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Thread: Digital Angle Finder Restocked at Lee Valley

  1. #1
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    Digital Angle Finder Restocked at Lee Valley

    The digital angle finder that sold out at Veritas/Lee Valley a few months ago is now in stock. I just ordered mine. See:

    http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...t=1,51&p=58801

  2. #2
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    I was fortunate to get one of those when they offered it a few months ago. It's amazing how many different uses I've found for it that aren't even related to woodworking. It's a handy tool.

    I'm in no way connected with Lee Valley or the company that makes this tool.
    Don Bullock
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    The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.
    -- Edward John Phelps

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Wright View Post
    The digital angle finder that sold out at Veritas/Lee Valley a few months ago is now in stock. I just ordered mine. See:

    http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...t=1,51&p=58801
    Very interesting...What appears to be nearly identical at Harbor Freight, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96874 costs twice as much. You don't see that every day. The only difference I can see is that the Lee Valley version has 4 black screws around the display where the HF version has only 2. Other than that they look identical. But the HF version doesn't list the guaranteed accuracy.

    Speaking of accuracy, .2 degrees is half of what the Beall and Wixey angle gauges claim for their accuracy. (.1 degree). Has anyone who has one been able to check for accuracy? $20 is pretty inexpensive I'm not sure I'd be happy if one I got was actually off by .2 degrees. .2 degrees would certainly show up if I were setting a saw blade to 45 degrees for a bevel. I've checked both the Beall gauge I have and the Wixey gauge I sent back and both appeared to be dead on accurate, or at least as close as I could tell using a few different methods. Hopefully the Lee valley unit is dead on accurate too. I realize they are different tools but they both can be used for a lot of the same measurements.

    Bruce

  4. #4
    You guys convinced me to order one. I'll see how it works out.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  5. #5
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    I never need much of a reason for ordering stuff from LV but I've got a Wixey angle guage and I'm trying to think if there's a significant use for this that the Wixey couldn't do?? I'm not coming up with much. Is there a reason I'd want both?
    Use the fence Luke

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Benjamin View Post
    Has anyone who has one been able to check for accuracy?
    You can re-zero the device if desired. I set mine on my tablesaw and it read zero when closed and 180 when open, and zero when closed again. Fairly repeatable measurements. For $20, hard to go wrong.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Friesen View Post
    You can re-zero the device if desired. I set mine on my tablesaw and it read zero when closed and 180 when open, and zero when closed again. Fairly repeatable measurements. For $20, hard to go wrong.
    Well, if my math is correct there are about 179 other degree points between the two extremes of 0 and 180. While it is encouraging that it actually reads zero and 180 when it should it might not read 57.05 degrees when it should. That was what I was hoping to find out.

    Whether it costs $20 or $200, if it isn't accurate it isn't worth even $2.00 to me. I don't know about you but I can't afford to burn $20 on something that's worthless.

    Last year I was at my local Harbor Freight and bought another fairly different version of the gauge in question. (They sell two types) I brought it home and tested it against my engineer squares and by doing the same 0/180 test you did. Nope, it was a piece of crap. I think I paid about $20 for it with a coupon. I'd say I went wrong with that one and I returned it the same day.

    I'm not saying I expect the LV gauge or the virtually identically HF version to be junk. I'm asking if anyone has tested it to see if it's more accurate than the .2 degrees they claim or if they are finding it is off by about .2 degrees. If it's off by that much I don't need it. Heck, I probably don't need it anyway but if it's truly accurate and only $20 then I can add it to my growing collection of tools that I don't really need but were a great buy.

    Bruce

  8. #8
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    I have the Beall Tilt Box, a Wixley knock-off, and find it inadequate to set my table saw accurately. Yes, I did zero it out first! I tested it by setting the blade at 90 degrees and cutting a piece of wood and rejoining the two pieces back together and found they did not align straight. I lost confidence in the tool since then and haven't used it since. I expect the LV tool to arrive later this week.

  9. #9
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    Thanks for the heads up, I just ordered one.

  10. #10
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    Does it have a level bubble built in?
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  11. #11
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    They posted it Friday night. I placed an order and it shipped out from Lee Valley today.
    This purchase I feel confident about. 1) It's from Lee Valley 2) If Lee Valley had any problems with the first batch they would never had offered it again.
    I once ordered a Tack hammer from them. It was on back order at the time. In a few days they sent me an e-mail saying They received there shipment but felt the hammers were not up to there standards and would not ship them out. Now that is first rate customer service.
    Last edited by Dave Lehnert; 06-16-2008 at 5:16 PM. Reason: Add photo

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Wright View Post
    I have the Beall Tilt Box, a Wixley knock-off, and find it inadequate to set my table saw accurately. Yes, I did zero it out first! I tested it by setting the blade at 90 degrees and cutting a piece of wood and rejoining the two pieces back together and found they did not align straight. I lost confidence in the tool since then and haven't used it since. I expect the LV tool to arrive later this week.
    Jeff, you're wrong about the Beall being a Wixey knock-off. It's the original. It works on a completely different principle. I don't understand how the Beall works exactly but it doesn't use any moving parts to determine the angle. The Wixey does. The Beall is all electronic. Very different so your claim is wrong.

