I have long wanted a better depth readout on my Delta DC-380 planer, and I had seen some info about the Wixey WR550 which is a larger digital readout and remote unit. My local Woodcraft, where I prefer to shop didn't carry it in stock so I found it on Amazon and ordered a pair, one for the planer, and if that worked out, a second for the dual drum sander - They were about $73 each on Amazon and as I have Prime, the 2 day shipping is no charge (well worth having Prime in my opinion if you buy much from Amazon). This post will show the install on the planer, as I didn't find a lot on line about installs of this combo, and the Wixey instructions, while ok, could be a lot better.
First, the packing of the units is fine... consists of main scale, brackets, remote read-out, cable and a hardware bag. Batteries are not included and you will need 2 AAA batteries.
The hardware bag was missing one 5mm screw for mounting a bracket. I took one from the second unit and will pick up a couple before I install the next unit.
Finding a location to mount the unit is the first decision. One bracket mounts the main scale and the second bracket mounts a magnet which pulls the sliding head up and down the main scale. Location should be out of an area where you might whack it with a piece of lumber and yet in a good spot for drilling and mounting the brackets. The manual is less than clear about various orientations of the fixed bracket / moveable scale, although it tries to define the possibilities.
In the case of the Delta DC-380, the planer head moves and the planer table is fixed. I chose to mount the bracket for the magnet on the table and the main scale on the moveable planer head, this means the arrow on the Wixey must point down.
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I chose to mount the unit in the right rear of the planer, as that is out of my work/traffic flow and the unit would be protected.
I mounted the main scale to the cover of the chain/gear box. This works out wel, as this cover is easily removed for drilling.
First caution...the Wixey includes the needed drill bits...The larger bit for drilling the holes for the screws had some runout and the first hole was a bit oversize resulting in a loose fitting mounting screw (couldn't tighten it down). I changed to a slightly smaller bit (next fractional size down) and the results were much better.
Here you can see the mounting for the main scale.
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I then mounted the magnet bracket on the the table. The bracket needed to be bent slightly to provide clearance, but that is no issue as it's only purpose is to hold the magnet which in turn pulls the moveable head along the scale. It must be firmly attached, but there is a lot of lattitude for adjustment.
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Finally, the cable is long enough to attach the remote anywhere, but I went on the switch box, simply using very strong double faced tape to attach the bracket. The wixey kit included some self adhesive cable hold downs.
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Calibration is very straight forward. The unit measurements change in .005 increments and when in the imperial setting show both decimal inches and fractional inches.
Accuracy was certainly within the .005 when I measured the test piece with a dial caliper. I didn't check the entire range, but within about 3" of travel it was excelent. I'm not looking for .005' accuracy, just improved productivity and this will certainly fit the bill.
Hope this saves someone some time and questions on the install if they choose to do it...
Total install time is well under an hour...
Roger
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