Shopsmith TS-III ULTRA User Manual

Patented Precision Woodworking Tools

The only table saw fence with
Automatic Positioning Control™

INCRA TS-III ULTRA OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read this manual
before use and keep it at
hand for easy reference.

For many years, INCRA
has been the accepted
upgrade of choice for
thousands of woodworkers
seeking to improve the
accuracy and repeatability
of their wood cutting tools.
Today, your search for
the perfectly placed cut
will come to an end. Your
Shopsmith workstation
will be transformed and
your skill elevated to a
new level of performance.
Now, take a few minutes
to read through this
ownerʼs manual, open up
your toolbox, and let the
transformation begin.

CONTENTS

Safety Instructions 2

System Description 3

Preparing your Shopsmith 4

Installing the Ultra Base 6

Fence Assembly 7

Final Calibration 9

Operation 10

Adjustments 13

Maintenance 15

Warranty 15

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Important safety instructions for using the
INCRA TS-III Ultra

■ Always keep both hands behind the fence
when moving the INCRA TS-III Ultra to a new
setting.

■ Before using the INCRA TS-III Ultra, read
and follow all of the instructions and safety
information in this manual.

■ When using the INCRA TS-III Ultra in
conjunction with any other tool, first read and
follow all instructions and safety information in
that toolʼs ownerʼs manual.

■ Before making a cut, always make sure
that the carriage clamp is fully engaged.

■ Use appropriate safety devices. Keep
hands clear of the saw blade! Always use a
push stick, rubber soled push block, or other
safety devices to keep your hands safely
away from the saw blade.

■ Never let any part of the INCRA TS-III Ultra
interfere with another toolʼs safety guards or
other safety equipment.

■ Before using your INCRA TS-III Ultra, make
sure all mounting screws are tight and that the
black clamping knobs are securely tightened.

■ Never let the saw blade come into contact
with any part of the INCRA TS-III Ultra.

■ Always hold the Shopsmith table height
crank firmly as you loosen the table height
lock when making changes to your worktable
height.

■ Always turn off the power and make
sure that the blade is fully stationary before
changing the setting on any part of the INCRA

■ Wear safety glasses, hearing protection,
and follow all normal shop safety practices.

TS-III Ultra.

System

Photo

Precision Racks

1

16

2

4

12

11

3

4

6

5

13

Micro Adjust

15

14

2 INCRA Woodworking Tools & Precision Rules

10

7

9

8

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

Positioning Control

1

The INCRA TS-III Ultra obtains its great accuracy
and repeatability from the precision cast saw­toothed racks which position the fence in exact
increments of 1/32”.

Rip Fence

2

The 36” long heavy-duty rip fence is precision
machined for perfect flatness along its length.
T-slots along the front face permit easy addition of
user made wooden subfences using standard
¼-20 hex bolts and hex nuts.

Fence Mounting Bracket

3

This bracket provides a quick and easy means to
attach the rip fence.

Rip Fence Glides

4

These heavy duty glides support the rip fence
slightly above the worktable surface providing an
effortless motion from one fence position to the
next. The glides can be configured for either the
Shopsmith model 510 or 520 rails.

Floating Table Tab

5

Moves floating table with rip fence to provide extra
support for the fence and large work pieces.

Carriage

6

The reinforced square tube design of the carriage
provides the ultimate in strength and support for
your fence. The carriage rides on self-lubricating
UHMW guide bearing surfaces in the base to
provide a velvet smooth glide to your next fence
setting.

Primary Sliding Scale

7

After setting up your INCRA TS-III Ultra and
“zeroing” the fence to the blade, slide this scale to
read 0” under the hairline cursor. The precision
etched stainless steel scale is held on a magnetic
track. Use this scale as the primary source for
readout of fence to blade distance.

Auxiliary Scale Slots

8

Four auxiliary scale slots are provided to allow
additional setups and cutting operations to take
place without altering the primary scale position.
Simply slide the supplied 1/32” “floating” scale into
position as needed for reference. These extra
slots are great for advanced joinery applications
requiring the use of the INCRA templates. You
can even leave your most frequently used joinery
templates from the optional INCRA Master
Reference Guide & Template Library permanently
installed.

Ultra Base

9

The Ultra base provides both tracking and support
for the carriage and is the control center for most
of the INCRA TS-III Ultraʼs features.

10

Base Support Panel

Once attached to your Shopsmith floating table,
this panel makes it easy to add or remove the
Ultra Base from your Shopsmith workstation. The
T-slot design makes the final calibration alignment
between the rip fence and blade a snap.

Hairline Cursor

11

The large hairline cursor provides a clear visual
reference of the fence location and spans all five
scale positions.

Carriage Clamp

12

By pushing the carriage clamp down into the
“unlocked” position, the carriage is free to glide to
the next setting. Pull the clamp handle up into the
“locked” position and the carriage is locked solidly
in place, ready for your next cut.

