A miter gauge is an essential tablesaw accessory which lets you make safe, accurate crosscuts on boards and small panels. It’s also essential for making accurate joinery cuts like 45 degree miters when making a picture frame.
Unfortunately, the miter gauges supplied with most new tablesaws are usually very basic items that fail in three main areas – they have play in the miter-slot fit that can’t be adjusted, a head that’s hard to read and set, and a fence that’s too short and not sturdy enough to support your work. All these faults combine to produce inaccurate cuts.
Luckily there are a number of high-quality aftermarket miter gauges that address these issues. We looked at six fully equipped gauges and tested them for accuracy, ease of adjustment, quality of cut and value for money . The miter gauges tested are the Incra 1000 HD, Incra 1000 SE, Incra 3000 SE, Kreg KMS7102, Osborne EB-3 and Woodhaven 4911K.
Easy-to-use head quickly registers common angles via a brass pin
Nylon adjustment screws keep the gauge tracking well in the miter slot.
Vernier scale allows adjustments down to 1/10 degree
All aluminum construction
What's Not?
Curved stop's small contact area with the fence allows angled work to slide behind the fence.
Bottom LineThe Kreg KMS7102 miter gauge is our Best Value winner, because this all-aluminum gauge has all the features of a great unit with a price that’s hard to beat. The nylon adjustment screws keep the gauge tracking well in the miter slot. The long fixed-length fence has a flip-stop that’s curved to let work slide under it for quick repeat cuts. The easy-to-use head quickly registers common angles via a brass pin and the vernier scale is a nice feature that allows adjustment down to 1/10 degree. The Kreg KMS7102 retails for $138 on Amazon.
Secondary scale with detents at half a degree, which gives 364 laser cut positive V-stops in 1/2° increments allowing for incredibly precise setups
Incra's patented GlideLOCK Miter Bar with 8 expansion points for a perfect 'no-slop' fit in the miter slot
Dual flip fence stops with micro-adjust facility for accurate repeatable cuts
Heavy-duty telescoping fence from 27" to 49" (the longest on the market) supports long workpieces
Interlocking grooves in the fence and stop to ensure even the sharp edge of mitered work will not push behind the stop
What's Not?
The downside of the extra degree of adjustment is that it takes longer to adjust
Bottom LineThe Incra 3000 SE Miter Gauge is our Overall Winner because it's the most fully-featured miter gauge on the market. The combination of Incra's glidelock miter bar and 364 laser cut positive V-stops in 1/2° increments on the head give incredible accuracy. Add to that the heavy-duty telescoping fence with interlocking grooves in the fence and stop to ensure even the sharp edge of mitered work will not push behind the stop, and accuracy is guaranteed. The Incra 3000 SE Miter Gauge retails at $269
180 positive stops for pin-point accuracy at every degree (with special stops at +/-22.5°), plus a micro-adjustable vernier scale for fine-tuning to 1/10°
Interlocking grooves in the fence and stop to ensure even the sharp edge of mitered work will not push behind the stop
Incra's patented GlideLOCK Miter Bar with 8 expansion points for a perfect 'no-slop' fit in the miter slot
Telescoping IncraLOCK fence expands from 18" to 31" and features a T-slot for adding a zero clearance sub-fence
What's Not?
Nothing we could find
The Incra 1000 HD miter gauge is a high-definition gauge with 180 positive stops for pin-point accuracy at every degree (with special stops at +/-22.5°), plus a micro-adjustable vernier scale for fine-tuning to 1/10°. Add to that the industry's smoothest adjustable miter bar, a telescoping fence, a premium dual-arm flip stop, and superior duplicating ability, and you've got a can't-miss solution for better results. Perfect for both table saw and router table applications, the Incra Miter 1000 HD allows you to produce perfect, gap-free hairline glue joints on the mitered corners of any multi-sided object without trial-and-error setups. If you don't need the 1/2° increments of the Incra 3000 SE, this is the one to go for. The Incra Miter 1000 HD retails for $185
Precision angle indexing teeth are laser cut in solid steel to lock in 41 positive angle stops in 5° increments over a full 180° range, with special stops at 22-1/2° and 67-1/2°
Incra's patented GlideLOCK Miter Bar with 6 expansion points for a perfect 'no-slop' fit in the miter slot
Sturdy Special Edition Incra-Lock™ fence telescopes from 18" to a full 31" length
Flip Shop Stop has patented saw tooth rack system that instantly controls the length of your cut. Dual flip arms, equipped with three sliding stop rods, operate independently or in tandem for one, two or three simultaneious stop positioner setups. Made of solid aluminum with hardened anodized surface
What's Not?
Lacks the ease of fine adjustment, down to individual degree (although stainless steel vernier cursor delivers an incredible 1/10° resolution between fixed steps)
Bottom LineThe Incra 1000 SE Miter Gauge has the same miter bar, fence, and flipstop as the Incra 3000 SE and 1000 HD gauges, but the 1000 SE’s head only has detents every 5°. While this gauge performed well, it lacks the ease of fine adjustment, down to individual degree, that the 1000 HD has. For an additional $15 it is worth buying the 1000 HD to get the detents every 1° even if you only need the capability occasionally. The Incra 1000 SE Miter Gauge is available on amazon for $169
Index on the telescoping arm allows you to set specific angles with 20 preset/auto-locating settings: one at each 5° increment and at 22 1/2°
Three expansion slots in the guide bar provide a perfect fit with your table saw and adjustments are made from the top side for ease of fitting
New telescopic fence that offers support and repeat-ability up to 42'' from the blade
What's Not?
If you want to add an auxiliary sacrificial fence you have to drill through the aluminum extrusion fence
Bottom LineThe Osborne EB-3 Miter Gauge has a unique triangulated system for setting angles which makes this one of the easiest gauges to dial in quickly. The bar has expandable slots that are opened with setscrews to adjust the fit. This works well, but the steel bar doesn’t provide any wear protection, such as nylon bumpers. The telescoping fence extends out to 42" giving support for longer workpieces but can warp when fully extended, reducing contact with longer stock. The Osborne EB-3 Miter Gauge retails at $139
Head has a vernier scale for setting angles down to 1/10º and a screw-in brass detent pin giving precise stops at 0, 10, 15, 22-1/2, 30, 45, 60, and 90º
The fence includes as standard a pre-made sacrificial fence, a micro-adjust flip-stop, and a standard flip-stop
Precision machined nickel plated steel miter bar has five adjustable nylon set screws for a perfect fit in the miter slot (also supplied with a spare set)
Extremely solid construction
What's Not?
Screw-in brass detent pin slows down adjustments (but you're only talking seconds)
Bottom LineThe Woodhaven 4911K Miter Gauge is a good all-round performer and whilst lacking the number of detents of some of the Incra models it features precise stops at all the common angles of 0, 10, 15, 22-1/2, 30, 45, 60, and 90º. It also comes with a vernier scale for setting angles down to 1/10º between stops. The steel miter bar has five adjustable nylon set screws for a perfect fit in the miter slot (also supplied with a spare set) and the fence includes as standard a pre-made sacrificial fence, a micro-adjust flip-stop, and a standard flip-stop. The Woodhaven 4911K Miter Gauge retails at $169
