It seems that every table saw I have ever had, has always come with a functional but very basic miter gauge, and even the last saw I purchased, which was a higher end saw, still came with what I consider to be a pretty useless, basic and hard to use - Mitre Gauge, then one day it fell off my table saw onto the floor and broke the tightening handle, which I fixed with a wing nut and have used for a few months, but now it's time for me to invest in a better miter gauge that will be less frustrating to use, easier to set up and maintain accuracy..
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/-BZWyduxVZQ
To start off with here is a visual comparison of the mitre gauge I am replacing and the new Incra with the attached fence extension. You can see that the green original version is very basic and quite easy to get out of alignment despite a mediocre attempt make it appear more functional, it is actually the opposite.
And here is the reason I picked the Incra 1000 SE, the adjustable fence extension that attaches right to the miter gauge, and if you notice on the left side of the fence the split in the fence means the fence also extends out to almost 3 feet in total. Excellent for people who want to make quality picture frames. As well you can see the Flip Stop, which is also an excellent addition that can be used to make picture frames and ensuring that each side of the frame is exactly the same length ... VERY important in making picture frames.
This is the detail of what the operator sees when looking down on the Incra Mitre Gauge, each one of those "V" cuts and the "V" insert ensure every fixed angle is perfectly locked in, and if you want an angle that is not one of the preset V notches, you can align the miter gauge anywhere, and if you use the vernier at the back of the miter gauge you can even set half degrees.
Here is the front view of the Flip Stop. It comes with the single bar attached, but also comes with 2 small minibars that can sit in the bottom slots so that you can make stop cuts of different lengths. This can be a handy item for people making rail and stile doors, or even setting up for tenon cutting.
Once the center bar has been adjusted to take up any "play" between the bar and the miter slot, the Incra Mitre Gauge is solid and smooth to operate and easily adjusts in both angles and in fence extension.
At the time of this article, this miter gauge is new to me so over the next few months I will have a chance to use it and see how it really performs, but so far, it is light years ahead of what I had.
Click here to see more detail and pricing on Amazon about this and other Incra products Incra 1000 SE Mitre Gauge.
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