Replies

1. 
   nikkiwood | Apr 08, 2007 07:48pm | #1

   I just bought a Wixey too, and I think you have run into one of the problems inherent with these digital measuring devices. That is, they lead you to expect precision tolerances that are just not built into woodworking equipment.

   One or the other of your blades is off ever so slightly, but I would bet that if you used an accurate square to check both blades, they would both appear to be dead-on.

   I would use the Wixey to set up the correct angle for whatever blade you are using, and then do it again for another blade when you change it out.

   ********************************************************
   "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

   John Wooden 1910-

2. 
   mbholden | Apr 09, 2007 03:02am | #2

   Ronin,

   I too have a wixey and love it. However, we forget that saw blades are not ground parallel, there is an angle ground into them to provide clearance for the saw plate.

   If there is a greater angle on one blade than another then the wixey will be at a slightly different angle, this is the most likely reason.

   So, how to setup your saw accurately? You need a flat plate with an arbor sized hole in it. Cheapest one that comes to mind is the plates sold to make a sander out of your tablesaw. This should give you a plate surface that is perpendicular to the arbor on which to mount the wixey.

   Or, consider if the cut provided by the blade is accurate. After all, it is the cut you are most concerned with, not the reading on a gage.

   Not sure what the accuracy of the wixey is, but I would be happy with plus or minus a half degree. i.e. 90 on the wixey was actually 89.5 to 90.5.

   Dont expect miracles from a $40 instrument.

3. 
   DavidCockey | Apr 09, 2007 03:08am | #3

   Consider what's really important - the angle of the cut, not the angle of one side of the blade. If the Wixey reads 90.0 but the end of the cut isn't square the blade is not accurately aligned. Likewise for the 45 deg stop. Use a good quality square and 45/135 deg measure to check a piece of wood cut with the saw, then adjust until the wood is dead on.

   The blade will cut in the plane the teeth are revolving in, not along the side of the blade.

1. 
   RonInOttawa | Apr 09, 2007 05:09am | #4

   I agree with the logic of making the cut and then checking with an accurate square. I have the square....I just don't have the power! The electrician who is supposed to have already wired up my shop with 220V has not been able to get my job moved up to the top of his list. I'm staring at a great saw that I'm not able to power up!When I do get the power installed, I plan to check the accuracy of the cuts with a good 6" engineers square and work from there. My sole purpose for getting the Wixey was to have something other than the built-in stops to work with when changing blade angles. I just found it really interesting that there was a difference between the two blades. For some reason, I always assumed that both sides of a given (quality) blade were parallel, and apparently that isn't the case.Regards,Ron

4. 
   SawdustSteve | Apr 09, 2007 05:25am | #5

   If you're looking for 2, 3, or 4 (decimal) place accuracy, please sell your tablesaw and purchase a 'Bridgeport' milling machine and handle each piece of wood as if it were a piece of aluminum or steel. You are looking for accuracy that is almost impossible to achieve in wood. Wood WILL move with changes in humidity and no matter how carefully you rip a board, one end of the plank will expand or contract slightly more than the other due to both the size and shape of the (wood) rings. Unless you are doing LOTS of coopered doors, the extra 1/10 of a degree is of absolutely no consequence. Please get a GOOD square to check the RESULTS of the cut, not the supposed angle of a slightly tapered saw blade body.
   SawdustSteve