Mike,

If you have been followoing my threads you will recall that I ended up with both gauges. As to accuracy, both are equally accuratel, but required precise calibration that takes some careful care. Also the accuracy of either one requires that you use a blade with minimum flutter. I had to use a full kerf blade with a stabilizer to achieve this. I like both gauges but due to the Incra's ability to add the acessories that you mentioned I would go with it if I only could have one. Once I achieved the accuracy thst I needed with the Incra tool the Osborne has just been parked, but this is no reflection on the Osborne, it just that the Incra is set up with the fence and express sled that I use for crosscuts for many but not of my crosscuts. I will be watching for the posts of other members of this forum on this thread.

Jerry

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Mike,

If you have been followoing my threads you will recall that I ended up with both gauges. As to accuracy, both are equally accuratel, but required precise calibration that takes some careful care. Also the accuracy of either one requires that you use a blade with minimum flutter. I had to use a full kerf blade with a stabilizer to achieve this. I like both gauges but due to the Incra's ability to add the acessories that you mentioned I would go with it if I only could have one. Once I achieved the accuracy thst I needed with the Incra tool the Osborne has just been parked, but this is no reflection on the Osborne, it just that the Incra is set up with the fence and express sled that I use for crosscuts for many but not of my crosscuts. I will be watching for the posts of other members of this forum on this thread.

Jerry

Jerry-
I remember that you had the Incra, but didn't remember you also had an Osborne. I thought of you specifically as I wrote the post and thought to PM (Private Message) you... But I have PM'ed you previously and heard nothing back, so I just figured you don't check your PM's and overlooked it.

Thank you. I figured the Incra would work for my needs. I figured the second miter gauge (my digital) in my second miter slot would add support to the fence and help prevent any fence flex.

But I know nothing about the Osborne Miter Gauge and it's fence, so I'm in a vacuum on that side of this. Just know what others have wrote about it... but really not specific info as related to my needs.

 

I can only speak for the Osborne, but I love it. Rock solid fence, and I have had no issues with it.

 

I second Doug's Osborne experience. I haven't had a lot of time spent with mine yet as I just got it last week. So far I'm really impressed with it's rigidity. Don't care about hanging doodads off it; it comes with a flip stop and that's all I need...I want it as a rock solid crosscut platform, not for any other reason. I do all of my long length cross-cutting on my scms. I'll be interested in seeing how it performs, breaking down 2' x 8' x 3/4" plywood, accurately.
Mike, and my new ts toys, have inspired me to do a major cleaning and adjustment on my Delta Contractor saw; so far I've been very impressed with the factory adjustments, and how well the saw's maintained them. The blade's verticalness was the only glitch that needed attention...still playing with the stops.

 

Doug and Dan- Thanks for the info. Makes my choice harder now.

Any help of posting a closeup of both fence fronts? The sale ads, I only see the rear. I have an idea that the Incra is a mirror of the back side. The Osborne? Is it just flat with sand paper for grip? (something I read)

Most my up to 12" is also crosscut on my SCMS. Over that? 2'x8'x3/4"... exactly. All over than on the TS. Use my sleds for most things. The t-slot attachments are already used on my sleds, so I already have them. Now just in an experimenting mood and was going to try other things.

One of those hang-offs I was thinking on... my finger joint jig. Even when I do order that other saw, I'm thinking I'm going to have to get a little creative to get stuff like that working on a sliding table. (I have ideas.) It still has miter slots. So what I buy now and use, will still be reused and expanded down the road.

 

Doug and Dan- Thanks for the info. Makes my choice harder now.

Any help of posting a closeup of both fence fronts? The Osborne? Is it just flat with sand paper for grip? (something I read)

.

Here ya go.

The top of the fence will take any attachment that uses a standard size bolt. I usually have 2 flip stops on mine. I didn't put the sandpaper on, and I don't think I'm missing anything. I may add a hold down clamp like my old miter gage had, but things don't seem to move around any.

The end of the extrusion is also shown, If you wanted to, I don't think there would be any problem bolting on an additional sacrificial fence or box joint jig if you drilled a pair of holes.

 

OK, my turn.
Bought the EB-3 several years ago, after comparing it with the Incra.

I saw one magazine review of miter gauges that said you couldn't flip it to the other side of the blade. Apparently the person/s that wrote the review have no idea to use them, and didn't read the instructions. I put the sand paper on mine. Works good.

 

I do believe the Osbourne is the one that Norm used to endorse...

