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Thread: router table in left or right TS wing - left tilt saw, incra TS-LS fence

  1. #1
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    Jun 2003
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    router table in left or right TS wing - left tilt saw, incra TS-LS fence

    So... finally bit the bullet and got an Incra TS-LS 32 fence for my Ridgid 4512 hybrid saw. Right now I have a small benchtop router table that I'm not really happy with, but my tool budget needs to recuperate a little so building a full-blown router table with all the bells/whistles I want is going to have to wait a while

    At first I thought I'd just replace the stamped steel left wing of the TS with a shop-made router table, and drop my existing Bosch 1617 router + plate in it. Then I realized that this saw is (I believe) a left tilt (motor hump on the left side) - the router would be butted right up against the saw motor housing. I'd probably still have nearly as much room from the bit to the edge of the wing as with the current benchtop table... and I could make the wing a little longer even if it sticks out a fuzz beyond the fence rails if it comes right down to it.

    Next thought was put the router table in the right side wing - I was planning on replacing the right side stamped steel wing with a table/wing out to the end of the fence anyways - gotta have somewhere to set tools and other stuff Seems that most times when people have a left tilt saw, the default advice is to put the RT in the right side wing. But... I kind of liked the idea of being to easily step around, rather than have to reach over, the RT for some operations. With the RT on the right, and the Incra fence sticking waaay out to the right, and the bulk of the TS top off to the left... seems kind of... awkward. Dunno.

    Most recent idea was to put the RT in the right wing, but use the stops on the Incra fence to flip it around and put the fence on the left side - like the directions show for a right-tilt blade - and and be able to use the right end of the TS for a routing station, and most of the length of the Incra positioner would be over the TS body, not hanging out waiting to snag a hip as someone (me) walks by... I think I'd have to move the fence/positioner body down to a secondary stop *anyway* if I used it in the left wing, just wondering what kind of trouble (if any) I'd be borrowing by using it flipped around like that?

    Suggestions, recommendations?

    TIA,

    Monte

  2. #2
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    when i had my ridgid 3650 with the incra ts-ls i put the rt wing on the left side. i used a second set of stops for the base, one for using the saw and the other for rt use. i found this to fast and logical as i didn't have to flip the whole incra jig around to use the rt. i guess what it come down to is which method suits your working style and fits in your space. to put another bug into the mix, you could build a rt wing on both sides and use the incra jig with either.

  3. #3
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    I mount the router on the left side. This yields:
    - same feed direction
    - no leaning over the table (if you set the fence that way on your right mount table which I have never understood ).
    - position RT miter slot same distance from cutter as tablesaw miter slot is from blade; this yields same use/scale for tenon jigs, feather boards, sleds, whatever.

    Just my .02.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #4
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    I have an Incra TS LS on my saw as a rip fence, and also an Incra positioner and Wonder Fence on a separate router table - which means I can't respond directly from experience to your question. There's others with more experience of the Incra stuff anyway.

    I've found both to work very well and to position accurately used this way (and I'm not sure if I have your requirement off right), but i'd be a little wary of routinely lifting off the fence assembly and flipping it through 180 deg to use a different set of stops for the saw to the router.

    Unless that is there's a few that can say that it works - that it repeats accurately/consistently.

    The potential problem with this is that not only has your second set of stops got to be accurately enough positioned to maintain alignment, there is also the possibility that any slight out of parallelism/squareness of the positioner mounting vs. the rails might introduce some sort of additional error due to springiness/deflection/slight out of squareness.

    Bear in mind that I've not tested one used in this way though, so it's purely a thought.

    If the router table is mounted (space permitting) to the LHS of the saw table then (as the guys say) all that would be required would be a second set of stops for the router position - the fence and positioner assembly would remain pointing in the same direction and in the same alignment to the rails when using both sets of stops. Which might reduce the risk of the sort of error described above.

    Another advantage would be that the positioner controls (the lock and the clicker) would always work in the same direction relative to where the user stands - reducing the risk of confusion.

    It's possible that flipping the positioner and fence over is OK, but bear in mind that when it's used as a rip fence that it needs to be set very accurately - in that not only does it need to position an accurately set distance from the blade, it's also got to be aligned (in terms of its angle) relative to the saw spindle/face of the blade to control the toe out (to the rear of the blade) to within ideally a couple of thou. The situation is eased by the fact that this isn't needed on the router - in that case only distance from the cutter matters. So at least only the set of stops used for the saw would need to accurately maintain the fence angle.

    I'd still be cautious about the risk of flipping over introducing more error though....

    ian
    Last edited by ian maybury; 09-30-2012 at 5:28 AM.

  5. #5
    Hello Monte
    I have a Incra L.S. with the router mounted on the left side of my table saw with stops set for routing. And stops set for ripping. It works good. The only thing different for me is my saw is a right tilt so there is no problem with table saw motor or router touching.

    Hope this helps, Bob

  6. #6
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    Pardon my butting in Monte, but this may be relevant to you issue too - so its hopefully not a hijack.

    Do you guys find that detaching, lifting and re-clamping down the positioner and fence assembly against a second set of stops for use with the router table repeats really accurately? In terms of delivering consistent saw blade toe out, as well as correction positioning? Especially with repeated moves?

    The TS LS replaces the rip fence on my Hammer K3 sliding table saw (the slider is to the LHS of the blade), and I've been looking at options for locating work accurately on the slider and parallel to its direction of movement to make e.g. rip cuts.

    I've purposely avoided going for a set up that requires unclamping/moving the TS LS on its rails (and have started building a set of slider mounted parallel bars), but another option is to use a second set of stops (as you would with a router tablet to the LHS) to enable it to extend leftwards in over the slider. Work would in that case be positioned off the fence - using if necessary an a minimally angled packer to compensate for the toe out of the fence.

    ian

    low res ts ls overall view.jpg

  7. #7
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    Jun 2003
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    Ian,

    Thats probably a good question... how repeatable *are* the stops?

    I would presume (given that mine is sitting downstairs waiting to be assembled) that they are as repeatable as any other, given that you clear out any dust/debris that might interfere.

    I'm kind of hoping, based on the length of the Incra TS32-LS rails that I'll have enough room to make a wider left side wing that sticks out just a fuzz and will give me enough clearance around the motor housing on the left side of the saw cabinet. Failing that... a right side table would have to be over a good ways to the right to clear the bevel crank for the TS (and give my hands enough room to operate it comfortably) - enough that I'm not sure having the fence on the right side of the wing would be workable.

    As far as having the controls on the same side or orientation... I don't have a problem walking around the saw to use the router table end if it were on the right end - I don't plan on any TS outfeed table being full width of the fence; right now I'm just using HD outfeed supports.

    The TS-LS instructions for 'final calibration' of the left side stops is subtly different from the 'normal' right side stops - looks as though it purposely accounts for the fence-to-miter-slot alignment being somewhat different coming from the other direction.

    Monte

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