Customer Reviews

Incra TSIII-32 32-Inch Ultra Based Table Saw Fence Positioner (Sawtooth Rack Based)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I tormented over purchasing this fence, especially to install on an old Craftsman 10" contractor's saw. But I had already bought the Incra miter gauge and was very pleased with its quality and functionality, so I made the jump.

When the fence arrived, I was pleased by the careful packaging, with all hardware, nuts and bolts, and other fasteners in individually labeled bags. Installation was a breeze, although it took longer than expected because my neighbor watched, and we had to stop and talk from time to time.

After trying it out, I still can't believe its accuracy and its ease of use. I absolutely love it. I'm cutting boards without using the old tape measure. I just set the fence and go, and I'm getting better cuts than ever. It's true what they say about its repeatabilty--each cut is the same, even after moving the fence and then resetting it. I was cutting basketweave strips about 1/16" thick, moving the fence after each cut, and getting consistent results.

This is one of the few times I've bought a tool, used it, and had NO buyer's remorse. It's one of the best decisions I've made. Now maybe I need a new saw to go with it...

If you were designing a fence, think about the problem. You have a hand crank on the end close to you, that not only moves the fence, but tells you with precision where the fence distance is from the blade. Like most fences the cranking goes on close to you, and the tail at the other end drags behind, which results in a less than perfect angle, and measurement to the blade. The Beisemeyer fence did a good job, but only gurantees to within 1/64" accuracy. So now we move onto the logic behind the Incra TSIII-32. By positioning the crank in the center, instead of the edge, you eliminate the drag on the other end. Technically you still could get some uneven drag on either end. So what Incra did was create a large approxiamately 4 or 5 inch wide center guide, which keeps it square to the blade, and has a saw tooth pattern every 32nd of an inch, so when you tighten down the clamp, it falls into one of the teeth, so you get a precise measurement every time. Not only is it precise, but it is repeatably precise if you want to go back to that measurement. You may say, but what if the setting I want is not in 32nd of an inch increment? That is where the micro adjusting knob comes in. You can fine adjust, accurately to within .001 of an inch any setting in between. Incra guarantees accuracy to within .002 of an inch on the gross settings, the fine adjustment knob goes to .001. Phew. After you grow accustomed to dialing in a setting, in a matter of seconds, and getting a perfect cut, their is no going back. I used to take a tape measure and eyeball a setting from my old fence. The little tab on the tape measure is always loose. Even when measuring, getting a setting that is accurate to the edge of the teeth, which are wider than the blade body, instead of to the edge of the blade, is another illusion. Anyhow, net result-cut and measure, readjust, and cut and measure, until it is right. Zero repeatability, instead of zero repeatability error. No comparison. Less time, total accuracy, that is instantly repeatable at any future time. You see when you dial in a setting, it drops into one of those 1/32" teeth. Exactly the same? Ok, to within .002"
Some set up tips: After speaking to the factory rep from Incra, who was super helpful, I learned that you can install this fence system, starting at the left edge of your table saw top, instead of well beyond it, like shown in the picture. That way you get ripping capabilities of 49 or 50 inches, which covers any needs you may have for ripping an 8 foot sheet of plywood. With that much width, a set of legs is advisable. Woodpecker(s).com has a custom set for the incra cheap.
What about the top. This fence system does not come with the built in router tops as shown in the picture. Buying some MDF at the local home center is all you need to do. The instructions that come with the fence, explain how to install it.
Incorporating a router table to the left of the saw, and or one to the right is a good idea. Incra provides you with an auto-centering tape for routers as one of the tape measuring rules built into the fence. (Their are 4 tape-rule slots with 3 tapes provided. That way you can dedicate a tape for your regular blades, and one for a dado blade for example) Back to the routers. By using the Incra fence system mounted on your table saw, as a routing platform, you get the advantage of the super exacting TS3 fence as a foundation for your routing. You can buy the optional Wonder fence for routing from Incra, or make a split fence on your own. The T-slots on the fence face makes this possible. Additionally, Incra also sells T-Tracks now, which have measuring rules built into them. Makes you want to design your own custom set up. This makes the exactness of the TS3 usable in the routing format. For example: Making raised panels, requires multiple passes. You could set the fence for each pass, and end up with a final pass that would be exactly the same on all pieces. (To within .002" Phew) And you could come back to those exact settings if you accidentally needend another panel. I can understand what they mean by the "Incra"mental system.
So onto the standard review format. This thing is tops. It is clearly the finest, most accurate fence system available on the market today. Buy it at Amazon, and save the money. :-)
The reason why the 32" standard set up is popular, is because most people don't have an 11 foot area to cover the width of the set up. The 32 comes with 72" rails, and you can decide to install the way the picture shows, giving you only the 72 inch area, plus whatever the center guide extends during use. If you decide to go with the 92" rails available from Incra, or install the 72s at left table edge, then you will need the additional space.
If you are interested in ripping your wood and going directly to glue up, get this fence, and use it with a good blade. Normally we rip the material, leaving it an 1/8" oversize, and then joint it to a smooth edge. With this setup, you can go from saw to glue up station. No slight off angles leaving saw marks in the work, or inaccurate sizing. What a time saver. Hey it is some more money, but in the long run it will pay for itself.
I spent a lot of time looking into fences, and I hope this review helps.

