DW 735 and Wixey

[Brent Romero]

David, my apology for not understanding your questions. Please, have a beer on me.

[Barry Wixey]

Hey guys! Pardon me for interrupting but I want in on the free beer. This is the best thread I have read in a long time and some of you have explained the calibration process better than I ever have. ( Anyone want a job writing instruction manuals??) It is just exciting to see that 11 years after this product was first introduced people are still using them and talking about them. Thanks for all the positive support and if you ever have questions about your Wixey products don't hesitate email digital@wixey.com we answer usually in less than 24 hours.

[Alan Schaffter]

I'm glad Barry weighed in because I joined this thread late and was unable to give him a heads-up. While reading it, I really had to bite my tongue! The Wixey planer height gauge is probably one of the best machine accessories introduced in the last 12(?) years. The calibration technique is just so darn elegant and simple, that it is really hard to accept that some folks have trouble with it. From my experience with the I-BOX, I believe they have a preconception of how they think it works that is wrong. Over the years I have had Wixey height gauges on a Delta lunch box planer (with vertical display), one with a vertical display, then the improved slanted display, on a Delta DC380 15", and then on a Delta RC51 20" planer. For the last 5(?) years I have had a height gauge with remote readout on the front (the mechanism is mounted on the outfeed side) of the 20" planer.

The key to good calibration is to hold your just planed calibration board (test piece or project stock) horizontal when you insert it between the foot and the tip of the spring loaded scale on the height gauge. If the board is tilted you won't get a good calibration. Remember, while it is nice and necessary to have the height gauge foot at the same plane as the planer bed (or bed edges like those on my DC380 and RC51) if you rest the board across the bed during calibration, the position of planer bed is used by the height gauge but is not important to you during calibration. The foot can be anywhere (I had mine temporarily mounted upside down once so the foot was at the top of my planer) as long as the board is horizontal and proper parts move when the planer head or the table moves (in stationary head planers).

The only issue I have ever had was not with the height gauge but with my RC-51. It doesn't have or really need a table lock (the table moves, the head is stationary), but, despite being a heavy duty unit, the bed exhibits a small amount of give when planing heavy, wide boards. I've used it enough that I am able to compensate by dialing in a few thou" less than the target thickness.

[Bill Fleming]

My experience is good when it is good but bad when batteries end up dead or it is out of adjustment. The setup would benefit from replacing the aluminum material with something more rigid. My 735 has consistent adjustment. As a result I went back to the standard gauge and calipers.