Miter Gauge/Sled Recommendations

[Ryan Dyer]

Looking for some advice...

I bought a left tilting cabinet saw and also bought an Incra miter 5000 to replace the stock miter gauge. I figured the 5000 would give me a great miter gauge and sled all in one. I setup the Miter 5000 on the right hand side of the saw blade per Incra instructions...Problem is, i now can't use the sled for cutting dado's. I made some saw horses a while back using the stock miter guage, I had to cut dados on angles. This is what prompted me to invest the incra with its long fence etc. Now that i have it setup, i realize I cant actually use it for what prompted me to buy it!

I am beginning to think that either i should move the sled back to the left side of the blade, which sucks cause i got to drop $50 now to get a new panel and I cant cut with the blade angled. Or buy an Incra miter 1000 or 3000 to be able to do accurate cross cut dados.

What do you guys recommend? To me it seems like you need both the sled and a good miter gauge.

[Stew Hagerty]

When I was looking at miter gauges, I ended up buying an Osborne EB3 and I've never looked back.

http://www.osbornemfg.com/close-up.htm

EB3-b.jpgEB3-a.jpg

[Joseph Tarantino]

i bought an incra 1000 from amazon as a special offer. made sense, financially. wish i'd gotten the osborne instead. oh well, one day.

[Lee Schierer]

I have the Kreg Miter Gauge and love it. It is highly accurate and switches in seconds from left to right.416RG7JWK3L._AA300_.jpg

[Ryan Dyer]

So you guys think i should invest in a miter gauge rather then moving the Incra Miter 5000 to the left side of the blade?

[Charlie Ross]

This is an earlier post of mine… it still holds true!!
I’ve had my Incra 1000SE for a few years, and a several months ago purchased an Incra miter sled. That combination is one of the best small tool buys I’ve made for my shop. Not only is the 1000SE accurate, but with the sled, it works great for cutting small pieces where I have to get my fingers up close to the blade, and also helps keep larger pieces under control. For me it was really worth the extra money!

[Ole Anderson]

I haven't used my Incra 1000se since I built two sleds, one at 90 degrees the other splitting an aluminum Woodpecker 90 degree jig.

[Steve Wurster]

Why can't you cut dados when your sled is on the right? The blade tilts to the left, so what's the problem? Or am I not reading your question correctly?

[Stew Hagerty]

I haven't used my Incra 1000se since I built two sleds, one at 90 degrees the other splitting an aluminum Woodpecker 90 degree jig.

OK, now THAT is cool!! I have some of those that I use for squaring up assemblies, and they work great for that. But your idea is awsome. What blade did you use to cut through initially?

[Ryan Dyer]

Why can't you cut dados when your sled is on the right? The blade tilts to the left, so what's the problem? Or am I not reading your question correctly?

Because the dado blade increases thickness to right hand side. So it would cut into the zero clearance insert. I shouldn't say i can't, but it kinda defeats one of the benefits of a sled.

[Steve Wurster]

Because the dado blade increases thickness to right hand side. So it would cut into the zero clearance insert. I shouldn't say i can't, but it kinda defeats one of the benefits of a sled.

Oh yeah, duh! For some reason I didn't think of that.

For this case you could look at a sled that might have been in FWW where the opening could be adjusted based on installed blade(s).

[Ryan Dyer]

Oh yeah, duh! For some reason I didn't think of that.

For this case you could look at a sled that might have been in FWW where the opening could be adjusted based on installed blade(s).

Neither did I until i already had it setup

I am a newbie at all this, so i didnt think of stuff like that before hand.

I should have titled this thread better. I guess what i am really asking is before i drop the $$ on a good miter, do you guys have both a good miter gauge and a good sled like the incra 5000 sled.

[Steve Wurster]

FWIW, I have an Incra 1000 SE and love it. I typically use it on the left side even though I have a left tilt saw. I've moved it to the right a few times either for bevels or just due to the size of the piece.

I've been debating getting the Incra Miter Express as that basically gives you a sled with any miter gauge. With something like that you could run the express on the left and your 5000 on the right. You would just need a gauge to put in the express, but any gauge will do; even the crappy one that probably came with your saw.

[Ole Anderson]

OK, now THAT is cool!! I have some of those that I use for squaring up assemblies, and they work great for that. But your idea is awsome. What blade did you use to cut through initially?

I don't remember which blade I used, but aluminum cuts quite easily. Best use a negative hook triple chip blade, and with heavy extrusions like this one, a fairly low tooth count so you have good size gullets to carry the chips away. And another tip for cutting aluminum is to hit it with a wax stick so the aluminum won't stick to the teeth, although with a single cut like this, it shouldn't be a problem and you can use most any blade with a slow feed rate for a one-time cut. I used to do production work with aluminum in my home shop and have generated barrels of chips over the years.

[Stew Hagerty]

I don't remember which blade I used, but aluminum cuts quite easily. Best use a negative hook triple chip blade, and with heavy extrusions like this one, a fairly low tooth count so you have good size gullets to carry the chips away. And another tip for cutting aluminum is to hit it with a wax stick so the aluminum won't stick to the teeth, although with a single cut like this, it shouldn't be a problem and you can use most any blade with a slow feed rate for a one-time cut. I used to do production work with aluminum in my home shop and have generated barrels of chips over the years.

OK I've made a few small cuts in much thinner stock over the years, but I have never cut anything that thick before which is why I asked. Thanks for the info.