SCMS fence suggestions?

[sgryd]

Hi all.
I'm about to build a sturdy bench for my SCMS (Kapex). I don't see any point in buying Festools fence as it includes legs which I don't need. Has anyone tried the fence from Kreg? Anything in particular I should think of?

http://www.woodpeck.com/kregmeasuringsystemkit.html

The height of the MFT is 820mm. At first I thougt it would be nice to have the same working height. But after some thinking I'm leaning towards 880mm so I can use the planer (is that the correct name?) as an extention for long boards. The planer will stand in line with the SCMS bench. Working height of planer is 860mm. I'll use a 20mm board to get to 880mm and protect the cutter.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
//Michael

 

[Dave Rudy]

Michael,

My first thought is that you should give up worrying and thinking about all these things -- send the Kapex to me on loan and I will design a fence system you will really appreciate.  After testing variants, which I promise to photograph and post so you can see them in action, I will "in the near future" return the kapex to you -- how does that sound?

Seriously, the Kreg fence is well machined and excellent quality.  I am also quite impressed by the Incra fence systems, which will allow you probably more flexibility and more precision (for example they have very sophisticated micro-adjustable stops).  They make several fences, including some which mount on top of a standard 19-20mm piece of straight hardwood, mdf, melamine, or the like.  Kreg does also, and their heavy duty top mounted fence is robust and will keep your wooden fence under it straight and true.

I dont think you can go wrong with the Kreg, I would check out the Incra as well.

The other thought that I have is that if you either machined a 60mm board or built a base and installed some of these
(http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=30066&cat=1,240,41060&ap=1 ), you could use the MFT as well as the "planer" (I think you are referring to what we call a jointer) as an extension table for more stability, assuming you plan to use a stand other than the MFT for the Kapex itself.

Where are you from, by the way?

Dave

 

[sgryd]

Thanks!
Yes, of course I will send you my Kapex. Do you want my car and my wife as well =)

Thanks for the tip on the Incra. I can't find any fence for SCMS at www.incra.biz. All the applications shown are for table saws and router tables. Impressive stuff though.

I live in Sweden.

//Michael

 

[sgryd]

...now I found it.
What they call "Incra track" is used for most machines and seems great for SCMS.

I'll check out the prices.

//Michael

 

[Corwin]

Now you're on the right track... Racks and scales are available -- but the scales are currently only available with a range of 0-816mm -- too bad they didn't go to an even meter!  But I simply add another length of scales an adjust for the incorrect numbers.  Oh well.

Corwin

 

[Dave Rudy]

Sorry, Michael.  I should have mentioned that woodpeck.com is the site for incra as well.

Glad to have you with us.

Please keep us posted on your research and decisions.  And when you complete the setup, post pics!

Dave

 

[Corwin]

In addition to the Incra's Incremental Track which utilizes their Shop Stop, they also offer other another Incremental Track that you might like even better for this setup -- check out the track used with their Flip Stop.  This track could be used in many applications instead of  their standard track and provide for the Flip Stop, an even fancier stop than the newer Kregg offering.

While the Incra products may be a little pricey, the Incremental Track products do seem to offer more for you tool dollar than the Kregg, as these Incra products provide greater capabilities -- noteably, repeatability and step-and-repeat.

Best of luck,
Corwin

 

[JayStPeter]

While I have a variety of Incra stuff and like it a lot, I chose the kreg system for my CMS and don't regret it a bit.  At the wwing show, they throw in a couple things, including a second flip stop.  I have 8' on the right side and 4' on the left plus the 1' on either side of the blade within the confines of the saw.  I made a simple extension stop for working within the 1' confines of the saw.  It's an exact 1' extension for the fixed stop (i.e. piece of wood cut 1' long that I push against the fixed stop and lightly clamp).  The fixed stop has a cursor on either side, so it can be used on either side of the saw.  The flip stops don't, so having 2 is very useful.  The kreg system uses standard 1/4" bolt head t-track, which has become my shop standard for a lot of stuff.  The Incra track also conforms to the same standard, so you could use the Incra track with the kreg stops.  It all saved me tons of time on my basement project and works well with furniture tolerances also. 
At first, I was concerned that I'd miss the "incramental" capabilities of the Incra.  But, I've made hundreds of cuts and have not missed it a bit.  In fact, maybe the opposite ... ??? :-\

Jay St. Peter

 

[sgryd]

Thanks all!

I'm leaning towards Kreg heavy duty track. For the price of Incra I will get several Kreg stops (two "flip stops" and a "shop stop") and still have money left.

Corwin, I'm very sorry about your mother. Hang in there... Time will heal.

//Michael