Replies

1. 
   Napie | Oct 08, 2003 11:35pm | #1

   Neither, home built will work fine.  It's WOOD, it'll move in greater amounts than the tolerence of that fence.

1. 
   johnhardy | Oct 10, 2003 08:03am | #3

   I've got the Incra fence on my table saw (with router in the extension table). The accuracy is superb, and believe me, it's great for repeatability. I can make a cut, move on, and if I need to repeat the cut it's deadly accurate. Sure, it's wood, but this fence saves me lots and lots of time and it's reassuring to know that I can make a new part that's exactly the same as a prior part without batting an eyelash.

   Don't knock this technology ... it's great.

   John

1. 
   Napie | Oct 10, 2003 06:41pm | #5

   I'm not one to knock technology, I mean I'm on a computer right now!  But, much of what I see are woodworkers who think that the latest precision gadget will replace accumulated skills. Including learning to use hand tools.  The Goddards and the Greenes built some great stuff without micrometers, like I said, it's wood, it moves.

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 10, 2003 07:10pm | #6

   "much of what I see are woodworkers who think that the latest precision gadget will replace accumulated skills."  So, you knew by reading the original post that Ken is such a person?  Wow, you must be psychic.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   Napie | Oct 14, 2003 11:16pm | #9

   Don't be catty, I was speaking in general terms.

2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 15, 2003 12:25am | #10

   "catty...."  now that's funny.  You do love to classify, don't you?  I'm about as "catty" as  a junkyard dog -- was just making a point without comin' down on all four feet. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   Shopmole | Oct 17, 2003 12:56am | #11

   uh oh i feel a lite beer comercial coming on :)

2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 08, 2003 11:42pm | #2

   Ken, have you done a search on Jointech, say over the last 6 months.  I'm pretty sure this subject has come up, but memory is vague.  I for one understand your craving for accuracy.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   GHR | Oct 10, 2003 08:54am | #4

   I have an Incra. I could not make it work well enough for me.

   The job was very light work. Making .135" x 3/4" x 8' stock .125". The stock was Clear Northern White Cedar. A PC router was used with a carbide spiral 1/4" dia bit. 3/4" feather boards were used on both sides of the cutter. A vac was used to collect the chips. A Delta power feed unit was used. Everything was set up on a 1-1/8" router table set in a 16' long bench.

   The fence I finally used was 1" x 2" oak with a piviot on one end and a lock screw and adjusting screw on the other end. The space between the piviot, the adjustment screw, and cutter gave me .005" of fence movement per 1/6th turn of the screw.

   I am sure some jobs are easy to do with a micrometer adjustable fence. This was not one of them.

4. 
   douglesso | Oct 10, 2003 07:50pm | #7

   I have the jointech and really like it.  I thought about converting to a regular fence, namely the jessem with a phenolic top.  The precision is great, but I would not recommend this set up for doing a bunch of dovetails.  The errors in each cut compound over the number of cuts and it gets a little frustrating when a 16" wide board with a dozen tails doesn't mate with its pins exactly.  For profile routing it is very handy, and the dust collection is superb.  Ensure that your router table is dead flat, and flat across the router plate as well, or it will cause a lot of problems.

1. 
   RRusso | Oct 14, 2003 09:26am | #8

   Ken,

   I have the Incra, and it's set up exactly like John's is. I would recommend it, but I've never used the Jointech, so I have no idea which is better. If you go with the Incra, expect to spend a couple of hours reading the manual and getting to know it. You won't take it out of the box and be whipping out half-blind dovetails in five minutes. It is "deadly" accurate, though.

   Having said that, I must admit that I use mine as a "regular" fence more than I do for dovetails or finger joints. I clamp on a couple of sacrificial fences and make frame and panel doors, rabbets, you name it. It's nice to be able to flip a lever and creep up on a perfect fit rather than tap and nudge my table saw fence or fight with a router base fence for dadoes and such.

   Plus, it looks cool. Everyone who visits my shop wants to know what it is. :)