Wixley on Performax 25-2

[John Miliunas]

For a planer or similar device, the .005 is likely just fine. But for a drum sander... .001 is gonna be better as folks often like to sneak up on a thickness for certain things like thin veneers or other delicate materials. At least in my mind...which is always somewhat suspect...

Hey Jim, I just noticed you very recently surpassed the 12K mark!!! Whew...That's a LOT of peckin'!!! Thanks for the tons of useful info you've passed along to many!

As for the precision of the DRO, here's my take on it: First of all, I see even .005 as being far more accurate than I'd be able to "see" via the linear scale of these machines or by eye. And speaking of "by eye", that's one of the main reasons I love them so much. My eyesight just ain't what it used to be and the DRO really helps. (Although I'd love to see a 10 or 15 sec. timed back-light on them! ) But, having said that, personally, my MAIN reason for the DRO's is repeatability. Particularly on planers, I don't believe I've ever seen a scale which has any correction for parallax and, if you view the scale from more than one absolute positive position, you're going to get different reads on it. A non-issue with a DRO. Same goes for the TS or even the drum sander. If I'm trying to "sneak up" on a thickness on the drum sander, which is going to be so very, very critical, I'll still use a caliper for the final measurement, regardless of what method I'm using at the front end. Actually, same thing goes on the planer. If indeed I'm going to be concerned with a .001 tolerance, I'll still be measuring with calipers at the output end of things. For me, however, if my entire project ends up within a .005 tolerance throughout, I'd be doing a jig on my TS! (And NO, that's never been witnessed to this point! ) I agree that with a closer tolerance at the front end, it stands to reason that the final product should be truer, as well. But, this is wood, after all!

[Bob Winkler]

Barry, when are you gonna introduce that "accessory connector" so that I can add an external display to save me from bending over from my poor eyesight?

[Jim Becker]

HFirst of all, I see even .005 as being far more accurate than I'd be able to "see" via the linear scale of these machines or by eye.... If I'm trying to "sneak up" on a thickness on the drum sander, which is going to be so very, very critical, I'll still use a caliper for the final measurement, regardless of what method I'm using at the front end.

True, but I know with my drum sander (Performax 22-44 Plus), the height control is really very granular due to the way it's designed. It would be nice to be able to see that granularity as you crank it if you put a DRO on it. But good point...checking with a physical measurement is still important, if only to insure that you compensate or any "deviation from the plan" in a later step...

[Barry Wixey]

Barry, when are you gonna introduce that "accessory connector" so that I can add an external display to save me from bending over from my poor eyesight?

Bob:

So little time.... So many product improvements...... I don't know when ,but someday the next planer readout will have many improvements including easy to read while standing upright.

[Jim Becker]

Barry, when are you gonna introduce that "accessory connector" so that I can add an external display to save me from bending over from my poor eyesight?

I have a different brand of DRO on the planer portion of my J/P and fabricated a bracket for this exact reason. Even though I have to bend down to make the height adjustment, the angled readout makes it so much easier to work with. But my particular DRO is a two-piece system that easily lends itself to this...Barry's current design will take a little more work for him to do that as he states. But it is a worthy goal and something I suspect some folks will be willing to pay for.

[Bob Winkler]

Bob:

So little time.... So many product improvements...... I don't know when ,but someday the next planer readout will have many improvements including easy to read while standing upright.

Ok, I understand. Guess I'll have to do it myself. Good thing in my "real job" I have a fully equipped electronics lab at my disposal, and am often looking for some fun projects to work on at lunchtime. (keeps me from eating )

Bob

[Tyler Howell]

Ok, I understand. Guess I'll have to do it myself. Good thing in my "real job" I have a fully equipped electronics lab at my disposal, and am often looking for some fun projects to work on at lunchtime. (keeps me from eating )

Bob

Bob,
I'll be looking forward to your new USB mod with supporting software