As a furniture maker, accuracy is essential. I have my JET JTAS-10XL50-W1 3 HP 10" Xacta Saw. The fence that came with it was OK. I took time to research saw fences and with careful consideration as to: stability, glide, accuracy, fence distance, calibration and installation, I chose this one. I am glad I did. Once calibtraed and installed correctly (which ain't easy) I can rip/crosscut perfectly, every time. The kit came with 4 mounting brackets, far to few for a 52 inch saw table. I made 12, 2 inch wide steel brackets from 3/8"x2" angle-iron, drilled holes in them, primered and painted them the color of the JET. Once all were installed (a few more holes needed into the JET Table) I was ready to mount the two guide bars. Without more brackets, it just wasn't stable. Maybe you can order more from Incra?? One drawback is the limit of the cut. It is limited to about 35" between blade and fence, so you have to plan for that. The multiple length guages are a dream, as I can set one for my thin-kerf blade and one for the regular blade as well as one for dado cuts. They are easy to calibrate, just lock fence against blade, move guide and you are ready to cut. The 1/1000" adjustment option is useful for those "impossible" cuts with your standard fence. The time savings is great, cut setup-time is a few seconds, not a few minutes as with a standard fence. This is worth the investment. BTW: If you use nylock nuts in install...It stays Square!

Three hundred plus dollars for a fence to be mounted to a five hundred dollar JWTS-10-JF table saw - I have to be crazy! It took me a while to justify an investment like that for a cheap contractors saw, but it was worth every penny spent. Assembly of the Incra TS III was easy with the detailed instructions provided. Minor details, such as shims, extra bolts for every occasion, and individual hardware packaging allowed for hassle-free assembly and a touch of class. Not to mention every tool needed (except a wrench) was included for ease of assembly; it took under two hours to "rough" in the fence assembly. I left it over night while I dreamed about the lumber that would be cut the next day. It took me about 30 minutes or so to make the final adjustments, and it is worth it.

I made several cuts after truing the fence. Repeatability is well within the .002" tolerances described (I used dial calipers to check measurement), as I went from 1" to 2" cuts then back to 1" with unmatched precision. The micro adjustment feature allows for adjustments as small as .001" - well within anything I will be making in my woodshop.

Everything about this fence shouts quality. I am hooked on the system, and would recommend it without reservation to anyone thinking about making a change from their standard fence.

I bought this fence after researching various premium table saw fence systems but I was initially hesitant to commit due to the high price (compared to some of the other fences out there). Being unable to find even a single poor review on this product, I finally decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did.

Once installed and calibrated the precision of this fence is amazing. The 3 included scales (1 steel, 2 mylar and a slot for a fourth) can be individually adjusted thereby making different fence and blade setup combinations easy while maintaining precision. The fence has built-in sawtooth racks which allow positive stops to 1/32" and a fine adjustment knob allowing you to fine tune the fence position to an astounding .001". Of course under the vast majority of circumstances, this level of precision isn't necessary but it sure is nice to know its possible if you need it. Further, you can move and reposition your fence to the left side of the table and back again quickly and without losing ANY accuracy.

The fence installation was straight forward and installed easily on my newer model craftsman contractor's saw. The fit, finish and quality of the various components are outstanding and once assembled the system is very robust (even with the 92" rails which I upgraded to).

Overall, I can find no fault with this fence except the high price. However, if your serious about the quality of your tools, this system is worth the price.

