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Thread: need recommendation for "setup" tools

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    columbia, sc
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    808

    need recommendation for "setup" tools

    i have a nice straightedge from Lee Valley...but nothing else. Do you guys have any recommendations on a what's needed to make sure my equipment is well setup -- table saw run-out, fence parallel to slot, etc.

    i've got all the typical ww equipment and yes i know i should have done this a long time ago...

    i'm looking for something reasonably priced. $100 is preferred more than $300
    Bob C

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Peshtigo,WI
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    1,395
    A dial indicator and magnetic base from Harbor Freight will help with aligning your tablesaw.
    Confidence: The feeling you experience before you fully understand the situation

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
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    Dial indicator with mag base.
    Known right angle squares.
    The plastic drafting triangles, from Staedler, are very versatile,and not super expensive.
    Vernier caliper.
    Inside and outside calipers.
    Quality machine rules.

    These would be the basics. Some machines would require more purpose specific equipment.

    I recently bought one of Brian Lamb's, large right angle triangles. Wow, what a nice tool!
    I thought I had my slider setup pretty well, but that triangle really set it dead on. I used it as a reference to check, and tune, my other combination squares, and also tune up a framing square.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  4. #4
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    Dec 2005
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    West Lafayette, IN
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    Don’t forget a good set of feeler gauges. I have a set from Lee Valley that I like, they are longer than most.

  5. #5
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    I would recommend a Beall Tilt Box for setting blade angles and Wixey Digital Height gauge for setting blade and router bit heights repeatably.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    columbia, sc
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    Thanks...just ordered a dial indicator, calipers and a beall tilt box. All of which i know will be useful. I've got feeler gauges and decent machinist squares
    Bob C

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Austin Texas
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    Speaking from stupidity here, but I purchased an inexpensive Harbor Freight dial indicator with mag base years ago for use on (mostly) jointer knives and encountered lots of frustration when trying to use it. I then found out that I needed to order some type of a "fatter" (tech language) tip to replace the regular tip on the indicator arm so that I could maintain contact with the edge of the blade. The dial indicator has stayed in it's box on top of a cabinet since then. Maybe you may need the "fat" tip to go along with your indicator.
    David

  8. #8
    Besides what has already been mentioned, I find a set of either 123 blocks or 246 blocks come in very handy in assisting in machine setup, they are typically more accurate then a cheap square.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    NE Ohio
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    6,983
    Harbor Freight has an excellent digital fractional caliper - 6" - that's great for measuring bit/blade heights and measuring widths of stock, dados, and anything else that your really want to dial in to the inth degree.
    I know - wood moves - but still, it's nice to slip something in a dado and have to whack it a good one to get it in.
    Last edited by Rich Engelhardt; 12-08-2017 at 1:27 PM.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
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    Sacramento, CA
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    Betterly UNA-Gauge all the way. Can use it for most of the major tools in the shop. LINK
    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

  11. #11
    Ben there doesn't seem to be a price for the UNA-Gauge. What is a ballpark price for one?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Franklinville, NC
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    21
    ~ $200 give or take

  13. #13
    Thanks. If I didn't already have a bunch of measuring tools that can do the same stuff I'd consider it.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Providence, RI
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    517
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Berry View Post
    Besides what has already been mentioned, I find a set of either 123 blocks or 246 blocks come in very handy in assisting in machine setup, they are typically more accurate then a cheap square.
    Second this recommendation. I recently got a Veritas set that includes a 1-2-3 block and and assortment of thickness blocks ranging from 1/32 to 3/4. I have found a lot of uses for these - for example setting a bandsaw fence to resaw thin sections.
    -- Jim

    Use the right tool for the job.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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    To piggyback on this thread, what do you chuck up in your drill press to check runout with a dial indicator? I have a centering pin that came with a Bosch router centering cone that I use, but I have a hard time trusting this or any of the drill bits I have. Is there something I can buy from a local hardware store? Or harbor freight?

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