Ever get one of those gifts that compels one to spend even more money on accessories that cost more than the gift itself? I did that to myself when I took the Birthday money my parents sent me and picked up an Incra Jig Ultra. First, I decided I would need to build a bigger table than the tablesaw extension wing I was using, just so that I'd have enough room for the 24" throw of this fence. Once I committed to that, I decided I'd have to do it right, with a miter gauge slot, and you know, that lexan router table insert I was using looked pretty ratty, and so on....
Of course, once I realized I had such precise control of the X and Y-axis of the table, I knew I needed equally precise control in the Z-axis, which is where the Jet X-Acta Lift (a Jet-branded version of the Jess-Em Rout-R-Lift) came in.
And when I realized just how cruddy the Miter Gauge from my eventually-to-be-replaced-with-a-Unisaw Craftsman Tablesaw was, I had to upgrade that too. Annoyingly, each version of the Incra Miter gauge has some really negative aspect to go with its positives. The 1000 I liked because of the half-degree vernier angle gauge, even though it only had notches for every 5 degrees. The problem with it was the really cheap stop. The 2000, the first version, has an excellent stop, and it has notches for every degree, the half-degree setting I'm not quite so wild about, since it has no precise indicator, and the biggest issue is its limited 50 degree range of motion. The 3000 is very expensive, and has a 180 degree range like the 1000, but it acheives its notch for every degree and half-degree settings with a very odd Rube Goldberg design. And its stop was way overdesigned (although I liked the way it meshed with the fence). I ended up buying the 2000.
So, let's look at the table!
Step 1: The Tabletop
Step 2: The Frame
Step 3: Legs and Surface
Step 4: Miter Gauge and Tuning
Step 5: Drawers 1
Step 6: Drawers 2
Step 7: Finishing Touches
Back to the Workshop, Mavica, Me, or Main.
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