Dial indicator with magnetic base

[Bill]

I went to the WoodWorking Shows this weekend. Roland Johnson, from FWW, was recommending a tool like in the subject line (none in particular) for doing TS set-up. I would like to use it to measure run-out too. Thus, I anticipate very occasional use. I saw this one at Grizzly:

item also listed at Amazon, Lee Valley, Peach Tree WW, and several others listed too, including Harbor Freight, but just by looking at them, they look like they have come from the same source. Lots of reviews say they are very fragile (at the joint) and are easily stripped and fall apart.

At least if I buy it at Harbor Freight, I would have to go far to return it if it falls apart in 30 days.

Any words of advice on this item here (can you recommend one)?

Bill

[Father Haskell]

This style base is supposed to be better, arm is supposed to not be as prone to slipping:

what do you want for $20? The dial is plenty useful with other shopmade jigs. Note that the back of the magnetic base sticks as well as the bottom.

[Larry Jaques]

Huh? Tablesaw setup? You'd want a DI set up on a miter slot for that, wouldn't you? Or a height gauge?

They all seem to work fine, so grab what's closest. Since they measure relative distances, the precision is in the dial indicator and they all can read 0.001" (or 0.01mm) easily enough.

I bought the HF components for $5.99 each locally on sale. They're more nowadays:

there's the DEEluxe version: 'd never seen -that- one before.

-- I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Count Diodati, 1807

[Bill]

This may in fact be a better solution since the other one has issues. This solution appears to be in the $50-60 range when you include a dial indicator and P&H. I can probably budget for that. Perhaps I can recover some of these expenses from my first sale! ; ) Thanks for the suggestion!

The dial is plenty useful

[RonB]

I have owned that Grizzly set for about ten years and it is fine. I too bought mine for table saw setup but it gets used for lots of other things too. When I had to tear down my thickness planer a couple of years ago it made table adjustment easy.

Ron

[Bill]

I think he (Roland Johnson) pushed the indicator in the miter slot passed a 90-degree blade to check the horizontal alignment, and passed it by a tilted (say 45-degree blade) to check vertical alignment. He said most modern blades are near perfectly flat due to modern technology. Concerning your comment: Height seems immaterial except calibrating the height of the adjustor (or if you're checking vertical alignment that way)?

I think he had a jig he made out of some acrylic sort of stuff. Maybe most any sled would work if there is a place to hold the indicator base.

I think I had some misconceptions about what a TS could do. I think I was expecting it could produce a decent edge for gluing. And I guess it can, but a jointer is evidently (much) better. Either I get a jointer or I learn to sharpen and use my Stanley planes (I've collected #4-5-6-7-8 and some 5 1/4's, and some for parts...lol). Anyone out there making furniture with no power jointer?

[SonomaProducts.com]

Yes a well tuned cabinet saw with the right balde can easily make clean enough cuts for glue jointing. It takes very gppd technique to never have small edge outs but it can be done.

When I was doing lots of really big edge glued butcher block tops I would rip all the maple very carefully. The I would only join the pieces that showed and edge gaps when getting ready for glue up. I got pretty good after a while.

[Bill]

Here's a theoretical question. : ) Supposed I planned to glue 12-15 8' planks of southern yellow pine

2by-lumber face-to-face to make a bench top. I have 15 pipe clamps. Should I expect to joint the faces in order to end up with a decent-looking benchtop?

I'll surely make a mini-version for small table or something, to learn my lessons on the cheap.

Lew put the idea above for this benchtop in my head a couple years ago and it's still there. No matter how the table ends up being built, at least the idea has been there to inspire me while I cut my teeth.

[Larry Jaques]

I was including both the "original saw setup" and "setting blade height for a specific cut, such as a dado or rabbet" concepts.

Most table saw blades will leave a fine gluable line.

Prolly 3/4 of the world and most of our ancestors, Bill.

-- I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Count Diodati, 1807

[Bill]

Larry Jaques wrote: Anyone out

I was just talking about youse guys. Did I mention I got to meet Tommy Mac? -- Nice guy; He seems to be trying hard.

[Bill]

My original plan was to put the boards through my planer. But I understand now why that might not be "good enough". But I suspect it is if I'm willing to do diligently surface the "top".

[Larry Jaques]

Who's Tommy Mac? (Quickly Googlin'...) Oh, I've never seen Rough Cut. I gave up teevee 5 years ago. Books are much quieter and are extremely more educational and fun.

-- The most powerful factors in the world are clear ideas in the minds of energetic men of good will. -- J. Arthur Thomson

[Doug Winterburn]

Prolly ??? ;-)

[Bill]

Okay, I need to get going on my honing materials (strap/board). I need to hone woodcarving gouges and plane irons. When I went shopping online, I found I didn't understand the terminology (of leather). My uncertainty had to do with whether the leather was of uniform thickness or not. I would think leather between 1/8" and 3/16" thick seems right, because of my presumption that if it is too thick, there is greater risk of accidentally rounding the edge.

Can anyone recommend a suitable leather source/product for this purpose (cows excluded)?

Bill

[Swingman]

And most authors who write woodworking books have been woodworking for more than five or six years ...

[dpb]

On 1/23/2012 11:52 PM, Bill wrote: ...

...

If you are careful to select stock w/o much wind or any short bends and glue up in sections should work perfectly well for the purpose. I'd glue up sections that could still get thru the planer (or find someone w/ a large thickness sander) to clean up the tops before the final glueup.

--

[Bill]

Thank you rpb, that sounds like a good suggestion. Gluing top side down, say on level piece of hardboard, might possibly help too. I just "know" the wood is not going to cooperate with me on this! ; )

[Pat Barber]

Don't buy the cheap one....

Get a real tool for setups:

have had one for several years and it can not be surpassed for power tool setup.

[Swingman]

Go to:

and scroll most of the way down the page to the date 3/20-25/04 to get one idea on how to do an extra wide panel glue-ups.

Note: jointing the edges of couple of 2 x 4's, and attaching them, jointed side up, to a flat surface; then using the jointed surface of the 2x 4's to support the glue-up, serves a dual purpose ... in both helping to keep things flat, and allowing you to alternate clamping pressure from top and underneath so that all your clamping force is not across one surface:

[Bill]

nice way to get the results you wanted. I'm unprepared to make those, but I could substitute threaded-rod (s) though the wood. Either method could backfire I suppose if one is fighting tension in the wood. But the jointing your did and your use of use quarter-sawn materials almost eliminates all possible worries! : )