 

I don't know about Norm, but Tommy Mac of Rough Cut has it on his sawstop saw, without the grip strip. Just saw it on his trellis episode last nite

 

I have been looking at the Incra HD now with these posts I am going to have to re-look at the Osborne. Thanks for all the info and I will keep an eye on this.

 

I had misgivings about applying the 'sandpaper'...more like a course deck coating...and I also plan on giving it a miss until I've used it for awhile.
Nobody mentioned the low-friction (teflon?) tape strips they supplied for the base of the gauge? Put it on or leave it off? Again I'm tempted to just leave it off. My TS top is pretty slick.

 

"Seeing the slot in back where the tri-fold bar mounts to the fence... Does it mount just in two places in that slot? Is that how it "pivots" when you adjust the miter angle? (not really a formal pivot point, but varies one side of the triangle?) So flipping it left or right is just in that slot?"
Mike the hypotenuse is really two components; sort of like a hydraulic piston. The part attached to the fence is graduated with markings and slides into a rectangular tube extrusion, which is attached to the miter bar. There's a clamping screw arrangement to lock the sliding portion at its selected position. Were you referring to using it as either a right or left of blade device? If so, then yes, switch the hypotenuse portion over to the other side...I haven't tried doing it but it's such a simple arrangement that it couldn't take more than a few seconds.

 

Well, that is part of it. In my present saw, I would use on the left of the blade with my 2 left miter slots. On the Saw I'm ordering, I'm thinking that I would use it on the right. Sliding table is on left side. But that slider does have 2 miter slots in it, so I guess I could always lock the slider.

So the other side of that, is that if the Osborne base just attaches to the fence via the rear slot, allowing the fence to adjust to and away from the blade... to the right side if needed... Then it also might mount to a standard aluminum extrusion such as used on the Incra.

If it did, I would use the Osborne base (it's foundation and strong point) with a 24" to 36" aluminum extruded fence, with another miter gauge base left of it in my other outer-leftmost miter slot. Which would open the door to use an Incra Fence with an Osborne base. (With the Incra base mounted in my leftmost miter slot.)

If I did buy the Incra fence, my plans were to use it with another miter gauge in my leftmost miter slot. my logic tells me that a 2' to 3' fence end has leverage on a pivot and mount/lock point that are only a matter of inches from each other. That's where I see the Osborne as having an advantage. Difference in use between using them as a miter gauge to cut small piece work or as a mitered crosscut fence to cut larger work... Support of those larger pieces that cannot be cut on a SCMS.

On my present saw, I've always had to get creative with that. On the ordered saw, that is a wash. The slider will take care of that... but then I'll have to get creative with the jigs I am accustom to using with my present saw.

 

My head is spinning!

 

Because I'm talking about modifying something out of the box to work for me? Or because I'm talking about 2 different saws- a present saw that It has an immediate need and a saw that's coming, where that use will evolve?

I'm serious.

 

I have a INCRA and love it. To be honest I don't think you will go wrong with either one. Both are good and it comes down to personal preference.

 

After much research, I choose the Osborne. Just seemed to have higher praise in reviews. Now, if I only had more time home to use it.

 

I have had the Incra for over two years and I think it is close to perfection. Incra has good reviews as being very accurate and they are right. It came to me dead on accurate and has not needed any adjustments. It does not have any fence flex that I can determine.

 

Charles,
I also have the Incra gsuge and agree with you about the accuracy and stability of the tool, the only thing different is that I did have to re-calibrate mine as I did with the Osborne. I'm wondering now if I might be more critical of calibrations issues ummmm.

Jerry

 

My 1000 HD showed up today. I've had it on my Amazon wish list for nearly a year and was planning on buying at $160, when it hit $120 I pulled the trigger quick like.
First impression is a nice piece of engineering, which I have come to expect from INCRA. I'm not totally lost with it's setup as I'm uprading from a V120. I'm still not real clear on how that micro vernier works but I seldom work in 10ths of degrees anyway. Actually, I never work that tight and don't plan on starting. What I really wanted was the extension fence and shop flip stop.
It did set up very quickly though.
I did look at the Osbourne and thought it was interesting but I have had no experience with the company and have found little feedback about them on anything but their miter guage. I do like the design of the Osbourne, it may be more rigid than a protractor layout but I think I'll stick with what I have.

 

Okay. You guys have brushed on this here and there. But now I want to know. Buying me a Christmas present.

"Osborne EB3 Excalibur Miter Gauge vs. Incra 1000SE Miter Gauge"

I have one of the Incras (1000 head, longer flip-stop fence, the Miter Express sled) and love it.

