shop to get this space, but that would be tricky for people more cramped for space. I combined the WonderFence with the TS-IIIa and mounted my router in the side table that sits between the rails of the TS-IIIa. This permitted me to eliminate the separate router table I had been using, helping to make up for the space needed by the TS-IIIa.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
charlesj68
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Member: Charles Jones
Location: Loveland, Colorado, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
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