Make More Accurate Miter Cuts

PROBLEM-SOLVING PRODUCTS

THE SET-UP: To THE PRODUCT: Miter Divider use the Miter Divider you’ll need the jig, a Arnott Tools, Inc. MADE BY: small piece of scrap ply- WHAT IT DOES: Accurately wood (about 6 x 12" or divides an angle in half so), and a standard pen- AVAILABLE AT WOODCRAFT: cil, which the manufac- #147889 turer actually supplies. A three-minute reading PRICE: $19.99 of the well-illustrated TESTER: John English instructions should answer any questions. The Who among us hasn’t made two or TRIAL RUN: After plac- Miter even three attempts to get a critical ing the Miter Divider against Divider miter just right? Wouldn’t it be nice an outside or inside corner as to have a tool that tells us how much in Photo A, use the pencil to to scootch the miter saw angle for a transfer the angle to the scrap as in ing curves on perfect joint? John Arnott discovered Photo B. Without moving the jig, the scrapwood as in Photo C. through trial and error (and the use use the point of the pencil to rotate Remove the Miter Divider and of some swearwords) that the angle first one and then the other of two use its straight edge to draw a line. of an inside or outside corner is small metal arms that are attached to This runs from the point where the rarely a true 90°. His Miter Divider the red plastic jig. Holes in the arms two straight lines intersect (A) to the measures the angle and divides it in accommodate the pencil tip. As the point where the two curves intersect two without requiring any math. arms rotate, you draw two intersect- (B) as in Photo D. Use this line to set the angle on your miter saw as shown in Photo E. Cut the scrap for a test fit before you cut the molding or trim. Simply flip one piece and butt the two cut edges together for a test fit. You can also use the Miter Divider, instead of scrap lumber, as a bevel gauge to transfer your angle A C from the drawing to the saw. BEST APPLICATIONS: This is an economical tool for trim and finish carpentry, and also for woodturners who work with stave construction. Cabinetmakers who are building multi-faceted structures will find it useful, as will many peo- B D ple who are installing a countertop or building a deck.

68 WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE | 11.07 E

TESTER’S TAKE: This is an ideal tool for DIYer’s who tackle trim and finish carpentry, and also for woodturners who work with stave construction.

4 out of 5 biscuits

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Digital Accuracy For Your Table Saw Fence

THE PRODUCT: Digital Fence Readout Kit, Model WR700 MADE BY: Wixey WHAT IT DOES: Adds digital Wixey Digital accuracy to +/-.005" per foot to Fence Readout Kit your table saw’s fence AVAILABLE AT WOODCRAFT: the parts are there, the ital readout’s magnet does not touch #147854 instructions good, but your fence’s locking mechanism you you’ll need to adapt have two options: 1) use the sup- PRICE: $149.99 and mount it to your plied bracket that easily bolts onto TESTER: Ken Kupsche specific saw. As shown most T-square fences, or 2) fabricate in Photo A, the system’s a bracket (using the supplied bar components include an stock, screws and bit) that will work The Wixey Digital Fence Readout extruded aluminum track, a digital with your specific saw/fence set- Kit is designed as a universal add-on readout unit, and the hardware for up. Wixey claims the WR700 easily for most table saws. It eliminates mounting the track beneath your mounts to Biesemeyer, Powermatic, manual measuring from blade to existing fence’s rail. The digital read- Jet, HTC and other T-Square fence and is more accurate than out unit has a magnet on its side to fences as well as Delta Unifence; OEM (original equipment manu- connect it to the locking mechanism and DeWalt, Vega and other round facturer) ruler scale fences. Because of your fence. Installation involves rail fences. In my case, I have a it retains its calibration even when three issues: determining the length Biesemeyer fence and the instal- shut off, it allows you to reposition of the track, where to mount it, and lation proved pretty simple. Total your saw’s fence with absolute accu- how it attaches to your saw’s exist- installation time: just over an hour. racy every time you start it up. ing fence. My mock-up quickly showed First, you need to assemble the that my on/off switch, which hangs THE SET-UP: The first thing track, attach the mounting brackets, off the front fence rail, was in the you’ll realize about this tool is that slide on the digital readout, and way. I removed it and determined it’s a kit, not a quick bolt-on. All mock up the installation. If the dig- that I could hang it lower, out of the

A B

70 WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE | 11.07 PROBLEM-SOLVING PRODUCTS

way, by fabricating a metal bracket extension or I could ate woodworker whose measurements and setups can, just cut the Wixey track to a shorter length. Most of my at times, be suspect, it can and will make a difference, work is on the right side of the blade, so losing a foot of particularly if yours is an older saw. Finally, I give Wixey usable track on the left side of the blade wasn’t a big deal high points for clear instructions and, get this, includ- for me. I cut the track to size, removed the existing front ing not only the drill bits you need but an extra battery fence rail, marked and drilled the mounting holes, and for the digital unit! When attached the track as shown in Photo B. Once in place, I was the last time you got that simplyslid the fence against the saw blade and calibrated much in any kit? the read-out to 0.000". As the fence moves, the magnet keeps the digital readout attached to it. When I need to 4 out of 5 biscuits remove the fence I just slip the unit to the side. The digital readout can be adjusted to decimal inches (fractions up to 32nds appear beside the decimal read- WHAT PRODUCTS PERPLEX YOU? ings) or millimeters. Its constant memory function lets Have you ever looked in a woodworking catalog or you to turn it off and on and still retain its calibration. browsed in a woodworking store and encountered a product that baffled you? You eyeball the item, As soon as I had the WR700 installed, read the promotional information, but still don’t see TRIAL RUN: the product’s value? Hopefully, with this column in I put it to work building a pine bookcase for my son’s Woodcraft Magazine, these days are over. We’ll select college dorm room. I ripped case sides and shelves to a few “mystery products” for each issue and show width, and also cut dadoes in the shelves’ sides. The digi- how to use them beyond the manufacturer’s take. tal readout proved dead-on accurate and saved me time, We’ll point out their pluses, problems, practical shop since I didn’t have to fiddle with a tape measure to set up applications, and grade them. If you know of a few each cut. such products that need more explanation, email us at [email protected] to let us know. BEST APPLICATIONS: Wixey’s digital readout is meant to improve accuracy and save setup time for the full range of saw cuts on the table saw. Ripping, crosscutting, angle-cutting, and dado work all apply. If precision cutting is important to you, then this add-on accessory may be just what the doctor ordered.

TESTER’S TAKE: So does your woodworking require extreme accuracy? Prior to installing the WR700, I was able to use the hairline cursor on my fence’s scale and could match the digital readout’s resolution (.005") every time I readjusted the fence. But I was working with the lines on the scale. For cuts that were somewhere between those lines—well, that’s a different story. Here, the digital readout excels. Too, if I’m cutting a run of pieces and come up short later, I can now make the exact same cut on additional stock by pulling that dimension off my cut list record and duplicating it. No need to cut, measure, fit, adjust over and over until I get it right. I think the woodworker who’s working with an older saw where there is no scale or simply an inaccurate one stamped into the front rail could greatly benefit from this accessory. Of course, the WOW factor here is huge. Everyone who saw a digital readout on my saw was impressed. It may not make you a better woodworker if what you have already delivers precision. But for the intermedi-

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