Incra Miter2000 Miter Gauge Review

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Introduction

Welcome to our review of the Incra Miter2000 miter gauge. I use several crosscut sleds (shop-made and two Dubbys) and a JDS Accu-Miter. I also purchased an Osborne EB-2, but returned it for a number of reasons. Thus, when comes to reviewing the Incra Miter2000 Miter Gauge, I have a number of accurate and time-tested crosscut tools to compare it to. All testing was done on a well-used, but well-tuned Powermatic 66 table saw. By the way, when I purchased this Incra Miter Gauge, it was simply called the Incra Miter Gauge.

What I Like About the Incra Miter2000 Miter Gauge

• It is easy to adjust and setup. The miter bar is adjustable for width using six exandable nylon washers.
  
  
• Its angle stops are very accurate.
  
  
• The Miter2000 offers virtually an infinite number (110 stops-one every 1/2° over a 55° range) of positive stops for angles, something no other Gauge I have used offers. Also, the Incra positive stops are actually teeth, which from my experience is superior to the variety of shot-pin arrangements I have used (Accu-Miter and Woodhaven).
  
  
• My Miter2000 came with the ShopStop fence with the incremental plastic track and the ShopStop stop. The fence is a generous 27" long. Depending on where you buy it, it may come with a 36" fence.
  
  
• A huge variety of fences and sub-fences are available from Incra and their distributors. You can purchase fences up to 52" in length. Check out WoodPeckers Incra Site for the best variety of Incra and third-party accessories.
  
  
• Incra has introduced their FlipStop fence and stop which appear to be real winners. I have one on order from Incra and will update this web page after I have used it for awhile.
  
  
• Excellent Manual.
  
  
• Comes with the Allen wrenches used during installation and setup. Also comes with a handy ball-Allen head wrench for adjusting the fence.
  
  
• Works in either miter slot, though it's a minor pain to convert from one slot to the other.
  
  
• Setting angles and returning to 90 is a snap. It always returns to exactly 90. I like the feel of the engagement of the protractor head better than the shot-pin arrangement of the JDS Accu-Miter.
  
  
• The fence easily accepts auxillary fences. Incra/Woodpecker offers auxillary fences for a nominal price.
  
  
• You can slide the fence as close or as far away from the blade as you like.
  
  
• The ruler/scale moves left and right in its slot atop the fence. This allows you to easily adjust it when rotating the protractor head for angles.

What I Don't Like About the Incra Miter2000 Miter Gauge

• The fence stop is a marvel of engineering but is a pain to use. First of all, two plastic knurled screws are used to lock it place rather than one lock device used on conventional stops. Second, the stop does not flip out of the way. You must remove it when not in use. Third, the ingenious Incra rack track in my opinion is a waste. Any fine adjustment needed is built into the stop. Plus, the rack requires that you loosen the two lock down screws a fairly significant amount to clear the rack when moving the stop. Fourth, a small gap exists between the stop upright and the fence. Consequently, the pointed end of mitered cuts seems to finds its way into the gap, throwing off your measurements. The stop is simply a pain to use. Note that all of the above gripes are addressed by the new FlipStop Fence and Stop.
  
  
• The miter head is huge. Approximately nine inches of the head lies behind the fence. This reduces the width of the material you are able to comfortably cut. I simply find it awkward to use with large work pieces. Can anyone say Dubby?
  
  
• The miter bar is adjustable, but I found it somewhat difficult to tighten the small Allen-Head adjustment screws to the point where the bar was snug. It can be done, but it was difficult. Part of the problem is that the bar is made to fit too wide a range of slots.
  
  
• The fence is too short vertically. Obviously, you can add a taller auxillary fence, but then you cannot use the stop. (Which actually might not be a bad thing.)
  
  
• The ruler/scale moves left and right in its slot atop the fence. This allows you to easily knock it out of adjustment. Also, the scale is split at approximately 16". Incra claims it is impossible to make a scale that is accurate beyond that amount, more or less. Bunk!
  
