INCRA TS-LS Table Saw Fence 32"? 52"? or...........

[Jim Eller]

........ forget it.

I've always been intrigued by the Incra fence, have few nuggets in the tool budget and I and thought I would give it a try. This would be going on a 2005 PM66 with a 52" extension.

The questions are:

1 - 32" or 52"? I currently very seldom cut any they very wide. If I need to break down sheet goods I use a track saw. The current extension is 52" so is that the route to go? Is there any difference in the accuracy between the two? Suggestions?

2 - For those of you that have this fence, is it something you are happy with and would buy it again or should I just forget the idea?

3 - Is it a hassle to install on a PM66? From what I've read it appears to be pretty straight forward.

4 - Anyone have a router on the right side with this fence and how is that working out?

5 - Any pictures on a PM66

Thanks,
JimE

[Andy Giddings]

Jim

I had one on my Sears Hybrid saw that had no extension (before I migrated to a slider). My answers are:
1) 52 - its more useful than you think as you can also use it as an extended cross cut stop. Just clamp a known width piece of wood to the Incra rip fence ensuring that it doesn't extend beyond the front of the blade to avoid pinching. You then have an accurate and repeatable end stop all the way out to 52. It was also easy to add a length of Baltic Birch between the rails of the Incra to extend the saw table surface
2) I would buy again
3) Think the PM66 is a similar setup to most cabinet or hybrid saws so should be easy to set up. Check the Incra site or call them if in doubt
4) No router as I have a separate free standing router table
5) No but one of the Sears
Saw.jpg

[Jim Eller]

Thanks Andy. That helps.

I just read that the 32" can cut up to 52" if you move the rails to the right? I do not do anything to the left of the blade. Know anything about this?

I also have a separate router table but looking to add a second round it the table position.

Thanks again. JimE

PS - Like the systainers in the pic. Good stuff. Got a few of 'um myself.

[Andy Giddings]

Yes, Jim, you can move the rails over and get a wider cut - as long as you can mount the rails in the solid part of the saw (cast iron top and wing - not sure what your extension on the PM is made of?) should be straightforward.

[Jim Eller]

Andy, My PM66 has 19" of cast iron on each side of the blade slot. Thanks again for input and your time. JimE

[Andy Giddings]

Jim, sounds like you are in good shape as you'll have at least two solid mounts into the iron.

Couple of other things to be aware of that I remember from my install:

1) Am assuming that your extension already has legs at the right hand end? If so, you shouldn't need the leg set that is an extra with the Incra, but it might be worth checking that your existing support can still be used
2) If your existing splitter/riving knife mounts onto the saw table check that the back rail mounting for the Incra will still work with this. Shouldn't be an issue as you are moving the rails to the right, whereas if you have them in the normal location it can interfere with the mount for these
3) Even though you are moving the rails to the right to get a longer cross cut, you will have to move the TS-LS every time you switch from 32 limit to 52. The range of the TS LS is the cause of this. Its easy enough to do this (just release the clamps on the LS and slide it to the next stop) and there is a secondary scale that measures from 32 to 52 - just wanted you to be aware. You can see the intermediate position in my photo, the 52 stops are at the end of the rails

[Earl McLain]

Jim--Andy speaks with wisdom in my opinion. The only difference between the 32" and 52" systems is the length of rail and the leg kit that comes with the 52" system. With the 52", a pair of bolts on each rail set stop positions for 32" and 52" configurations. I bought the 32", and can't tell you how often I need 33" to 36" of width (never did before!!) Even the footprint isn't all that different--with the 32" I have to keep enough space that the rails for the 52" would be in the same same area.

Bottom line--the difference in price is $100, and if you wanted to buy the longer rails later they are $150 plus adding a leg kit. Someday i'll trade up to the 52, but it would have been smarter to do it from the beginning.

My opinion for my usage, your needs may be different.
earl

[Mike Herman]

I have the 52. It is deadly accurate EVERY time. It is easy to mount to any saw. The mount brackets slide in the rails so you can put them anywhere. To go from the 32 to 52 you have to move the leadscrew device over. There are adjustable positive stops that you can set up anywhere along the length of the rails to do this. I had the router on the left. I set up 3 sets of stops one for 32 inch cut one for 52 inch cut and one for the router. It takes only seconds to move. You could very easily have routers on both sides if you wanted to. Now the bad lol. It takes up space on the table to the right. The expense. I think with all the bells and whistles I have 1200 in mine. The rails stick out pretty far to the right, my garage is small and shares duties storing non woodworking items. If I had a bigger shop I would buy it again. That said I took mine off and would sell it for a decent offer

[Jim Eller]

​Andy, see below

Jim, sounds like you are in good shape as you'll have at least two solid mounts into the iron.

