Digital Angle Gauge

I've got the Wixley that I picked up on sale for $24.00 at Woodcraft. The magnets hold well even when vertical.

I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday. It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you wouldn't have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile. :)

OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. I noticed that the gauge is supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. You may have a defective unit, it should be very resistant to slipping or falling. I'd give LeeValley a call and have it exchanged.

Slipping is a problem if you use it to return your TS blade back to a 90 degree setting.

Is it the magnets are weak or the saw blade not very magnetic?

MikeB

Personally, I'm not a believer in layouts using angle measurements.

There is simply too much chance for error.

Rather use trigonometry and layout the line lengths using a compass and intersecting arcs.

Then use a router /w/ a bearing and a straight edge to clean up the lines.

I use 1/2 (9 ply) for these angle guides which is also handy if you need to do the setup again in the future.

Lew

vertical surface.... I suspect the surface you are testing is an alloy that is fairly non-metallic

shelly

P.S. I love the thing. Couldn't cut a good miter before using it. The onlt hitch is that it can't be used for a CMS

So tell us how you use that technique to set your table saw blade for a bevel cut.

Make a gauge block first, then set to it.

Basic 101.

Lew

As you've mentioned (and Sheldon), it's possible the canopy pole I quickly tested it on was partially a non-magnetic alloy of some type. That was the only place I tried it because at the time, there wasn't anything else close by. I'll test it on a more reliably metal ferrous object and let you know what I find out.

Try a refrigerator. ;-)

Uh huh. Right. Never actually tried that, have you?

But it works great on my old Delta tablesaw where the table tilts instead of the blade :-).

Yes

Lew

I agree with Shelley's comment. I have the same device (Beall Tilt Box) and it has absolutely no tendency to slip when it grabs a vertical saw blade. If yours does, and it shouldn't, talk to Lee Valley about it. They have one of the best customer service reputations in the business.

Mine is used often to set/check/verify the blade tilt angle (even 0° tilt) on almost all tablesaw cuts where the correct angle is critical.

Beall makes some pretty useful shop accessories.

Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA

Hmmm, I haven't tried to use mine to set the bevel angle on my CMS but don't see any obvious reason that it couldn't. I agree on the miter angle, but why not the bevel?

Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA

Try a refrigerator. ;-)

Perhaps not a stainless steel cased one.

And how'd it work out for you?

It worked as designed.

Lew

good idea - I'll give it a whirl shelly