Woodpeckers or Incra?

[Andrew Lee]

Hi all,

I'm about to drop my cash on a fence system. I have a Triton TRI001 and plan to make large furniture (tables, desks, etc).

Which fence system would you recommend?

The Woodpeckers Superfence with the micro adjuster looks good and is cheaper. And seems less reliant on templates like the Incra (the furniture I want to build doesn't need the small joint patterns the Incra templates seem designed for).

But the Incra LS super system has the positioner which looks like a great way to get very accurate and repeatable cuts.

If anyone has experience with these fences, their quality, reliability and accessories, I'd really appreciate hearing about it.

Thanks very much.

[Rich Riddle]

I tried both and own the Incra. Lots of errors in my work but can't blame it on the Incra.

[Tobias Lochner]

I have the Incra and the Incra Table Saw system. had them for about 11 years now and would not change them. That said, Woodpecker and Incra appear to work hand in hand and both products are incredibly well engineered, don't think you could go wrong with either of them. The range on the Incra unit is very diverse, however if it's dovetails, finger joints and cabinet side through M&T's you want, nothing, absolutely nothing beats the Leigh Jig D4 or later.

[Andrew Lee]

The range on the Incra unit is very diverse, however if it's dovetails, finger joints and cabinet side through M&T's you want, nothing, absolutely nothing beats the Leigh Jig D4 or later.

Interesting. I didn't know the D4 could do M&Ts, let alone through. Lots of cash though, especially when you add up the templates.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[Raymond Fries]

I have the Incra super fence with the 17" positioner. It is very accurate and I have been very happy with it. I have only used it on smaller projects though so I cannot voice an opinion on how you would like it for large furniture. I agree that Woodpeckers products are well engineered and that would be an excellent choice as well. You will enjoy using which ever one you decide on.

[Kent Cartwright]

I have had the Incra system for 5 years and love it. I have all the patterns/templates and never used them until a project last month. I set up my tablesaw and jointer so they both use the fence, as I have a small basement shop and this saved space and a little bit of dinero. I hope someday to have the time to explore all the possibilities this system offers.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I looked at the Woodpecker fence and it isn't that substantively different from a $5 fence I made from MDF going off a plan by Gary Rogowski in Fine Woodworking. The Woodpecker unit is better looking to be sure however.

Incra is a good system but if you want to cut joints with a router, something like a Woodrat offers a lot as it can do both dovetails, sliding dovetails, mortises, and tenons without too much confusion. Because the work is clamped and the router carriage is moved, heavier pieces can be handled which would be awkward to handle vertically on a router table.

I had an Incra table saw fence for many years. It was a nicely engineered and reliable tool, but the parallelism those things deliver isn't something you'd normally need in a router fence unless you're doing something like dovetails with it. I cannot thing of an occasion I've encountered where exact micrometer placement of a router groove relative to the work piece edge was essential to doing good work. I suppose if you're doing grooved cutting boards or something crafty like that where exact placement of grooves in relation to each other mattered aesthetically a precision router table positioner like an Incra would be a useful thing.