# Router Boss or Incra Table, Fence, Etc.



## marc82much (May 8, 2011)

I am building up a new routing station. I like the idea of a big Incra table and their top of the line fence system, with templates etc. But, by the time I am done with all that, I am in Router Boss territory. 

I have no special project or capability in mind, just know that sometime soon I will want to experiment with box joints, dovetails, small boxes, etc.

I really thing that even with a Router Boss I would need a table mounted router, but I would then just get a basic table, cheap fence, etc. I have a couple of Triton routers I could use, so top side height adjustment is included.

Also, I have the 3 1/4 horse Triton, could I use that on the Router Boss? Actually, I know I can, but the way they set up the DeWalt with the one hand plunge thing looks good, but would I give up much of that functionality by foregoing the DeWalt set up in favor of the Big Triton that I already have?

Any Router Boss users that could offer some advice?

Marc
Kenosha, WI


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Marc. I've never used one but here is a very positive review. Router Boss Review


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## wbrisett (Feb 12, 2011)

You need to determine if you want one thing or multiple things. With something like the Incra, you get a standard router table plus the option to do joints. I've had mixed results with my Incra. I love it as a router table, but depending on the wood and grain, my dovetails haven't been the best. I've talked with Mark at Incra and turns out his experience has been similar (at least I'm not alone in that one). If you're sticking to the oak, cherry, cedar, etc. types of wood, the Incra is nice because you have a whole slew of options when it comes to joints. But, it's really more than just a joint type of equipment. You have a solid fence and one that allows all sorts of standard router table options.

There are some very nice router tables and fences out there if you want to buy one instead of making one. But of course they don't give you the built-in option of doing joints out-of-the-box. 

Good luck in your decision!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Hi Marc, welcome to the forum.

Can't help you there, I have not used either of them.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Marc.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Hello Marc, really pleased to see you join the community, welcome to Router Forums!


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Marc, I review as many routing set ups as possible. I would not consider the Router Boss since it is a copy of the Woodrat with expensive add on items that do not provide value for the money. The snow and ice is almost gone here so I will be in the garage very soon and will provide photos of my Woodrat. in action.

Woodrat bits are one good example of the quality difference; high quality HSS bits made in the UK. The Router Boss bits are made in China... not good quality. Do some comparison shopping and I think you will agree with my conclusions.


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## beckchest (Nov 30, 2009)

Marc, 

I have a Router Boss with a DeWalt 625 and I still have to use two hands to guide it doing dovetails. I don't know how a Triton router would behave with the one hand plunge mechanism as I do not own a Triton.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Neither the Woodrat or the Router Boss supports Triton routers. The plunge bar does make it very easy to plunge the big DeWalt with one hand. You can see me plunging it with my fingertips in the photo.


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## Big Steve (Feb 12, 2012)

+1 for all things Incra. I have the Incra Jig Ultra (on a Woodhaven table) and the Incra Miter 1000 Special Edition. All great products.

An offset router table should be chosen for the Incra, to allow for the jig.


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## cinci (Aug 23, 2010)

Hi Mike:

Congrats on being a WoodRat owner. We were a WoodRat distributor for a few years and we liked the concept so much that we developed the Router Boss. However the Router Boss is NOT a copy of the WoodRat. This link "ChipsFly.com/document/RBvsWR.html" highlights the differences.

The Router Boss add on items provide additional features and work holding capabilities which may be helpful depending on your needs. Some of them can be used with WoodRat.

When we sold WoodRat their HSS dovetail bits were made in Taiwan. They are now made by Clico in the UK from M2 steel. Our premium HSS dovetail bits are made by True Cut Tool Company in Ohio from M4 steel. We also offer a lower cost M2 dovetail set made in China by iGaging. Our TCT bits are made in Taiwan by Arden Precision Technology. Our sold carbide bits are made by Whiteside Machine in North Carolina.


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## cinci (Aug 23, 2010)

*Triton Router on Router Boss*

Mike. We have a number of Router Boss customers in Australia and South Africa that are using the Triton router (both models) with their Router Boss. The only reported issue is that need to move the battery box which supplies current to the built-in lasers and LEDs in our router plate. We have a correction for that in the works.

The Router Boss router plate is 7" wide and the plunge bar does not use the router's edge guide holes as on the WoodRat. With some adaptation, even very large routers like the Festool 2200 have been mounted on Router Boss.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

wbrisett said:


> . I've had mixed results with my Incra. I love it as a router table, but depending on the wood and grain, my dovetails haven't been the best. I've talked with Mark at Incra and turns out his experience has been similar


I'm getting a little depressed reading this as I thought Incra was about as good as it gets , and I want to learn how to do dove rails and box joints .
I just watched a video on the router boss and holy smokes that looks complicated .
I should have just remortgaged the house and purchased a CNC RT and been done with it


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## 94781 (Apr 24, 2013)

RainMan1 said:


> I'm getting a little depressed reading this as I thought Incra was about as good as it gets , and I want to learn how to do dove rails and box joints .
> I just watched a video on the router boss and holy smokes that looks complicated .
> I should have just remortgaged the house and purchased a CNC RT and been done with it


It's all hard and it's all easy. Both come in their turn.


