WWA Info Exchange

I've been looking at some new wiz-bang fences. Mine is shop bilt and works reletivly well, but lately I've noticed some hitches developoing due mostly to wear I think. Besides, some of the new fences have features I'd never thought of 20 years ago when I built mine.

One feature, however, has me baffeled! The Incra fence (and table) are set at 90 degrees to what I'm used to seeing. In other words, the stock moves along the short dimention of the table leaving a long space back of the fence for their overly long distance adjustment. Here's a link to refer to: http://www.incrementaltools.com/INCRA_L ... fncsys.htm

I've been tryin' to figger this bad boy out for three days! I just don't get it. Does anyone else see the advantage to this? You certainly wouldn't want to move the fence back far enough to run the stock between the cutter and fence left to right, that would be seriously dangerous. So why the extra room?

Any guesses?

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Joe T

I have an older model Incra ... the "24 inch system".
Bigger than I should have bought (they had a 16" version then).
But, I can route a groove in the middle of a 4' sheet of ply if I want to.

:shrug:

Seriosly though. I can safely route farther from the fence than a "Norm" style router table. Think routing dovetails on a 20" wide board for example.

There are many other advantages to this system than that:
-repeatability
-accuracy
-micro-adjustability
etc

Having the fence in a different orientation took some getting used to; but not a deal breaker.

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~Dan.

I like Incra stuff - well made, etc. - but they do tend to go overboard on 'features' that most folks will never use.

I have this Freud fence & table, which is easily adjusted or removed, and use the Incra miter gage if needed. Does everything I need it to do. Only thing I'd want to add to it is a Router Raiser.

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I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)

I'm always puzzled by incredibly complicated setups. I make things to fit, not to measure, so "repeatability" isn't higher on my list than a clamp or some hot glue here and there on a fixture. Those Router Workshop guys have spoiled me for elaborate and expensive things.

I rout to the middle of a piece of sheetgoods with a handheld router and a clamped fence. Lightest, simplest way to do it. Sort of like running copes is so simple when you push with a squared piece of sheetgoods rather than a groove and gauge. It's even its own tearout backer.

The mounting foot, the adjustment ring and the fence itself all take up room. Don't think it would fit on the table in the other direction, one could certainly make a bigger table to account for that.

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Paul G
"To the last I grapple with thee, from heqq's heart I stab at thee, for hates sake I spit my last breath at thee."

Shun those studies in which the work that results dies with the worker.
-- Leonardo da Vinci