Anyone researching this fence has probably already read numerous positive reviews and user comments about this system about Incra in general.
I've found them to be largely true, but the system has some issues, too:
Yep, it DOES take up a lot of precious floor-space. This is especially compounded by moving the rails further to the right to extend rip capacity.
My fence is not flat. I read a ~.020" bow (proud in the center behind the carriage) with my dial caliper over the length of the fence. I expect I could grind this down, or shim out via a sub-fence.
The rails are LONG, and supporting them, while not required, seems prudent. This is especially true if you're dropping a router in an extension wing.
The "hairline" cursor on my positioner is not a hairline - it's tough reading that little scale, too - I think I could easily lock down 1/32" off and not realize it (this could be my vision, though).
I noticed that clamping the positioner in seems to move the fence a little. Not a big deal but it makes initial set-up a little hit-or-miss.
This is a modular product, so the terminology gets confusing. You're looking at a TSIII fence "system" - it includes the Ultra positioner, rails, a mounting plate, fence, and carriage. To Incra's credit, these items are all offered seperately, but this makes it a little more confusing. Some of these parts are identical to the router-table based systems (the positioner, the carriage, e.g.). It seems a little redundant to buy a TS AND a RT system since they share these components.
The knob to clamp down the front of the fence seems a little cheesy, and the back of the fence is clamped down with a (supplied) Allen wrench driver. Just seems odd compared to conventional systems.

Obviously these are picky little issues - it's a clever design, it's very modular (adding extension tables/ accesories is a breeze), manuals and packaging are the best I've seen, it can serve double-duty as a RT fence, etc. With many more words I could convey: the system is really flexible and will allow you to come up with a configuration that will suit your work needs/style.

I'm saying nothing about accuracy here because I think that's been covered well elsewhere.

The fence seems to remain square to the slots / blade, but it just feels unlikely that this is true when you use it. The center mount, friction from dragging hold downs, and general "flimsyness" of the system (in it's unlocked state - when locked, it's very secure) make me feel like the fence is skewing all over the place.

I know this is mixed bag for a review but when I was researching, I could find nothing other than "perfect"...

Great ! I just purchased the Jet Super Saw and the fence that came with the saw was a joke. I have been looking at the INCRA fro a while now and decided to take the plunge. Great fence but htere is only one thing... The manual says "In about an hour or so" took me 3 and half hours to setup and tune. Other than that I don't think there is a better fence....

The TS-III is great. It makes cutting boards easier, more accurate and SAFER!! Since the fence is 100% parrallel to the saw blade all of the time, the odds of "kick back" are significantly decreased. It did take me about 4 hours to put together because I took my time. I believe most people would need 2 - 4 hours to put this fence system together, but it is well worth the effort. Finally, I had to wait 6 weeks to have it shipped from Amazom because I picked "Free Shipping". When I switched my order to "Standard Shipping" and paid the extra $10 it was shipped the next day. If anyone orders this product (and I highly recommend it) take my advise and pay the $10 for shipping rather than wait 6 weeks or more.

I've had the Incra setup for about 5 years, and it turned my 10" Delta contractor saw into a highly accurate unit for ripping precisely and repeatably. The fence rides on two outrigger rails that you attach to your saw. In my case, it was necessary to either remove the splitter altogether or cut the Incra rail for the back of the saw into two parts and mount them separately because the Delta splitter's reach is fairly short.

You calibrate the fence by zeroing it to your blade. Once you do, your cuts will be right on the money. The fence is adjusted in 1/128th increments using a set of toothed racks, and you can make, say, a 1-1/2" cut, switch to some other dimension, and then come back to the original setting and get precisely the same width as the first cut. You can do that 1 minute later or 1 month later and the repeat cut will be perfect.

I also purchased an accessory that makes it easy to use the fence on an auxilliary Incra-made router table that attaches in place of one of the standard table extensions.

The fence and the rails it rides on are large-stock aluminum extrutions and all the mounting hardware is solid. The instructions are clear, but you do have to follow quite a long list of steps. It takes a couple of hours to set up the whole thing, but once you do it's very simple to use and easy enough to move out of the way or completely dismount if necessary.

The price on this item was a bit hard to swallow, but it provides machine tool precision to woodworking. Easy to use and fairly easy to set up. If you ask yourself what you might need this kind of woodworking precision for, you dont this, but after seeing the results of a couple of projects using this guide will make you appreciate it.