INCRA LS17 LS Range Positioner Only 17-Inch

Having read about these LS positioners and watched numerous videos, I was intrigued by the siren-call of easy repeatable accuracy. Yet, like most woodworkers my age, I am skeptical of newfangled tools. Over the last few decades, I've seen too many gimmicky gizmos and gadgets that promise high, but deliver low. Also, I am inherently cheap; so the cost of these systems seemed overpriced.That's why I decided to try this low-cost version of LS positioner by itself, without extra fences or add-ons. My intent was to see if it works as advertised and find out if it really is worth the money.It works exactly as advertised; just like in the videos, perhaps a little better!Not only that, but even as a cheap old-fart, I am now fully convinced this is worth every penny.First, it came triple-boxed. The entire mechanism, including manual, mounting hardware and instructional DVD is supported to "float" safely inside a custom-fitted heavy-duty cardboard box. That box was inside another heavy duty box, which was in turn packaged with ample padding inside another box. That makes sense for any super accurate mechanical device that must endure the rigors of shipping. I could not complain about the care they took in packaging!As soon as I got it out, I discovered this is NOT a lightweight aluminum gadget. It is HEAVY, strong and rigid. The complex aluminum center-extrusion houses a 1/2" thick steel rod with 32 threads per inch. The extrusion is beefy and its axial tubular geometry is well-designed to resist lateral forces. The ends are capped with 1/8th" steel-plates, secured by five machine screws. The (left side) steel cap has mounting holes to accept the provided hardware or optional accessories. Impressive!The first mystery was to see how the locking mechanism works, and how well it works. The videos make it look too easy, so again, I was skeptical... but no longer.This ingeniously simple clamping mechanism uses a spring-steel plate which is levered into place by the cam action of the large flat red-lever. It has three positions: DOWN for easy rough positioning, MIDDLE for micro adjusting, and FULLY UP which positively locks the traveling arm in place. The threaded rod mates with a 2 & 1/2" half-bolt. If you ever torqued down a two-and-a-half-inch bolt onto a fine threaded rod, then you have some sense of how incredibly secure this mechanism locks into place. To say it is "over-engineered" is an understatement!The smooth finish allows super-smooth gliding action, and that's without any wax or lubrication... just dry as it came from the box!Along the top of this extrusion there are several channels for different rules. Mine came with three different rules: one a general metal ruler that is held in place magnetically, plus two other rules with specially-adapted markings for routing applications.On the left side (nearest the fence mount) there is a pair of knobs. The large red knob clicks by increments of 1/32nd revolution. Therein is the super precise adjustment feature.How accurate is it? A little math will help...The rod is threaded 32 threads per inch. So when that half-bolt mates to the rod, it automatically slips into position at perfect 32nd inch increments. How accurate is that in thousandths?Take one inch and divide by 32 to get the decimal equivalent: 0.03125"That as good or better than I can get by eye or using my standard woodworking techniques. But that is only the beginning.It isn't that 1/32nd inch is so accurate, although that's plenty accurate for most woodworking. This mechanism allows EXACT repeatability.Experienced woodworkers can usually deal with less than 1/32nd inch accuracy so long as every cut is off by the same amount for matching components. Well, even with my finest Starrett metrology tools, I cannot measure ANY deviation in repetitive cuts... not even one-thousandth of an inch.But there's still more!Divide that by 32 again to get 0.0009765625.For practical purposes that is shy of 10 ten-thousandths, or one-thousandth of an inch.In other words, the micro-adjust feature of the LS positioner will literally "dial in" increments closer than one-thousandth per click.That RED knob divides one rotation of the rod into another 32 distinct clicks. So, if you need to (and so far I haven't) you can micro-adjust the fit of dados, grooves, rabbets, dovetails, sliding dovetails to extreme perfection.I cannot say exactly how that micro-adjusting mechanism works since I did not disassemble it to see, but I have measured the resulting cuts. It is repeatably accurate to within two ten-thousandths, (0.0002") no matter which direction I approach the cut from, left or right.That is simply amazing! This device is more accurate than many metal working machines! My saw blade wobbles and deflects more than that! Even a 1/2" thick router bit will deflect more than two ten-thousandths under load. If you can't get good cuts or joinery with this thing, then your other tools or technique is to blame.Now, those are the facts. This next bit is purely my opinion...I previously thought these INCRA designs were overpriced. Considering the ingenious design, numerous available options, clever engineering, massive custom extrusion of thick high-quality hard-anodized aluminum, beautiful fit & finish, careful packaging, well-written manual and clear video instructions... this is a bargain!Not only that, but I LOVE buying American made products whenever possible. This company deserves awards and medals for designing and making one of the best woodworking tools I have ever seen in my half-century of woodworking, right here in North America.You can check my other reviews of many different products here on Amazon. You will quickly see that I am not a corporate shill or paid reviewer.I give this fine tool a whole-hearted Five-Star rating and would really like to help this company by promoting more sales. Every detail of this line of products is superb, from design, through manufacture, to packaging and clear instructions for use. This thing earns well-deserved pride in the Made in the USA label. It's a bargain. Buy one.