  
• Most miter gauges allow you to swing the protractor head at least +/- 45°. The Miter2000 does not. You can configure it to work for either side, but you must move the fence to the other provided right-angle bracket to do so. It is a minor hassle and may introduce some inaccuracy depending on the exactness of the table saw setup.
  
  
• The primary components of the jig are made of aluminum. However, a plastic subplate is used. Mine is already chipped!
  
  
• This complaint is aimed at any conventional miter gauge: Once you have used a crosscut sled (Shop-Made, Dubby, Biesemeyer,etc.), you get used to the support the sled gives to the bottom of the workpiece as well as to the trailing edge. This bottom support provided by the crosscut sled reduces the chance for error by reducing virtually any chance that the workpiece is going to rotate or shift as you push it through the blade. This is particularly noticeable when cutting panels or wide workpieces. This why I do 90% of my crosscutting using the Dubby or my shop-made sleds.

The Bottom Line

The Incra Miter2000 angle stops are very accurate and completely repeatable. I doubt a pro furniture or cabinet shop would use or require this gauge, but for the home woodworker or others who need the tons of stops, it works fine. The availability of the longer fences is a plus for those crosscutting and mitering longer pieces. However, for maximum utility, I recommend a combination of a less expensive miter gauge for operations requiring one and a crosscut sled such as the Dubby for cutting wide boards, panels, and mitered cuts. For $180.00 you get a lot of extruded aluminum and hardware, but its flawed stop and awkward feel with large boards turns me off.

Rating:

out of 5!

Versus the Incra Miter1000 Miter Gauge

In my humble opinion, the Miter1000 is a better miter gauge than the Miter2000. The Miter2000 provides twice as many stops, but most woodworkers will never use them. The Miter1000 protractor however offers the +90°/-90° rotation that I think almost all woodworkers appreciate. I like the feel and overall usability of the Miter1000 hands down over the Miter2000. However, woodworkers needing or wanting stops at "odd" angles may find the Miter2000 to be a better deal. Again, Incra addressed my major gripes of the Miter2000 with their introduction of the FlipStop fence.

Versus the JDS Accu-Miter Miter Gauge

I really like the JDS Accu-Miter. I like its solid feel and once I worked out a manufacturing flaw, it returns to angles very reliably. The Accu-Miter stop is much more functional than the Incra ShopStop and the JDS Fence is more robust. However, with the variety of Incra fences including the new FlipStop fence and stop are, the Incras have become very tempting. With all that said, I prefer the JDS Accu-Miter to the Miter2000. The JDS Accu-Miter paired with a Dubby or other crosscut table is hard to beat.

My Final Word Regarding Miter Gauges

I have owned and used the Osborne EB-2, the Woodhaven Standard Miter Gauge and FastTrack fence, the JDS Accu-Miter, the Incra Miter1000, the Incra Miter2000, and the Delta, Powermatic, and Grizzly miter gauges. All of them are flawed. None of them match the accuracy, ease of use, and utility of a crosscut sled (Dubby or homemade), sliding table, or other device that provides both a fence and a base for the work piece.

We recently toured several medium sized furniture shops and one large furniture shop in Iowa. We counted more than a dozen cabinet-type table saws in the shops and all but one had the standard miter gauge (most had a wooden subfence). The lone aftermarket miter gauge was a Woodhaven. Virtually every saw had one or more shop-made crosscut sleds in use or hanging nearby.

Calibrating Crosscut Devices

There are numerous ways to calibrate crosscut devices to be square with the blade. Unfortunately, using a carpenter's square or even a machinist's square does not always cut it. There are three methods that are regarded as being the best practice methods for squaring a crosscut device (miter gauges, sleds, and sliding tables). Click Here to read about and view demonstrations of three methods for calibrating crosscut devices.

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