    According to my conversations with J.R. Beall, he originally developed the version that Wixey uses and contracted with a company in China to build it. He wasn't happy with it and decided to redesign it. The Chinese company kept his design, (not with his permission) and started manufacturing them and selling them to whom ever would buy them. Wixey was the first to buy them apparently. He then finally got his current design finished and released it to the public. He spoke of a law suit against Wixey but at the time I was talking with him the suit wasn't finished. I exchanged emails with Wixey and he confirmed that he didn't have anything to do with the design and had bought it from a Chinese company. I don't have anyway of confirming Beall's story but I believe it to be true. He seems like a very decent and honest man.

    Regarding your troubles with the Beall, it's either operator error or your's has a defect. Mine has been perfect. It is more sensitive to movement than the Wixey so it takes a little practice to get accurate results. The first unit I got was from the very first batch and the buttons were too stiff. It made it difficult to push the zero button and hold it steady. I talked to J.R. Beall about it and he immediately sent me out another one. I hadn't even returned the first one yet. The second one was from a second batch with softer buttons and it works much better. It still took me a few tries to get it right but since then I have had zero problems getting it to work perfectly. You have to hold it very steady when you zero it. But it's not difficult at all.

    I wrote a detailed review on SMC and another WW forum comparing the, (second) Beall to the Wixey. I had both brands. They're both good units but overall I liked the Beall best. I returned the Wixey. If I had never came across the Beall Tilt Box I would've been perfectly happy with the Wixey. But after comparing the two side by side, (as carefully as I could) I found that while they both seemed to be equal in accuracy the Beall had some features that I liked better and it was a little more precise.

    The level of customer service I received from Beall was outstanding. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly and helpful and J.R. Beall even called me when he heard I was having a problem. I don't know where you bought your Beall or when you bought it but if you called Beall it wouldn't surprise me if they offered to exchange the unit you have for a new one and paid for the return shipping too. You should at least give them a chance, (and get your facts straight) before you give up on them.

    Bruce

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Benjamin View Post
    Jeff, you're wrong about the Beall being a Wixey knock-off. It's the original. It works on a completely different principle.
    Bruce, I'm no engineer or expert on these tools. Knock-off may not have been the best wording. My intent was that the Beale is a similar tools to the Wixey in its use IN A GENERAL SENSE. I doubt any issues I had were user caused. I am one of few folks who read directions, manuals and the like and my attention to detail can usually put most people to sleep. Maybe I will give it another try.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Benjamin View Post
    Very interesting...What appears to be nearly identical at Harbor Freight, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=96874 costs twice as much. You don't see that every day. The only difference I can see is that the Lee Valley version has 4 black screws around the display where the HF version has only 2. Other than that they look identical. But the HF version doesn't list the guaranteed accuracy.

    Speaking of accuracy, .2 degrees is half of what the Beall and Wixey angle gauges claim for their accuracy. (.1 degree). Has anyone who has one been able to check for accuracy? $20 is pretty inexpensive I'm not sure I'd be happy if one I got was actually off by .2 degrees. .2 degrees would certainly show up if I were setting a saw blade to 45 degrees for a bevel. I've checked both the Beall gauge I have and the Wixey gauge I sent back and both appeared to be dead on accurate, or at least as close as I could tell using a few different methods. Hopefully the Lee valley unit is dead on accurate too. I realize they are different tools but they both can be used for a lot of the same measurements.

    Bruce
    The new Wixey protractor is supposedly accurate to .1 also, but a bit more pricey.


  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Benjamin View Post
    Well, if my math is correct there are about 179 other degree points between the two extremes of 0 and 180. While it is encouraging that it actually reads zero and 180 when it should it might not read 57.05 degrees when it should. That was what I was hoping to find out.

    Just for you, I went and tested mine against a Staedtler 30/60/90 drafting triangle. It read within 0.05 degrees of the expected values. No guarantees that it's accurate at the ~3600 angles I didn't test.
    Last edited by Chris Friesen; 06-16-2008 at 6:36 PM.

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