Ray, Make no mistake,I meant no criticism. There is always something to be learned. I just thought I would highlight one channel we now have, and easily have with the accessibility of the Internet and e-mail. I very much doubt it ever occurred to any of these people to make their tools talk or in some other way accommodate us and it could be added so cheaply. Even if they chose to make a second line half an inch thicker these days the cost would be minimal.
Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Boyce To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Dale Yes just with a little modifications they could produce tools that the blind and poor sighted could use. I post these tool reviews knowing that they are of no use to you and me but to let members know what is available and then it is up to that individual to make their own judgements on purchase. ----- Original Message - Regards Ray---- From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review >I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their >device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted >people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting >equipment. > > I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them > as well. > > I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype DaleLeavens > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Boyce, Ray > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review > > > Wixey Website - > http://www.wixey.com > > Digital Angle Gauge > Wixey Digital Angle Gauge > Review > > The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the > woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle > measuring tools are > simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. > Let's take a closer look... > > The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge > This small tool measures just 2" x 2" x 1.3" deep and is constructed with > a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum > casing > > It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery > life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given > the size > of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, > i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display > that can > be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto > Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for > the forgetful > among us. > > The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of > 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all > woodworking > tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided > by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be > notoriously > inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you > have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything > finer? Well, > if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less > than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable > and > perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily > available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. > > On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the > gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool > table tops > (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool > fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues > at all > attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with > an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw for example? Well, you can > just > sit the gauge directly on top of the table, magnetic or not. You do need > to provide a reference surface to measure off for accurate angle readouts, > so > the tool is generally set flat on the table first, zeroed, then set of > the saw blade body, and you will have no trouble attaching to the blade > (since most > are steel bodied), no matter what type of table surface you have. > > Below the LCD display are two buttons, and this alone signifies the > simplicity of this tool, and equally, how easily it is to use. The ON/OFF > button turns > the display on or off... simple. The ZERO button zeroes the tool to the > surface it is currently rested on, or magnetically attached to. As > mentioned above, > the general procedure for accurate angle measurement is to zero the tool > on the static reference surface, i.e. the surface that will not move > (generally > the tool table) then place the Wixey gauge on the blade or secondary > surface that does move to set your angle, or correct a badly set angle! So > how does > it actually work? > > Well the best description of the science behind it is given by the > manufacturer... > > How does it read? > > "All of our readouts use what's called capacitive measuring technology. > This is the exact same system that is used in almost all digital calipers > that have > been on the market for at least 20 years. There is a circuit board on a > rotating counterweight that has a repeating pattern etched on it. There is > a second > fixed circuit board with a similar pattern and the rest of the > electronics. As the 2 patterns pass over each other there is an electronic > signal generated > that is converted to rotation angle. The only moving part is the circuit > board with counterweight passing over the fixed circuit board. There is no > electrical > connection between the 2 circuits boards and they do not even touch each > other. There are no other mechanical moving parts." > > The good thing is that you don't even have to worry about all the > scientific and electronics jargon to make use of the tool! The gauge also > has a huge working > range of 150 degrees, but rarely will you require more than 90 degree > range in the woodshop. > > In Use > The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge is a great tool for workshop machine and > tool setup. It can be used to set table saw blades square to the table, or > to set > virtually any angle to make perfect bevel angle