The positive fence stops at 1/32" increments make for quick setup which is 100% repeatable if a part is ruined and I need another and when it matters the stop can be spaced out to clear a sacrificial sub fence. The extension on the fence works fine too.

I don't know that the vernier angle adjustment matters - when you need odd angles that exact (like for compound angles) you're better off transferring what you need with your bevel gauge.

Now let me throw a wrench into it... I can get both for about the same price, if I buy soon. (Christmas specials.) I want the ability to add another lower priced miter gauge, that can attach to an aluminum extrusion, to use "my" second miter slot for support... Using the hybrid assembly as a crosscut fence. I have jigs, fence stops, material hold-downs and other accessories that mount via t-slots...

The incra fence should work great - it's flat across the back side with a standard mini T-track used to attach the angle head and another on front to attach your sub-fence or whatever.

 

I agree with others, the Incra 1000 HD miter gauge, and miter express.
They are a hard combination to beat.

 

Dan was kind enough to send me pictures and measure his Osborne for me. (Thanks again Dan.)

Sadly, the Osborne, from the bottom edge to the middle of the bottom slot on the back face of the fence is 3/4". This same measurement on a standard aluminum extrusion (1020 or 2040) is 1/2". So the Osborne won't work for me.

*** Could one of you Incra 1000 owner's please measure and post the same measurement on your Incra for me?

 

"Could one of you Incra 1000 owner's please measure and post the same measurement on your Incra for me?"

Please? Anyone? Bottom edge to middle of the slot the miter gauge mounts to the fence.

 

What you want to do is take nice straight piece of hardwood about 3 to 5 feet long.
The fence on the Incra has slots to use quarter 20 head nuts to attach that piece of hardwood. You would have to countersink the head of the screw into the wood.
I would probably use Allen head screws.

 

Here are pictures of my Incra 1000SE.

Looks like your measurement is 1 1/16"

 

Thanks Dan.

That seems to be the consensus for that measurement.

I learned a few things about Incra Miter Gauges. Good news for Incra owners. All their fences fit any of their miter gauges. They are ALL interchangable. What is not interchangeable is the flip stops. Certain flip stops go with their respective fence type.

For instance a V27 and 2000se will take a 1000se, 3000se or 5000se fence. (or any of the other fences) But you have to buy the stop that works with that fence type to have a working stop.

Bad news for me is the measurement of that slot. It will not take a standard extrusion... Those slots for a 1020 and 2040 extrusion are at 0.5" from the edge, then at 1", 2", etc for the fractional extrusions. ...Which I have a 4 foot 1020 and a 3 foot 2040 waiting in the wings, ready to be used for fences.

If bought all new (or already had an Inra fence), I could get an incra 1000se, a V27 and an accessory Incra 36-54" accessory telescopic flip fence (same as on the 5000se)... and have what I need, but have $250 to $300 into it. Seems like Incra is a bit more "adaptable" if you stay with their accessories.

Thank you all for your help and responses.

 

I bought the osborn miter rig before I knew about the incra one. I watched a Charles neil video where he demonstragted it. I was impressed. I had to flip the original set up to work with my bosch table saw. It works fine for me because I have only had use for the few angles it has settins for. I guess the incra will do more angles, but now that I have an incra i-box, and had to add slick tape to its miter slot inser to make it work on my bosch router table and bosch table saw, I have issues with incra.

 

You say you have have issues with Incra... Bosch table saws have a t-slot miter slot. I'm not sure about the spec's on that. (I've never used that saw.) . Does it accept a 3/4" x 3/8 miter bar? I know the Bosch router tables have a standard sized 3/4" x 3/8" miter slot. Why and how did you have to "flip" your Incra miter gauge to work with both?

The Osborne has the same size miter bar. Did you not have any problems using the Osborne on the same tables?

Just trying to understand what issues you have.

 

Lee, I'm a little confused also re your Osborne ...for a different reason. The small indent button on the bottom of the 'hypotenuse' shaft has many angle options drilled for it (indents, for want of a better word). I can't imagine wanting more ready made options than are factory installed(?). If there was one every 5 deg. it'd drive you crazy. For odd angles, actually for pretty much any angle, you probably would want to check it against a precise known template in any case, for precision cuts.

 

I plan on adding my flip stop on to the top of attached sub fence.
Probably a Kreg track and flip stop.

 

I can't comment on the Osborne. I can tell you that I am extremely happy with my Incra (3000SE).

 

the miter bar on the incra is different ior else mine has a defect. The osborn miter track bar tightened correctly. The incra bar needed thickness of slick tap to take out the play

 

slick tape