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Post by jonathan on Jan 4, 2015 6:08:06 GMT -5
So you like both Mafell and Incra? No problem! Some guys in the Netherlands have figured it out for you.
I'll leave it up to everyone to decide for themselves whether or not they find a setup like this on a portable table saw useful or not, but for those who are interested in or already have an Incra positioner, it can easily be done.
You get 2 of the 1m extension rails and 2 of the router extension tables. Mount the Incra LS carriage on one by drilling 4 precisely positioned holes and mount your router to the 2nd one on the other side.
You now have precision ripping and routing for your Mafell Erika!
Click images to enlarge
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Post by jonathan on Jan 4, 2015 6:11:30 GMT -5
Click images to enlarge.
These side mouting profiles leave a lot of room for all kinds of jigs and extensions!
Aside from the rails I imagine one can also use a set of brackets that are intended for the sliding carriage of the Erika to easily create an outfeed extension that's quick to mount on and off.
The Erika is like a Lego set, so many possible configurations and setups...
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Post by jalvis on Jan 5, 2015 11:54:29 GMT -5
Wow! Getting serious with your set up. like it.
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Post by bicycleclip on Dec 2, 2017 11:23:37 GMT -5
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Post by Tom Gensmer on Feb 24, 2018 14:04:31 GMT -5
BUMP!! I have had several projects come my way recently that have had a heavy emphasis on router table work. I am currently using the Festool CMS-OF router table setup with an OF-1400. It's a nice setup and great for portability, but as I sell more and more shop-based type work I've been exploring reserving my CMS setup for on-site work and as a secondary shop table, and investing in a high-quality, semi-stationary setup. In my hunt for an appropriate setup that would match my routing needs, I'm pretty sure the Incra setup will be the best match: www.incrementaltools.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RTCOMBO-3-TWHaving carefully reviewed the Incra LS positioner, I'm reminded that this might be a good complement to my Erika setup. Here's where my mind is at: While I generally really appreciate the Erika system, something that I've identified I'd like to improve on is to be able to more precisely locate the fence location, and be able to accurately repeat a fence location at a later time. I also appreciate that the Erika, as nice as it is, is ultimately a portable tool and therefore has a handful of compromises. What appeals to me about the Incra LS Positioner is: 1. VERY precise positioning capability 2. Ability to repeat previous positions 3. Due to the modular nature of the Erika, I can choose to use either the standard fence for "quick and dirty" cuts, particularly on-site, then mount the Incra setup in the shop for cabinetry and furniture 4. If/when I ever get a larger, stationary saw I can always transfer the Incra LS setup to the stationary saw. The struggle I'm now having is which LS Positioner to go with, the 17"/430mm or 25"/635mm capacity. I'm inclined to go with the 635mm Metric model, but I may need to have some sort of drop-down support to prevent the saw from tipping over when performing wide rip cuts. The other challenge will be to find a fast, repeatable method for mounting the assembly in a way that assures proper alignment to the blade. Again, with the modular nature of the Erika, this shouldn't be a problem once I have a good sequence worked out. Has anybody else experimented with the Incra LS/Erika setup?
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Post by lincoln on Feb 24, 2018 15:26:52 GMT -5
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Feb 24, 2018 16:33:23 GMT -5
Rizzoa13 has one, he seems to like it. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and have a look at the Tricked out Erika thread.
John
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Post by rizzoa13 on Feb 25, 2018 11:40:37 GMT -5
If you drill and hand tap the Incra brackets into the side of the Erika it’s really easy to put on and off. The height gets preset and all you do is slide the rails/positioner on and tighten it down.
There’s a magnetic scale on the positioneryou can adjust. I’ll put on the Incra, take a measurement from the blade and adjust that scale if necessary. After that you don’t need to use your tape when making cuts.
I can’t remmeber what size I got but I remember o wanted to cut the rails down so it wasn’t so large. In the original thread there’s more detail. I did buy the support legs for the Incra otherwise it’s unbalanced easily.
Any other questions don’t hesitate to ask.
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Post by Tom Gensmer on Feb 25, 2018 13:59:03 GMT -5
If you drill and hand tap the Incra brackets into the side of the Erika it’s really easy to put on and off. The height gets preset and all you do is slide the rails/positioner on and tighten it down. There’s a magnetic scale on the positioneryou can adjust. I’ll put on the Incra, take a measurement from the blade and adjust that scale if necessary. After that you don’t need to use your tape when making cuts. I can’t remmeber what size I got but I remember o wanted to cut the rails down so it wasn’t so large. In the original thread there’s more detail. I did buy the support legs for the Incra otherwise it’s unbalanced easily. Any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. Hi Rizzoa!! I spent a great afternoon yesterday reading through your thread, very informative!! Having gone through the process, do you think it is necessary to buy the Incra rails? My thought was to go with something rather minimal, more similar to the method described at the beginning of this thread, where I'd use the stock Erika components (1m table extension profiles, table leafs, etc..), and simply drill one of the table leafs to accept an LS Positioner. I would set up some sort of roller outfeed support beneath the LS to keep the works from tipping over. What do you think? Is the LS Positioner so heavy that you think I would want/need to upgrade to the Incra rails, or do you think the Mafell rails could handle the load? Thanks!!