cuts. On the miter saw, > you can again set the blade square to the table for accurate and square > crosscuts, > or set the blade at any angle, again, for bevel cuts. You can attach a > larger drill bit in the drill press, secure the angle gauge to the bit and > check > how square the drill press table is to the drill bit/spindle, or set the > table for angled drilling. You can do the same on the bandsaw, setting > table square > to the blade, or setting table at an angle to the blade with 0.1 degree > accuracy. Your jointer fence can be set perfectly square for perfection in > edge/face > angles or squaring up bowed edges or faces. These are just a few of the > possibilities. I am sure you could think of more, or situations in the > past where > this tool would have come in handy. You can use it for accurately > measuring just about any angle with reference to another fixed angle. > Handy for builders > too no doubt, although it might be harder to secure to non-magnetic > surfaces without some other attachment method. > > If you still are having trouble visualizing the use of the angle gauge, > take a look at these basic use images from the manufacturer, or view our > video in > the right hand column: > > Table with 2 columns and 5 rows > > Step 1. Calibrate > > Set the gauge flat on the tool reference surface and press the ZERO to > set the gauge to 0.0 degrees. > > Step 2. Attach > > Attach the gauge to the perpendicular blade and leave at 90.0 degrees or > re-set to 0.0 degrees if desired. > > Step 3. Read > > Bevel the saw blade and read the precise bevel angle. > > table end > > To put things in perspective, let me describe the exact use of the gauge > for setting a table saw blade, say, at 30 degrees. First the Wixey gauge > is placed > on the table surface, close to the blade and set to Zero. Next, place the > gauge on the saw blade with the blade set at its square setting (usually > referred > to as 0 degrees). You will note that when you do this that the display > will now show 90.0 degrees. If it does not, your blade is not exactly > parallel to > the saw table! It is important to ensure it does read 90.0 degrees > because if you now start winding/tilting the blade, the measurements will > read as degrees > subtracted from 90. I.e. as you tilt the blade you will see it counting > down, 90, 85, 80 etc (all in small 0.1 degree steps of course). So to set > a 30 > degree bevel, the gauge will actually read 60 degrees. It can be > confusing. But the best option is to reset the gauge to zero when it is > attached to the > saw blade, after you have check the blade is actually 90 degrees to the > table. With the gauge reset to zero when attached to the saw blade body, > now when > you tilt the blade, the gauge reads up from 0.0 degrees to whatever > setting you require. Much simpler, and the gauge remains on the "upper" > side of the > tilting blade, i.e. with no chance of the blade getting stuck between the > underside of the blade body and the table surface as it is tilted. > > Accuracy > Unfortunately I do not have all the ideal tools for testing and measuring > accuracy, but I do have some very good squares and 45 degree measure > guides by > Incra which are guaranteed to be highly accurate. When used along with > these tools, the Wixey digital angle guide indeed proved accurate. I also > tested > it against the Beall Tilt Box, which we have also reviewed on this site, > and both products delivered pretty much the same results. The Beall does > have > 0.05 resolution and in one or two cases this was the difference between > the two measurements, but basically, both tools delivered the same > results. The > Wixey unit is a little smaller than the Beall Tilt Box, so it is a little > easier to handle. There are some other small differences, but you can read > about > those in the other review. Ultimately, it appears, to the best of my > testing ability and resources, that the Wixey is indeed accurate to the > claims made > by the manufacturer, i.e. within +/- 0.1 degrees. > > Durability > Well, I hadn't planned on including this section, but while taking photos > of the tool for this review, I dropped the gauge from my miter saw blade. > Long > story short... the spring loaded blade guard on the saw slipped out of my > fingers and retracted quickly knocking the gauge off the blade, fell a > metre > or more onto bare concrete. Ouch! Thankfully, when I picked up the gauge > and set it back on the table, I had zeroed it to before, it again read a > perfect > 0.0 degree setting! So, there appears to be some resistance to hard > knocks and damage, which is a great thing! > > Conclusion > Priced at US$39.99 the Wixey Digital Angle Gauge makes an excellent power > tool accessory in the woodshop. You will be cutting more accurately, > spending > less time setting up, and ensuring your tool returns to square every > time. Great little tool that no woodshop or anyone that owns power tools > or cutting/drilling > machines should be without. > > ********************************************************************** > This message and its attachments may contain legally > privileged or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the > information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail > in error, please notify the sender immediately by return > e-mail and delete the e-mail. > > Any content of this message and its attachments which > does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy > must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by > Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or > attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. > ********************************************************************** > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > ---------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.28/1023 - Release Date: 9/22/2007 1:27 PM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
