# "Zeroing" Incra Miter Fence



## clanderson (May 18, 2018)

I recently purchased an Incra 18-32 telescoping fence and flip stop for my Incra miter, and I can't wait to accidentally cut into it after adjusting a miter angle, er, I mean use it.

(This question is assuming the miter fence runs along the left side of the blade)
I noticed quite a few folks referencing "zeroing" their fence/stop, but in several pictures and videos in these discussions, I notice their rules don't fully extend to the edge of their fence (thus not against their blade). This has me a bit confused, as "zero" is on the left, closest to the blade.

How does one zero the stop/rule on their fence against their blade to ensure accurate cuts?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

It means adjusting the rule on the crosscut
fence so the stop is accurate at 12" or whatever.
You can carefully cut off a piece of wood
to exactly 12" by meticulous measuring and
marking. How fussy you get is up to you, or
you could use something like a steel straight
edge. I have one that's about 24-1/64" long
and I use that to set the rule on my table 
saw cross cut fence. Actually I measured that
straight edge using a Stanley tape measure,
"burning an inch" and clamping the tape to
the straight edge. Once I figure how long it
was according to that green tape measure,
I used that measurement to calibrate the
crosscut fence. I put the end of the straight
edge so it just touches the side of a saw tooth
and then move the crosscut fence sideways
until the stop lines up perfectly with the other
end of the straight edge and the tape on the
fence reads a hair proud of 24".

This way the saw fence is calibrated to the 
tape measure I use the most. I have to keep
an eye on the hook at the end of the tape
measure and hammer it out square occasionally.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

All you need to do is move the stop over so it just touches the blade. That's zero and you can adjust the tape to indicate that. If you haven't already, I recommend adding an auxiliary fence attached to the t-slots on the Incra. This will allow you to keep the Incra fence slid over a bit away from the blade (fraction of an inch) and let the aux fence be flush with the blade. To do that, crank the blade up and slide the aux fence over so it's just past the side of the blade, then push through and cut the aux fence flush. It will help you in those situations where you're cutting to a mark and will also give you a zero clearance backing for the board which can help give you clean cuts.

Edit: Here are a couple of photos to clarify. You can see that the stop is flush with the aux fence which is precisely aligned with the blade (I know that because I used the saw to cut it flush), and the tape is moved to zero. In the second photo the stop is moved back and you can see how the aux fence is attached. My Incra is an older one (about 20 years) but the setup is the same.


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