New miter gauge

[Tim Compton]

I am looking at getting a new miter gauge for my table saw. I have a rigid 3650 saw. I have been looking at either the Kreg table saw miter gauge or the Incra 1000HD. Which one of these two would be the best for my table saw, or are there other options?. Any help would help me make this decision.

[Steve Wurster]

I also have a Ridgid 3650 TS and own the Incra 1000SE miter gauge. I like it a lot. It doesn't have as many built-in angle stops as the 1000HD, one every 5 degrees instead of basically one every degree, but so far I haven't had the need for anything that's not a multiple of 5.

A few things to keep in mind...

First, if you use the gauge on the right side of the blade, watch out when using a dado stack. I have trimmed a little bit off the angle stops on the left side of the gauge with a wide dado setup. Not enough to affect those angle stops, but it did happen. I've heard of people not moving the fence when making a 45 degree cut and accidentally cutting into their fence. But I don't think this is unique to Incra miter gauges.

Second, you might run into play issues with the miter slots. Even with those adjustable disks on the bar my gauge still has a little bit of play. It's only when the gauge is at the front of the saw; it's nice and tight close to the blade. I tightened the adjuster on one disk so far that it broke the little Allen wrench they give you.

Third, the flip stop on the fence has little adjustable bars that can be used to fine-tune a cut. You either want to remove them when you don't need them, or at least make sure the thumbscrew part is out of the way. Those screws have a tendency to move and so even though the bar is out of the way, your piece might hit the thumbscrew and you'll end up with a shorter cut than you want.

Otherwise, I have been very happy with the gauge. I would buy it again if I was looking; Incra stuff is top-notch.

[Bill Huber]

I had the Incra 1000HD and just did not like it very much and sold it, then I got an Osborne EB-3 and love it.

I also have the Incra V27 and between the 2 I have everything I could ask for. The EB-3 is larger and will handle longer boards then the V27 but I use the V27 for small stuff.

You may want to take a look at the EB-3.

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

[Lee Schierer]

I have the Kreg miter gauge and love it. It is easy to use and very accurate. I've used the pre-set holes with the provided shot pin to cut 22-1/2 degree angles to make perfect octagonal frames with no need for adjustment.

[Brian Tymchak]

I had the Incra 1000HD and just did not like it very much and sold it, then I got an Osborne EB-3 and love it.

I also have the Incra V27 and between the 2 I have everything I could ask for. The EB-3 is larger and will handle longer boards then the V27 but I use the V27 for small stuff.

You may want to take a look at the EB-3.

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

+1. I'm with Bill on this one. I have an Incra 1000SE and never felt it gave me really good accuracy with longer boards. Was kind of a pain to get set up the first time too. For whatever reason, tightening the screws on the plate while keeping it square to the blade was difficult. It always wanted to pull off square as I tightened them down, regardless of the sequence I tried. I just recently picked up the EB-3 and have not had an opportunity to put it into play yet, but it looks like it will handle longer boards better.

[Bill Clark De]

hey --isn't hunting season up there/

[Bobby O'Neal]

I am also a very happy EB-3 user but if money were of less importance I would have gone with a Jessem. My father has a Mite-R-Excel on his Unisaw and I really like. Feels much more robust than the Osborne and gives a feeling that it won't budge. That said, I have never asked my Osborne to do anything and had it fail but I suppose it's the luxury car analogy.

[Alan Lightstone]

Funny, I like my Incra 1000HD a lot, but I've never owned the others that Bill has.

I didn't find setting it up to annoy me at all.

[Rick Gooden]

Since owning the Osborne EB-3 for 3 or 4 years (replacing an Incra) I have never given a thought to a different miter gauge.

[Bill White]

My 1000SE has done all I've needed, over and over. That's repeatability.
Bill

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a miter gauge -- an Osborne -- but I use it only when I need some odd angle. Most of my crosscutting is done with cut-off sleds. My main one is at 90 degrees, and I have another at 45 degrees. There are several advantages to a sled. First, it is wide, so the workpiece and the offcut are controlled very well. Second, the cutting angle is fixed, so there are no knobs to fiddle with, or to slip. Third, the sled carries the workpiece, so unlike the miter gauge there is no tendency for the workpiece to twist as it slides on the tablesaw top.

[Tom Willoughby]

I use a sled for larger pieces and use a Kreg miter gauge for smaller pieces. The accuracy of both are spot on.

Tom

[Bill Littler]

I have the Incra 1000HD. Just got it a few months ago. It was a breeze to set up and very easy to use. Accurate and repeatable. IMO any quality aftermarket miter gauge will be a very noticeable improvement over the OEM's.

[Tim Compton]

Santa has gotten my wish list for an Osborne EB-3.

[Bruce Wrenn]

hey --isn't hunting season up there/

It's always hunting season here. I'm always hunting for the thing I just laid down, especially pencils. Unfortunately as you get older your ears also tend to hang down also, so they no longer hold pencils very well. I need some of those little blue pills for my ears.