Micro Adjust Lever

13

After pushing the carriage clamp down into the
“unlocked” position, push the micro adjust lever
down to place the Ultra Base into the “micro adjust
mode”. After micro adjusting your fence position,
simply reset the micro adjust lever and then pull
the carriage clamp up into the “locked” position
before making your next cut.

Micro Adjust Knob

14

When in the “micro adjust mode”, use this knob
to fine-tune the position of the fence in one
thousandth of an inch increments. A hairline
cursor and easy-to-read scale give a clear readout
of your fence movement. Turning the knob
clockwise moves the fence closer to the blade.
Turn it counterclockwise and the fence moves
away from the cutter. Each full turn of the knob
moves the fence 1/32”. Micro adjust range is plus
or minus 1/4”, for a full 1/2” of vernier travel.

Micro Adjust Scale with Zeroing Feature

15

Large easy-to-read numbers make fine-tuning
your fence position a snap, and once youʼve micro
adjusted and pulled the carriage clamp up into the
“locked” position, you can re-zero the scale if you
desire. Just rotate the scale (not the knob) gently
with your fingers to return the zero on the scale to
its original position under the cursor.

Micro Adjust Cursor

16

Your INCRA TS-III Ultra has a micro adjustment
range of plus or minus 1/4”. By sighting through
the micro adjust cursor to the left end of the micro
adjust knob, this feature tells you how far you
have micro adjusted away from the mid-range (0”)
position and which way youʼve gone. The scale is
marked off in 1/32” increments.

INCRA TS-III ULTRA Shopsmith Owner’s Manual 3

PREPARING YOUR SHOPSMITH WORKSTATION

To enjoy the full working range of the
INCRA TS-III Ultra , you will want to
configure your Shopsmith workstation
at shown in Fig. 1. This configuration
requires, (2) 5ʼ Connector Tubes, (2)
Telescoping Legs, and (2) Floating
Tables. The instructions below detail
the modifications needed for the floating
tables and the final set up. Begin by
unplugging the Shopsmith, then remove
the blade guard.

Note: The blade guard must be
reinstalled after you have finished
mounting the INCRA TS-III Ultra to
your Shopsmith workstation.

Drill access holes in one

1

floating table

Turn one of your Shopsmith floating
tables upside down at the drill press
and, using a 3/8” twist drill bit, drill
through the table at the two locations
shown in Fig. 2. Try to center the holes
on the existing hole recesses in the
casting.

CAUTION: When drilling metal,
always operate your drill press at
“Slow” speed and securely clamp the
floating table to your drill press table.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRILL THE
FLOATING TABLE FREEHAND.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Drill 3/8” diameter holes
through table at these
two locations

Pull hex nuts into hole

2

recesses

Open hardware pack B-06. Gently

press a ¼-20 hex nut into each of
the two hole recesses drilled above.
See Fig 3. Place a washer on the ¼-20
hex bolt provided and thread the bolt
into the hex nut from the top of the table.
Now use a 7/16” wrench to pull the hex
nuts firmly into the hole recesses. See
Fig. 4. Tighten the bolt until the nut
bottoms out in the hole. Remove and
discard the hex bolt and washer.

4 INCRA Woodworking Tools & Precision Rules

Figure 3

Figure 4

Gently press ¼-20 hex nut into
each of two hole recesses

Pull hex nut into
hole recess using
¼-20 hex bolt
with washer as
shown

Add table tab to remaining

3

floating table

Mark drill centers on the right edge of
the remaining floating table as shown
in Fig. 5, then use the (2) #10 x 5/8”
self drilling Phillips head fasteners to
attach the table tab. See Fig. 6. Leave
each of the two fasteners slightly loose
to allow the tab to pivot down and
out of the way for other floating table
applications. For the model 510 floating
table, add self adhesive UHMW to both
ends of the tubular rails. Adhere the
pads just inside the tubes at the top as
shown in Fig. 7.

Figure 7

Figure 5

Figure 6

1 ¾”

9

4

/

13

16

”

/1

”

6

#10 x 5/8”
self-drilling
fasteners

table tab

For Model 510 floating
table, adhere UHMW
pads as shown to front
and rear rails

Final Shopsmith

4

workstation set up

Loosen the headstock and carriage
locks and slide both to the far left end of
the way tubes. Tighten the headstock
and carriage locks. Now insert (2) 5ʼ
extension tubes into the worktable rails
allowing 32” of the tubes to extend
beyond the right edge of the worktable.
Tighten the locking thumbscrews.

Slide the floating table with table tab
onto the right end of extension tubes.
Slide floating table with drilled access
holes onto the right end of the extension
tubes. Position this floating table 23”
from the worktable and tighten the
locking thumbscrews. Now attach the
telescoping legs as shown in Fig. 8 and
extend to hold the work surface at 90° to
the blade.

Figure 8

Leave fasteners loose
enough to allow tab to pivot

32”

23”

INCRA TS-III ULTRA Shopsmith Owner’s Manual 5