Couple of other things to be aware of that I remember from my install:

1) Am assuming that your extension already has legs at the right hand end? If so, you shouldn't need the leg set that is an extra with the Incra, but it might be worth checking that your existing support can still be used Yes it does have a set of legs.
2) If your existing splitter/riving knife mounts onto the saw table check that the back rail mounting for the Incra will still work with this. Shouldn't be an issue as you are moving the rails to the right, whereas if you have them in the normal location it can interfere with the mount for these Everything is mounted in the blade chaging area.
3) Even though you are moving the rails to the right to get a longer cross cut, you will have to move the TS-LS every time you switch from 32 limit to 52. The range of the TS LS is the cause of this. Its easy enough to do this (just release the clamps on the LS and slide it to the next stop) and there is a secondary scale that measures from 32 to 52 - just wanted you to be aware. You can see the intermediate position in my photo, the 52 stops are at the end of the rail I mentioned the 32" because of the smaller size(won't stick out the right side another 20" and most of the things I do are under 24" Larger stuff can be done on the chop saw or track saw. Really appreciate the input. I will call Incra tomorrow also for input. At least now I can speak half way intelligently.

[Jim Eller]

Earl - Thanks, see below

Jim--Andy speaks with wisdom in my opinion. The only difference between the 32" and 52" systems is the length of rail and the leg kit that comes with the 52" system. With the 52", a pair of bolts on each rail set stop positions for 32" and 52" configurations. I bought the 32", and can't tell you how often I need 33" to 36" of width (never did before!!) Even the footprint isn't all that different--with the 32" I have to keep enough space that the rails for the 52" would be in the same same are As said, most all of my cuts are >24"(currently, but like you said). I was looking at the 32" mostly for easy of use and size. The 52" would not be a problem as size goes.

Bottom line--the difference in price is $100, and if you wanted to buy the longer rails later they are $150 plus adding a leg kit. Someday i'll trade up to the 52, but it would have been smarter to do it from the beginning. Acually I believe the difference is only $60 because you deduct $40 from the price is you DON'T want the leg kit. Thanks for the input. JimE

My opinion for my usage, your needs may be different.
earl

[Jim Eller]

Mike - I sent you a PM. JimE

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I have the 36" and love it. I ordered mine with the router table to the right along with the wonder fence. I opted for the 36" version due to space, I'm currently in a garage shop and when the slide is all the way out, it sticks past the saw a good bit. I have a planner to the right of my saw so I wasn't able to fit a 52" fence in my space. I just use my tracksaw to break sheet goods down and do the final trimming on the TS. I'll snap a picture and share with you once I get a chance.

[Jim Eller]

Thank you. I currently have my jointer to the right of my table saw and the slide will go over the top if it but will limit access to the jointer. JimE

I have the 36" and love it. I ordered mine with the router table to the right along with the wonder fence. I opted for the 36" version due to space, I'm currently in a garage shop and when the slide is all the way out, it sticks past the saw a good bit. I have a planner to the right of my saw so I wasn't able to fit a 52" fence in my space. I just use my tracksaw to break sheet goods down and do the final trimming on the TS. I'll snap a picture and share with you once I get a chance.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

20160514_132651.jpg

This is an older picture but it should give you an idea. You can't really see the router lift but it's there. I also have the incra router enclosure and it works great. I get nearly zero dust when routing.

You can also see how close to my planer the fence arm is. When pushed back to make wider rip cuts, the arm nearly touches my planer. I have to move my fence near the blade whenever I'm done with the TS just so I can walk around the shop. I also have legs at the end of mine and feel it's a must. My table was sagging a good bit before I put the legs on so I don't know how people go without it. The aluminum rails of the LS positioner isn't strong enough to support all that weight like a steel tubed rail can. Maybe you can get away without the legs if you don't have the router table but a must if you do.

If you haven't already ordered yours, I'll give you an example of why you should and this was the moment it proved it's coins in my shop.

Few weeks ago, I was helping a friend make some doors for a pantry he was working on. We milled some poplar and and ripped them down to 2.5" for rails and stiles. I used my domino machine as my choice of joinery. I showed my friend how to use the domino and let him do the rest. He made a mistake on one of them when he didn't line up the cursor of the domino to the line marked on the wood. We had already glued the dominos to both ends of the stiles so we couldn't pull them back out. He was freaking out thinking he'd screwed it up but I told him no need to worry. We went back to the TS and I set the fence back to 2.5" to cut off the domino half that was sticking out and that's exactly what it did. It cut the domino flush with the wood and nothing else, even I was amazed by it.

Another case where it excels was sitting up my drawer lock bit at the router. I was making 16 drawers for my wife's closet when I ran out of wood. Being that my router table shared the same fence as my TS, I had to move the fence in order to rip down the new extra wood needed to finish the project. I logged the position of where the fence was at the router by using the nylon scales on the fence arms along with how many clicks of the micro adjuster. Removed the wonder fence, and moved primary fence to make the needed rip cuts. Put back the wonder fence and moved it to the location I logged before, moved the router bit up to bit with my old test cut and it was dead on. Took me less than a minute to set up the router to make the same exact cuts as before.

I think this is where the TS-LS positioner excels. Sorry for the long post but I hope it helps.

[Jim Eller]

Hoang N Nguyen

Thanks for the information. It really helps.

Questions: You say you have a 36" model. I only see 32" and a 52" models. Is it an older or different version that I am looking at. http://www.incrementaltools.com/Tabl...Fences_s/3.htm


Have you ever moved the rails to the right to get more capacity? JimE