Miter Gauges - Two You Should Avoid!

Watch our latest video! "Refinishing a Retro Heywood Wakefield Desk With A Stunning New Look!"

Feel free to skip to the gauge you're most interested in, but I must warn you that you'll miss some important dumb jokes if you don't watch the whole thing:

00:00 - Introduction
01:13 - Review Methodology
02:09 - Wood River
05:37 - Incra 1000
09:36 - Osborne EB-3
16:32 - Kreg Miter Gauge
23:44 - Incra 1000SE
26:58 - Rockler Miter Gauge
31:08 - Incra 1000HD
32:13 - Incra 3000SE
33:55 - JessEm Mite-R-Excel II
39:27 - Harvey Compass
50:24 - Closing Thoughts
51:02 - Sub-$200 Winner
52:01 - Over $200 Winner
52:52 - Do Not Buy Recommendations
54:09 - Closing

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Looking for a specific gauge? Use the chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:13 - Review Methodology
02:09 - Wood River
05:37 - Incra 1000
09:36 - Osborne EB-3
16:32 - Kreg Miter Gauge
23:44 - Incra 1000SE
26:58 - Rockler Miter Gauge
31:08 - Incra 1000HD
32:13 - Incra 3000SE
33:55 - JessEm Mite-R-Excel II
39:27 - Harvey Compass
50:24 - Closing Thoughts
51:02 - Sub-$200 Winner
52:01 - Over $200 Winner
52:52 - Do Not Buy Recommendations
54:09 - Closing

[joem]

These “non-sponsored “ reviews is exactly what the woodworking community needs. There are so many sponsored ( financial or just get something for free) reviews on social media that it’s hard to determine what is real and what is not. Thanks for this and A+ presentation.

[jhvu]

I own the Harvey Compass and have been underwhelmed, so I thank you for saying what needed to be said- and you should not apologize or feel bad for your words! This alone helped me confirm "it's not just me [or a product abnormality ]." The price point alone should demand better response to existing and not just future customers.

[joelely]

Marc, I tip my hat to you. I can't really imagine being in the position you are in this community. With how influential you've been you've put yourself in a tough spot for things like this. I think a lot of folks would head in a different direction and try to make the companies happy instead of providing the consumer with an accurate take. I'm just a random guy on the internet but thanks for being honest and putting your integrity first. Great video!

[areo]

As an amateur on a budget, I've always been intimidated by the prices of aftermarket miter gauges. This was a huge help in getting me to understand what I'm getting at these price points.

[TheGraemeH]

I’m a hand tool only woodworker and I’m still watching this all the way through, a testament to how much I enjoy Marc’s antics

[Lincolnstww]

promptly clearing my morning schedule. Update: Someone needs to check on Harvey (insert Michael Scott: "Theres been a murda" gif) But seriously amazing work on this one. That was quite the undertaking and its much appreciated.

[chrisdemeglio]

Marc, by this time you have obviously seen Stumpy's review of your review. While he didn't specify say your name, his rebuttal was definitely centered on his relationship with Harvey and his experiences. Now I really like both of you, your videos and your work. I didn't see any bias in anything you said and I think your sincerity for feeling bad for a bad review was honest. But if you're going to pay north of $300, you should get something that cooks your dinner as well as performs flawlessly. I can tell you, this review saved me over $100. Thank you and keep up the good work. God bless and be safe

[brantleonard]

Thank you for the thorough and honest review. As an incra user, I wanted to offer one tip I recently discovered - they sell what they call a “ratchet lever knob set” that allows one to convert several of the adjustments to tool-less knobs instead of having to find that always-elusive screwdriver.

[Richard-wkle]

Great review, in todays world you are exactly what is needed- there is enough false advertising and product reviews out there, the Star rating system is worthless for the most part. Thank you for the honest effort to show how reviews should be done.

[MrBrewzr]

I think you went incredibly easy on Harvy. For that price point, everything should be absolutely perfect. The stuff you pointed out just seem obvious from a manufacturing standpoint. Hopefully Harvy watches this video and immediately begin to redesign everything you talked about. Really all they need to do is tighten up some tolerances, and tweak a few details. Harvy, you can do better, you have the bones of something awesome if you just pay attention to details.

[suifu]

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate the videos like this that you do. The "buy this not that" videos also are wildly invaluable. For woodworkers like me who want to buy quality products and tools, but still live within a budget well, I can't thank you enough.

I've been watching your videos for years and you never disappoint. Keep up the great work, Mark.

[NickBFlair]

Regarding the Kreg, my Dad, an old school engineer, taught me "If you can't make it right, make it adjustable".

[tomm]

I bought the JessEm Mite-R-Excel II a year ago. When I put it together and tested for square it looked square. Just to be sure I did the 5-cut method with a 12-inch plywood square. It was off by 0.0006" over 11.25 inches. That's more than good enough, so I left it alone. It is a pleasure to use.

[SpencleyDesignCo]

As someone who makes content, I can't even imagine how much work this was...but DANG this was INCREDIBLE to watch! Thanks Marc!

[thwwoodcraft]

A couple tips for use of the Incra miter gauges:
Put a wee drop of oil in the tapered seat of the nylon washer where the head wedges it apart. This makes it much easier to expand the washer as designed.
Second: lightly stone the sides of the slots on your cast iron table saw top. This will remove the microscopic machining burrs and diminish wear on the radiused bearing surfaces of the washers.
My Incra 1000 SD has been relegated right-of-blade slot usage now and the Jessem is my go-to gauge. I bought the Harvey months before Marc released this video and promptly returned it for reasons he mentions, as well as other significant ones he doesn't.

[kanes]

Thank you for this review. While I'm nowhere near your skill level of woodworking, I do consider myself a woodworker and like an idiot, I listened to other "Harvey sponsored" videos and got sucked into the shear visual beauty of the MG-36. I now own it and get similar results as you described, but before seeing this video, I simply thought it has to be something I'm doing wrong. Clearly there are others that getting having lousy results(for this price point) as well. Now, I'm not "happy" to hear of others getting negative results, I'm just happy to hear I'm not alone. So thank you again! I love seeing what you guys are up to on this channel. Keep up the good work!

[BeauChampion]

The fact that I watched this movie is a testament to how well done it is.

Kind of shocked that there doesn't exist a perfect miter gauge, but the Incra sounds like a great option. I hope some of the manufacturers will watch this and take your suggestions under consideration.

[cavetroll]

As hard as it may have been you did a superb job. Reviews need to be this in depth and above all honest. I absolutely applaud you here Marc!

[tavarisjones]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review and thanks for the honest feedback. Regarding the Harvey gauge, you reached out to customer service before posting the video. You did your part. Your feedback was honest & fair. Thanks!