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Snap-Check+ Setup Tool - Opinions Wanted

What do you think of this setup tool? Scroll to the bottom of the page for a video.

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Reply to
DerbyDad03
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I use a digital caliper for setting up my dado set width, measuring plywood thickness for groves, and for measuring resulting thickness after running material through my planer or drum sander.

I find that test cutting yields the best results when setting up the router bit depth and setting TS blade height. I actually will measure the results vs. tying to set the machine to an exact specific setting before cutting.

The TS blade height is the hard one to measure. Which tooth is the highest and is it at its maximum height when you take the measurement? Same with the router and router table. With circular cutting tools it is difficult to determine where to measure exactly, especially when you get into measuring thousand's of an inch.

The measuring tool looks to be a good price and probably pretty accurate but do you know exactly where to place it and where in the rotation of a blade the tooth should be? Will that tooth be the one that cuts the deepest or will it be the tooth 5 spaces away? Again, I like to measure the results on test scraps vs. trying to set the machine up to be cut perfectly the first time. I think you will find if you try to set up the machine with this tool that you will end up making adjustments after checking the results.

Pretty much the same goes with setting a rip fence to be parallel to the blade. This is theoretically the idea setting for "Perfect" wood. But who has perfect wood. Once again, when I adjust my rip fence to the blade, I look for results/smoothness of cut on the wood.

I'm absolutely not saying that you should not try to be as accurate as you can with your measurements, you absolutely want to be accurate. I'm just saying that results of a set up are are more important than accuracy of the set up. Remember, wood is not perfect.

Reply to
Leon

I have an iGaging angle cube and it works great. Of course, any smart phone will do that trick now. It's a shame they don't have the digital display on their aluminum model.

You have to be careful quality control of the iGaging stuff. When I got my cube, it wasn't flat on a couple sides-- it was bowed. I took it apart and fixed it by bending the case back in. Not something I should have to do out of the box, but it works perfectly.

All that to say you just have to make sure it's all up to snuff during the return-for-refund time. With those cheap prices come greater potential for quality control issues.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Totally agree with everything you said, especially the part about making adjustments after the first cut.

You spend all the time with a gauge getting the thing "perfectly set" but it's not, really, until the test cut. So why not skip the fine measuring and go right to the test cutting?

Now, on TOH they were using a CMS with length stops that had a digital readout and it was set DNO to the saw blade. I would love one of those and that would be a real, actual, time saver.

Reply to
-MIKE-

The electronic tilt box/cube/what ever brand. Be careful if your equipment is on mobile equipment. I found that if I lean on my TS the reading on the box changes.

Reply to
Leon

The plastic frame and the sliding dovetail were the 2 "features" that jumped right out at me as potential problems. At $22 there almost *has* to be issues.

When dealing with "return for refund" on low priced items, the shipping costs almost make it not worth it. Give it away or toss it on a shelf.

Prime has it for $23. Cheaper than chipsfly after shipping. I might just spend $23 for a new toy.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Yes, you find that out in a hurry. Great tool and I use/trust it when I need a DNO angle on the blade.

Since I brought up the phone app, I think I'll do a side-by-side comparison and see if either is more accurate than the other.

Reply to
-MIKE-

I think Prime has free return shipping on most things.

Reply to
-MIKE-

On some items it's automatic, on some you need to pick a reason. The reason determines free returns or not.

Since my family "shares" my daughter's college-discounted Prime account (even though she's graduated) we just pick "Did not authorize" and it sets the return shipping to free.

We don't abuse the return policy, so it's not been an issue so far.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I keep my phone in a Defender and in the past an Otterbox case. Neither work well with a tilt setup because of inconsistencies.

Reply to
Leon

Get some batteries too. I find that some of these tools tend to get turned on unknowingly, especially the tilt box, and the battery is dead when you want to use it.

Reply to
Leon

A few months ago I needed a battery for my digital calipers.

Right next to the local Woodcraft is a store that specializes in batteries and bulbs. I stopped in, showed him the button battery and he offered me 2 options:

A blister pack of 2 for $X or a small LED flashlight that contained 3 batteries for the same $X. "You get 3 for the price of 2."

Either he was not an owner or his profit margin on the flashlights is much higher than on the blister packs. Either way, I saved money and ended up with 2 spares instead of 1.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I bought a digital tape measure. I like it because it will convert to metric. I am not a carpenter and seldom use a tape so it seemed that every time I thought of it and tried to use it the battery was dead. After a few battery changes I gave up and now it collects dust. I already have a dust collector.

Reply to
G Ross

I just did a side-by-side (literally) test between the cube and phone. I set up a jig using a flat board and a bolt on one end that could be turned to raise the height on that end, increasing the angle of the board. I loaded several different level apps and sorted through until I found the most accurate ones. Bottom line is the phone seems incredibly sensitive and changed its reading even before the cube. However, as accurate as it is, the reading of both would vary from each other in the 100ths. So which was correct? I don't know. :-)

However, the major difference, as you alluded to, is ease of use. I can't fit the whole phone on a TS blade and I if I could, I'd have to hold it against the blade.

The angle cube is very small and has magnets that hold it to the blade, freeing your hands to adjust the saw. Ironically, the magnets on one side of my cube allow it to slip, which the opposite side sticks solid. Oh well.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Are these switched magnets?

I have a switched magnet cube at the base of a dial indicator rod. The cube can be used upright or on its side. When on its base, the hold is super strong. When on its side, you can slide it around.

I suspect that the magnets are only pointed toward the base. When on its side, I think you are only getting the "residual" magnetic field, therefore it is much weaker.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

No, and no. All the magnets on all sides are their own deal and there for a reason. You set the cube to 0 using the bottom magnets, then move it straight over to the blade to get a 0 reading using the side magnets. No need to rotate the cube. Great design.

Reply to
-MIKE-

G Ross wrote in news:x7ydnRrtrJrf0f_HnZ2dnUU7-V snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

I have a digital caliper like that. Useless thing drains the battery as it sits there with the screen off. I guess it's trying to remember the calibration or something, but it's really no trouble to rezero it.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Or the batteries in the flashlight were crap brand. ;~)

Reply to
Leon

A few months ago I needed a battery for my digital calipers.

Right next to the local Woodcraft is a store that specializes in batteries and bulbs. I stopped in, showed him the button battery and he offered me 2 options:

A blister pack of 2 for $X or a small LED flashlight that contained 3 batteries for the same $X. "You get 3 for the price of 2."

Either he was not an owner or his profit margin on the flashlights is much higher than on the blister packs. Either way, I saved money and ended up with 2 spares instead of 1.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I solved the always dead battery in the calipers in a different way. There are available, at a variety of price points, calipers that include a photo cell for power as well as a back up battery. The one I have needs just a couple of minutes under a lamp to enable making measurements. My watch doesn't even have a battery - no more trying to figure out how to open the case to change a battery. John

Reply to
John S

Could be, but unless someone wants to waste a few batteries doing a regimented test, I don't really care. As you implied, these types of tools tend to eat batteries, even if it's accidentally. Since it's kind of hard to tell if the batteries are dying because of actual extended use or just be left on or turning itself on, etc., I'd rather get 3 for the price of 2.

I've sure got better things to do (like talk with you guys) than to monitor the caliper battery life of one brand vs. another.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

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