I bought the large sized LS for my table saw and never looked back. When I bought my router table, I bought this one.Installation was straight forward and included all the parts needed. Mine came with the LS positioner DVD, which is fabulous at showing you how to use it on different projects. Be sure to follow the instructions exactly as shown. It is accurate and the setting are repeatable. Once you get it set (or zeroed) the cuts are absolutely on the mark. No guessing or playing with various measuring devices. You are never just a little bit off. The fence moves in 1/32" on the major marks and in 1/1000" on the fine tuning wheel.I really love this thing. Not cheap, but well make and works great.It's allowed me to make better projects. The pieces fit together better because they are accurately cut thanks to the positioner.

I have a terrible time reading rules/scales below a 32nd of an inch and secondly it is almost impossible to find a rule/scale for a table saw and/or route table below a 16th of an inch. I have a 72" fence for my table saw and router table combo and I can now easily make precise setups and repeats with this unit. I made three locators pins for the positioner giving me 51 inches of measurement to the right of the table saw blade and 17 inches to the right of the router bit. It is amazingly accurate for the price and is a million times better then loosening the fence and bumping it test and repeating never knowing for sure exactly where the fence is in relation to the blade/bit. Once you have it zeroed you can make the slightest of adjustments and know it is dead on. It is great for Dadoes on the table saw and finding center for router bits. I have not done any of the projects on the video but it is great for making super accurate repeatable cuts. This is one tool I wish I had bought a lot sooner.

I have the 32" positioner on my Powermatic table saw and I would replace it with any other fence. These are true to their hype and provide great control over measuring and marking when your doing various types of work. I always have confidence that my cuts are square and exactly what I measured them to be. The locking into place is great. I have this unit on my Router Table and love it just as much. The templates make it easy to do Dove Tails, Box Joints, etc.

I have yet to purchase a bad or even mediocre product manufactured or licensed by INCRA. Everything they make is just solid and it works as advertised. I had the ultra 16 positioner, but I wanted the lead screw version. I also have two router fences, an INCRA miter gauge, an INCRA/JESSEM Router lift, and other miscellaneous equipment, all of it great. I highly recommend this American Made Company.

This is the best Router Table and/or Table Saw setup money can buy. I have the older version and two of these newer LS versions. They are easy to use and dead accurate.

I can't say enough about the LS positioned system. It's a amazing piece of machinery that has made my router table more accurate and way quicker to get set up in position for the next task. There are ,any ways to adjust your fence, but there is no better way thanks Incra's LS positioned system.

Built a new router table to hold it and to replace my "Original Incra" positioner. be aware that you need a lot of room behind the fence for this to work. I made a 3' x 4' table to hold it and give it full range, it's a big router table. I can't imagine ever needing the 25" version for a router table.