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Post by bicycleclip on Feb 25, 2018 14:22:39 GMT -5
If you drill and hand tap the Incra brackets into the side of the Erika it’s really easy to put on and off. The height gets preset and all you do is slide the rails/positioner on and tighten it down. There’s a magnetic scale on the positioneryou can adjust. I’ll put on the Incra, take a measurement from the blade and adjust that scale if necessary. After that you don’t need to use your tape when making cuts. I can’t remmeber what size I got but I remember o wanted to cut the rails down so it wasn’t so large. In the original thread there’s more detail. I did buy the support legs for the Incra otherwise it’s unbalanced easily. Any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. Hi Rizzoa!! I spent a great afternoon yesterday reading through your thread, very informative!! Having gone through the process, do you think it is necessary to buy the Incra rails? My thought was to go with something rather minimal, more similar to the method described at the beginning of this thread, where I'd use the stock Erika components (1m table extension profiles, table leafs, etc..), and simply drill one of the table leafs to accept an LS Positioner. I would set up some sort of roller outfeed support beneath the LS to keep the works from tipping over. What do you think? Is the LS Positioner so heavy that you think I would want/need to upgrade to the Incra rails, or do you think the Mafell rails could handle the load? Thanks!! I think you’re describing the ‘Ericra’ see link: www.gereedschappro.nl/nieuws/frezen-en-zagen-tot-op-de-1-20e-mm-nauwkeurig-op-de-erika/81
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Feb 25, 2018 14:46:19 GMT -5
I like where Tom is going with this. My question is- Is the LS Positioner alone strong enough to support the rip fence without the rails?
John
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Post by kraftt on Feb 25, 2018 14:47:47 GMT -5
All this caught my attention too because of the precision / repeatability and combo router use, even if not using same table, and I had the same question as Tom G. regarding Incra rails vs gereedschappro link method.
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Post by bicycleclip on Feb 25, 2018 15:25:56 GMT -5
I’ve also been interested in the gereedschappro method since it requires the minimum modification, but it seems inefficient to use literally the whole extension for the incra positioner. It also means that you can’t install the Mafell sliding table at the same time as the (left hand) router extension.
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Post by Tom Gensmer on Feb 25, 2018 17:13:34 GMT -5
As a clarification, my intention is to use the LS Positioner on the Erika solely for the saw. It is my intention to have a separate, fully featured Incra router table setup like this: www.incrementaltools.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RTCOMBO-3-TWAs for the Erika, if I were to take a swing at this I'd use 1m table extensions in the front and rear, slide an "empty" table leaf tight to the saw on the right, and then have the LS Positioner mounted to a second table leaf that would be mounted to the outside of the first leaf. My thought process is, sliding the table leaves tight to each out would allow for a fast and repeatable indexing method. Depending on how clunky the setup is, I might leave the LS Positioner parts in the shop, since that's where I perform most of my precision work, and only take on-site when necessary. I understand that the LS Positioner is supposed to be quite stiff, but if it turns out additional stability is needed I can always add a Clamping Piece to either end of the Mafell fence. I'm not necessarily trying to reinvent the wheel here, I just see some VERY desirable elements to the LS Positioner that I'd like to incorporate into my Erika, namely being able to dial in very precise and repeatable rip measurements. Another option I'm toying with is to have a machine shop carefully machine 1mm grooves into one of my 1m table extensions, and then machine a mating 1mm-groove surface into the regular Mafell rip fence, so the fence would lock into the table extension in precise 1mm increments. If I need to fine-tune an adjustment, I can always oversize by 1mm, then shim the fence with .5mm or .25mm shims. An interesting note is that Incra sells their 1mm and 1/32" incremental racks as a separate part..... www.incrementaltools.com/Metric_Incremental_Rack_Pack_5pc_Set_p/m-rackset5.htm
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Post by rizzoa13 on Mar 1, 2018 6:39:55 GMT -5
The positioner is very stiff. I usually just hand tighten the closer rail lock and go from there. I wouldn’t make a cut without tightening that down though as it could flex.
I don’t know how much rip capacity you’d get with the mafell rail setup but I’m over 25” with the cut down incra rails so I can do any crosscut on a sheet of ply which comes in very handy.
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