# Incra Jig review



## UncleJoe (Aug 17, 2011)

I know you can find a lot of reviews of this system but after owning mine for about a year I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. Maybe something I learned will be helpful to others. 

I read this forum a lot but I don't post much. 

I ventured into the Incra world with some concern about spending so much money for a jig, I am a tight wad. I decided that I would start with the Incra Ultra Lite since it was on sale and the entry price was tolerable. That was a big mistake. Using the Ultra light is like giving a starving man a smell of a steak. Once I got going on this I realized that a purchase of the full system was in my future. I could have saves some bucks by just going for the whole system from the start, but who knew?!?

I read a lot of reviews about how complicated this thing was to set up. I would guess that scares some users off. I took my time. I made a small box with half blind dovetails and I purposely went very slow and double checked everything. When I was done I learned a few things about how I was clamping the work to the sled and height adjustments. I made notes of what worked and what did not. It was not that difficult. 

Once I had this mastered I wanted to make some drawers for my router table cabinet. A total of 6 drawers of all different sizes. Using the skills and knowledge gained from the test piece I built the drawers in a very short time period. The joints were perfect and the process was really very pleasant. 

My advice to those who choose to go this route is build a test piece, take your time and learn how the whole system works. Examine the test piece carefully and figure out why it does not fit. In my case I did not make sure the pieces were firmly against the fence. If you don't have a large spring clamp and a proper sized wood screw clamp make the investment. Watch all the videos carefully on Youtube or get the video from Incra. They show you everything you need to know. Do not think you can skip a step. 

I bought the large master reference guide and when I did my test piece I must have looked at it a thousand times. However after the first drawer I did not need to refer to it again. I am sure I will need it for future projects but now that I have the basics down I will only need to use it to get the right sized template and router bit for the job at hand.

This is a very nice tool. It took me a full day to get comfortable with it. Be prepared to invest a little time up front. The time you spend at the beginning really pays off. 

This tool helped me jump to a new level of wood working. I hope this helps someone who is on the fence about getting one.


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Joe, Sounds iike you and the Incra Jig are getting along very well. I do have one question. I also have the Incra Jig, have had it a couple of years and really like it. You mentioned "The Sled", I don't have a sled that goes with the jig, I do have the Incra Express Sled that works with my table saw. My router and router table are mounted between rails that are part of the LS fence positioning system. I have the Wonder Fence that is attached to the table saw fence, the Right Angle Fence that works with the Wonder Fence. I am wondering if you have the same set up that I do and if not, what do you have?

I, like you, really have enjoyed using the jig and I have had to learn a few things, one of them is the importance of getting the work piece centered properly and what to do if you don't get it dead centered


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## Ben I (May 21, 2010)

Morning Joe

I'm thinking about buying the Incra system. Thanks for sharing your observations. I have a couple of questions for you which would help me decide.

First, did you use the system on table saw or router table?

Second, the system seems to come in two configurations. One runs about $70 (basic package) while the extended package runs about $130 or so. Please verify that you are reviewing the extended package.

The Incra sales information implies the adjustments that govern the width of socket and the width of the pin are ganged together such that only a single adjustment is required to set up the cuts. It sounds idiot proof. As I'm an idiot this sounds like a great feature.

Regards
Ben


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## Wood Chip (Apr 10, 2011)

*Great Review*

Thanks, Joe. Your review is very helpful as I'm considering taking the Incra plunge. Perfect timing. Now if I could only find an entire day to work in the shop!


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## john880 (Aug 18, 2010)

Hi Joe,
The Woodworking Show will be coming up here pretty soon. Check their schedule for a location in your area. There, a lot of these systems are demonstrated and are for sale at a cut rate, and you will be able to see them work first hand. After viewing, buy your self a coke and sit at one of their tables, mulling over the pluses & minuses in your case to help you decide.

I have the first generation metal Incra mounted on my own shop made router table/storage cabinet, It'll do every thing it says's in the instruction manual it will do. My overwhelming objection with Incra's system is that they made big improvements in their system and in doing these new improvements they will not adapt to their first generation
of this series. 

I just recently built a strictly box-joint jig set-up for $15.00 plus the Oak wood. Shopnotes's Shop Made micro adjust Box Joint Jig, and I am REALLY impressed. There is a demonstration on line at UTube where this guy that made one shows it in action. My close second was Oak Parks model but they went under, then as stated another company version but for the price difference I thought I would built Shopnotes.
I wish you luck on your decision. i


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## UncleJoe (Aug 17, 2011)

To clarify I have the system listed on the incra site which is officially listed as INCRA Ultra Lite Fence System. When I bought it about a year ago the sale price was around $120. 

When I wrote about the sled I guess technically that was the Right Angle fixture. 

I use mine in a stand alone router table not one that is part of a table saw.

I found that the key to setup is to take your time. Set the bit to the proper height. I got a nice height gauge for Christmas last year and this step is now super easy.









I fiddled with centering the piece but that is pretty easy now. The first time I did a different sized drawer the pins shifted from being a "B" cut to being an "A" cut on the template. That threw me a bit because I hacd just done a bunch of drawers that were all "B" cuts and it took me a little bit to get it all clear in my head. I simply slowed down, re-read the instructions and placed the piece of wood on the template and could see that the cut was indeed goint to be ok on the "A" cut lines. 

As you understand how this all works, and I don't believe I could read it and understand it I actually had to use it to see it work, then it becomes really easy to trust the jig and make repeatable cuts all day long. 

While it took a bit of time to work through the setup the first time now it is really easy to setup and do dovetails for a drawer or box. Now I can go from raw uncut stock to complete dovetailed drawer in a very short time.


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## mjdorsam (Nov 27, 2011)

Incra doesn't do the Woodworking Shows anymore; which is unfortunate, as this is where I was 'sold' by the both the concept and the execution. 

I haven't used the jigs, just the TS-LS (Table Saw, 52"), the LS-17 (Router table setup), and several of their measuring Rules. Next, I'm going to get suckered into the 5000 Miter Sled - and I say all of this with a broad smile, as the Incra products are all about precision and quality-build.


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