Wixey digital gauge

[bobthebuilder]

I was wondering if the wixey digital gauge was works well on the scrollsaw table. Saw it had good reviews on Rockler but no on mentioned they used it on the scrollsaw. Any input.....

Bob

[JohnB]

G'day Bob,
We can fix it mate
I have been considering getting one of these for a while and was also giving it's use on a scroll saw a bit of thought.
The main things to consider is, in my opinion are:
What is the size of it...will it fit between the top arm and the table??
How do you get it to attach to the blade, as these are thin and I'm not sure that the magnet in gauge would have enough power to grip such a thin piece of steel.
My thought on this is that if the first isn't a problem, then perhaps a piece of hacksaw blade place on the opposite side of the blade to the gauge may work.

Anyhow, like you, I'm interested in what others may have encountered.

[lucky788scroller]

Ive got a Wixey, and I use it all the time on my miter saw and on my tablesaw. For both of those tools I love it. As for its usefulness on the scrollsaw, I dont think its very useful. For one, if your saw is tilted forward at all, it makes it real hard to get an accurate reading, as each fraction you are off of square with the blade, it will change your angle. I think if somehow you could mark your saws table exactly square with the blade and always place your Wixey there, it may be ok. Keep in mind, my saws are tilted forward some.If your saw is pretty level front to back, this wouldnt be much of an issue, but with the back of the saw raised, its a completely different ball game.Another thing is on my saws, there is a slight crown to the tables, so theres really no perfect place to put it to zero it out.On my yella saws theres a few thousandths difference on either side of the blade hole in the table. Not all are that way, but mine are, at least on the two that get frequent use, the other dewalt I havent ever checked. the magnets are very strong, but the weight of the wixey doesnt allow it to stick good on a blade, theres simply not enough metal to grab.
So for accurate setups on a tablesaw, drillpress and miter saw, I think the Wixey is great, but for use on a scrollsaw, I dont see much value in it.Ive had good luck with just cutting into a piece of stock, turning it around, and aligning the blade that way, so thats what I do, and for angled cuts, I just do trial and error until I get what I'm after. Also, the Wixeys use a battery that is about the size of a quarter, and it goes through them pretty quickly, so if you get one, dont turn it on any more than is necessary, and dont forget to turn it off after using it DAMHIKT.

[Janette]

The main problem I found would be how it would work if the table is tilted with the back leg higher. Also since you would be holding it against the blade - seems like it would be kind of hard to get an accurate reading. I played with it a bit at the store on a scroll saw and couldn't figure out how it would work on it. I didn't spend enough time to really dive in tho.

[wood-n-things]

I have one as well and I have to just say..Dale nailed it..

[USMC1126]

I also have the Wixey, this would have been a long post but Dale took the words out of my mouth.

[Gill]

I've got one and find it works very well with my scroll saw, even though the table is made of aluminium. I'd be lost without it, especially when checking for table squareness prior to compound cutting.

Like Dale, I find the batteries don't last very long. They even drain when the gauge is switched off, so I always remove the battery after use.

[Haggard3230]

Got one and love it. I haven't had any problem with battery drain.

[Pete_M]

I bought one about a week ago and have been using it on both my drill press and scroll saw table for making the bowls in Carole Rothmans book. My scroll saw table sits relatively level fore and aft so no problem that way. For both the drill press and scroll saw tables I square the blade/chuck to the table, zero the gauge on the table, and then tilt the tables to the offset I want. Works great!

The thing I like about it is that it will give you an accurate reading when using both the drill press, and scroll saw on the same job so you don't have to depend on a questionable protractor on your machine.

Don't know if this would work but an idea would be if you had a scroll saw table tilted forward that you could rig up a jig to offset the tilt so the gauge would be level. You could get the angle you needed by zeroing the gauge on a level surface and then put it on the table. If lined up with the table tilt it should give you an accurate reading for making a jig.


John B.

The gauge is about 2" square and weighs 4 ounces. I don't have a scroll saw where the arm tilts so it might be a problem figuring how to get the angles. The magnets on the gauge will hold it upside down but it won't hold on one of the Flying Dutchman Puzzle blades. Might hold it up against a squared blade with one hand and tilt the table with the other. Kind of awkward.

Pete

[woodgeek]

Bought one a few days ago myself at Harbor Freight. Caroles book arrived today so I had occasion to use it today. It seems accurate enough although I did notice a tendency to vary for no apparent reason about 0.10 degree. Not enough to worry about I reckon. The magnet is strong enough to hold to my DeWalt table very well but it is not overly strong.
My drill press is new and has a tiny built in tilt gauge and I was looking forward to using this one but I could not budge the bolt to loosen the table tilt. Have to find a breaker bar and socket but I did use it with the scroll saw to make a drill guide which combined with a hand drill worked just fine. When I reset the table angle using the saved 0" it was right on so I am happy with it.