Rockler’s miter gauge looks like a basic design but actually uses a unique, secure locking system. The bottom of the head has small teeth that engage matching teeth on top of the bar. The head locks in place at a perfect 90°. However, the Sure-Loc does not allow any angle between the teeth increments (this has been improved on its new version).

The rest of the tool was disappointing. The guide bar—one of only two aluminum guide bars in the test—flexed easily when even light pressure was applied to the fence. The guide bar is actually made from two separate pieces that can be adjusted outward to fill the entire miter slot, resulting in a very weak bar. The 22-in.-long fence on the model I tested was slightly concave along its face and out of square to the table surface. For most crosscuts the fence doesn’t have to be 90° to the table, but there are critical instances when a piece is placed upright against the fence, such as when cutting joinery. Last, the fence-adjustment knobs have only 1/8 in. of clearance below and were awkward to turn.

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