INCRA MITEREXPRESS Miter Express

The Incra Miter Express offers a great combination of features and accessories that improve my table saw's safety, accuracy/repeatability, and stability. The parts that make up the Miter Express are well-designed and fabricated, and the accompanying instructions are excellent. Read them through before you start assembling!It creates a zero clearance sled that works at all miter angles for a given blade thickness and bevel angle. I've assembled one for the typical 90 degree crosscut with my Daiblo D1050T blade, and another set for my most typical dado cut. The latter used another "MERPANEL" (the drop panel that is cut to size during assembly), 18" Miter Slider (attached to the drop panel and locked into the miter slot) and UHMW tape under the sliding portion. I would suggest that Incra provide a kit of those parts, and they come close on their website.On my small job site-sized Dewalt 7480, the Miter Express significantly expands the width of board that can be cut, adds clamping capability that moves with the part being sawn, and keeps my hands farther from the blade. As Incra notes, it can be used with any miter gauge or fence. My Woodhaven 4911 miter gauge and Peachtree extension fence (both reviewed on their respective pages) seem like they were designed for it. The combination worked wonderfully, with the addition of an external PortaMate support, recently doing relief cutouts on long 2x4's as part of a fence project.I haven't yet had the opportunity to experience the small part capability, but the inclusion of the Incra clamp using the T-slots built into the Miter Express will clearly work well. The kit includes useful details: a long-ended allen wrench to reach recessed screws in the drop panel (needed to lock down that panel in operation), fence support bracket, an array of knobs and fasteners, adapters for saws with miter T-slots, and the afore-mentioned clamp.

My initial impression of the INCRA MiterExpress was that it appeared to be another excellent example of INCRA's engineering prowess.The INCRA MiterExpress box arrived in perfect condition. I unboxed and arrayed the parts; everything was present and accounted for.The included instructions were well written and easy to follow, allowing me to complete the construction in under 20 minutes. The copious diagrams were illustrative and very helpful.The INCRA MiterExpress fits in my Bosch 4100-09 10-Inch Worksite Table Saw with Gravity-Rise Stand, except for the T-slot retainers. Even when installed properly (with the raised rim facing up and the Phillips pan head screw snugged up all the way) the T-slot retainers (one fore and one aft) impacts the bottom edge of the table saw T-slot when sliding in either direction. It appears as if the notch that has been cut into the bottom of the Utility plate needs to be cut an additional 1/32" deeper to allow the T-slot retainer to clear the table saw. For the moment I have detached both T-slot retainers and screws, and I will see if I can Dremel both notches a wee bit more.Once the parts were assembled and the "drop panel" was cut and fitted according to the instructions, the INCRA MiterExpress glided easily with no binding or side-to-side play. Note that due to how the Bosch 4100-09 is laid out, you only end up cutting about 1/8" of the drop panel off before everything fits, so you lose very little surface area.On the Bosch 4100-09, the sled overhangs the left side of the table by about three inches, and is about four inches short of the right edge of the table; kind of odd looking, but completely functional.The INCRA MiterExpress sled does not make contact with the optional Bosch TS1002 Table Saw Rear Outfeed Support Extension or the Bosch TS1003 Table Saw Left Side Support Extension, but it does render the Bosch TS1003 Left Side Support Extension useless due to the fact that the sled surface is now about 1/2" higher than the height of the support.My INCRA Miter1000/HD Miter Gauge mated perfectly with the INCRA MiterExpress, as was expected, although I did have to remove the T-slot T-clip and screw in order to seat the miter gauge in the receiver slot.I must confess that I purchased two Rockler Deluxe Hold Down Clamp to use in conjunction with the INCRA MiterExpress. My perception is that the rubber-coated tips on the Rockler clamps will have a better grip on the stock and potentially be less prone to marring the surface of the stock; time will tell if this perception holds true. I will also use a shim (those Home Depot paint stir sticks have come in handy for so many other purposes other than stirring paint) :) underneath the ends of the hold-down clamps to test the holding strength under those conditions. I will use both the single supplied hold down clamp and the Rockler clamps side-by-side and update this review with my findings. Note that you will have to replace the 5/16"x18 T-bolt and knob with a 1/4"x20 bolt and knob in order to fit the narrower T-track installed on the INCRA MiterExpress.UPDATE: After conducting tests using a 1/2"x4"x60" S4S redwood board, the INCRA hold down did indeed mar the board a bit due to the weight of the section of the board which overhung the sled. The Rockler Deluxe Hold Down Clamps with their rubber-coated ends did not mar an identical board.A nice feature is the included Outboard Fence Support. This provides extra backing to the cross-cut fence where, when cutting long stock, you may experience slight flexing of the fence. Also included were an additional two tri-lobe knobs and bolts, making a total of four knob/bolt sets, despite the fact that you only need a maximum of two knob/bolt sets for the Outboard Fence Support.It would be nice if the drop panel moved _with_ the sled; I am going to experiment with engineering some sort of removable bridge. Another nice feature would be some sort of right or left-side extension to allow for longer stock (such as wider panels and UHMW strips).In short, I am pleased with my purchase. The INCRA MiterExpress sled is another fine example of INCRA's engineering, but there is some room for improvement/enhancements.

The Incra Mitre Express is a well- designed table saw sled for the price. The alternatives are poor choices. The only other choice would be the Bridge City Toolworks sled that costs over $600. Of course if you have $600 for a table saw sled the BCToolworks is an incredible tool. The Inra model is easily assembled due to its design. It takes about an hour to put together if you don't know what your doing. It is such a joy to be able to cut precise 90 degree crosscuts. It also increases the width of cuts you can make up to 24 inches. My only complaint is that the optional T-slot piece that attaches to the main sled does not fit in the space created for it. The piece sticks out beyond the sled and is inconsistent with the precision of the other parts. Having the T-slot for my Sawstop would have been an extra degree of control in the sled movement and create more stability. Even without this, the Incra model is a great bargain for the price. Keep in mind that when you use a sled you decrease the height of your tablesaw blade. A minor problem when you're cross cutting thick lumber.

Little tricky to setup, but works great