Does anyone have any knowledge of this gauge from Hartville Tool?
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11482
$99 with a digital gauge seems like a good price if it works well.
TIA Gordy
Does anyone have any knowledge of this gauge from Hartville Tool?
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11482
$99 with a digital gauge seems like a good price if it works well.
TIA Gordy
I'm sure that is a good gage.
BUT -- expensive alignment tools are really not necessary.
Buy a decent dial indicator for $50 (or much less) and fix it to a scrap piece of wood. Clamp that to your miter gage. Square the blade to the miter slot using that rig.
Then turn it around and square the fence to the miter gage.
You can probably do doggone near as good a job without the dial indicator; just a brass screw into the end of the scrap wood clamped into the miter gage.
Numerous tutorials on the web; search around and you will find them.
I wasted waaaay too much money on a "master plate" that is about useless.
My $0.02.
-TH
PS -- buy John White's excellent book about maintaining shop machines. Well worth the money and he walks you through the entire process.
Ditto the dial indicator. I bought a used one with magnetic stand for $10 at an auction. I lined up my contractor saw by adjusting the trunnions and checking the alignment with the dial indicator. Less than 5 thousandths runout. If you have an owners manual it should show you how to adjust it. You may be able to download a manual if you don't have one.
Here's what I got. Works well. Inexpensive at $19.95. Does all of the above...as Billy May would say..."AND MORE"!
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...1593&category=
Burt
Gordy,
Just a suggestion, but get back on that website and order a set of tips for your indicator. The flat tip will get a LOT more use than the spherical tip that is standard.
It will also make measurements to a blade edge on jointers/planers so much easier.
A set of tips is only about $5, and if you can get it sent along with the indicator, you can save some postage/handling.
Mike
Last edited by mike holden; 07-30-2008 at 3:21 PM. Reason: spelling
From the workshop under the staircase, Clinton Township, MI
Semper Audere!
I have teh same set up. It works great and is really versatile. I probably paid more than $20 which seems like a great price to me.
Gary
I was thinking about master plates. Could you take an old saw blade (or a cheepie Irwin you picked up for $5 on clearance from woodcraft ), make sure it's flat, and use a cold chisel to knock the carbide tips off? That wouldn't be "square" but it should be smooth and flat...
There's a review of it here:
http://www.ts-aligner.com/tsjrvsxpoint.htm
Bill
This was discussed several months ago. See:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ht=masterplate
It's a long thread but well worth reading the whole thing. In the end, master plates are a waste of money. Mark a spot on your blade and you will get better results.
There's a new web site devoted to nothing but table saw alignment:
http://www.tablesawalignment.com
It requires registration but the info is top notch and I haven't been spammed at all.
Bill