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## wbrisett (Feb 12, 2011)

While I stand behind my statement, it's not all bad. If I'm using Oak, I seem to be able to get better results with the Incra setup. I did purchase the Sommerfeld katie jig to do some joints with. I simply haven't had the time to play with it yet (stuck in the UK on work assignment right now and when I get back next week, I need to finish up a door project before heading back here).

Mark from Incra also posted here on this forum and had some additional suggestions which I'll need to try.

Wayne


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

*WoodRat vs. Router Boss vs. Incra: Watch yer step, pardner!*

Marc, just so ya know, there's a veritable civil war out there in the blogosphere when it comes to the WoodRat vs. the Router Boss, and it's brother vs. brother or cousin vs. cousin. Search out comparisons and check out YouTube for demos of each.

I don't own either and my take-away is that the WoodRat kind of stalled out in further development, and that's where Router Boss picked up the ball and moved it way down the field. My situation is just like yours: I am starting from scratch and have given it all consideration.

What I found is that all these devices add up to a lot of money and many of the operations can be replicated with a router table + jigs, and really juiced up with a self-made horizontal routing jig.

To that end, probably one of the best setups I've seen is Matthias Wandel's "Pantorouter" (YouTube: Wooden Gears, or woodengears.ca), which you can make yourself. If that looks like too much work, he has licensed his design to a Japanese guy who is producing a better version from aluminum T-slot stock, and a finished version is cheaper than a similarly capable Incra or Router Boss setup.

As a starting point, for very little money and effort, you can make your own knock-down router table based on the Fine Woodworking Mag design under "Workshop articles," called the "Stow-and-Go Router Table" part of their lengthy article on various RT designs. This is the path I am following as I want to have decent experience with a router table before I plop down $1,000 on a super fancy setup. As time passes, I am finding that my skills are improving and my needs for all the bells and whistles are diminishing. The benefit of that is that I save lots of money, and since I'm not in a production situation, the setups and speed just aren't a factor. Also, it is nice knowing that more and more of the good looking results are due to my skill instead of a jig/crutch.

Eventually what is becoming clear is that I can really save money and precious shop space by doing more and more work with hand tools. That's hand tools without electricity. Last comment is while the Incra is way more limited than the Router Boss, by careful model selection, one can use the same Incra jig on both the RT and the TS.

-- Bradley


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

The advantages of the WoodRat and Boss is that they incorporate a lot of different capabilities into one package. If you need that versatility, potential portability for on site work, and do not have a way of doing these operations already, then it could be the solution for you.

If you do a lot of custom jointery for cabinets, drawers, and furniture, then one may find that using the Incra Fence Systems might be a better solution.


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

Hey Brad, have you used either the Wood Rat or Router Boss? What I noticed straight off is that these devices take a machinist's approach to routing, and that may be more appealing or work better for people who approach their work in that style. What do you think of that?

-- Bradley


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

Straightlines said:


> Hey Brad, have you used either the Wood Rat or Router Boss? What I noticed straight off is that these devices take a machinist's approach to routing, and that may be more appealing or work better for people who approach their work in that style. What do you think of that?
> 
> -- Bradley


My friend had a wood rat that he showed off to me and I agree 100%. The configuration is very reminiscent of several machinist stations rolled into one package. You said it better than I.


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

Those 2 setups seem to be almost like hand-powered versions of CNC routers, and that opens the whole philosophical debate of when does the automation of our hand tools go so far as to make our involvement pointless.


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## o9watts (Apr 30, 2008)

Or when does our fascination with the way the (woodworking) tool works displace or compete with our fascination with making an object out of wood? Both can be a lot of fun.


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

Reuben, that's true and part of the debate.

-- Bradley


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## martin godfrey (Jan 23, 2013)

*How did it go with your workstation?*



marc82much said:


> I am building up a new routing station. I like the idea of a big Incra table and their top of the line fence system, with templates etc. But, by the time I am done with all that, I am in Router Boss territory.
> 
> I have no special project or capability in mind, just know that sometime soon I will want to experiment with box joints, dovetails, small boxes, etc.
> 
> ...


That was all some time ago. How did you set up your workstation and did you get rid of your router table? Some feed-back needed
Martin


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