The question:
Do we expect too much of our machines and not enough of ourselves
An earlier thread on combination machines like the Robland X31, Mini-Max and Felder, got into the advantages of dedicated, stand alone machines over combination machines (table saw with rip fence, joiner with fence and planer). One major difference was that with combination machines, you lose your last set up for each operation and don't with dedicated, stand alone machines. Another noted difference were the rip fences. U.S. market fences typically go all the way to the back of the saw table and often are secured front and back, while combi fences typically only lock down in the front and some only extend just beyond the back of the saw blade.
But the difference that led to this post was the difference in setting the rip fence. With a combi you typically use a tape, or piece of wood the width you want, to set the fence. With a US market rip fence you just set the cursor to the deisred width on the fence's measuring tape.
With the latter, the assumption are: a) that the tape for the fence is accurate to the precision it implies by its smallest gradation - 1/32nd or even 1/64ths b) that the implied accuracy noted in "a" is good for most of, if not the entire length of, the tape c) that when you lock the fence down it won't move - at all. d) the tape only need to be set to the saw blade once and will be accurate forever after (amen)
We expect these assumptions to be true - even though, if you think about it - they're not. "a", "b" and "c" have some slop. And if you change blades to best suit the material you're working with, or have tilted the blade for a bevel cut and then broght it back to it's vertical "stop" then "d" may not be true either.
Do you keep a good try square or starrett four inch double square in your shop aproan and check for square on stock you're prepping? Do you keep a good caliper in your shop apron to check the thickness of the stock you're planing? Or do you just expect the machine you're using to be as accurate as you think it is?
charlie b (now I'm going out to the shop to route some mortises using my Micro Fence which lets me dial in - in thousandths! I've got a mini/midi lathe bench to build. Another "quick and dirty" that'll likely get away from me and end up with inlaid legs and maybe some nice beading. Now if I can just remember where I put all that ebony - maccassar of course)