Digital scale for Hammer A3 31

[Michael Singer]

Hi-

Does anyone know of a digital planer gauge that works with a Hammer A3 31? The Wixey gauge only had a 6" capacity and Hammer has a range of over 8". I'm hoping to find something that might be less expensive than Hammer's analog handwheel gauge.

Thanks

Mickey

[Charlie Watson]

I have one on my Felder CF531P and it can be purchased as an accessory http://www.felder-tooling.us/catalogsearch/result/?q=digital. I don't know if it will fit Hammer machines but you can buy the hand wheel and the digital scale.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I just installed this on my Combo's shaper with a bit of JBweld. Can't understand why others are $150.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Digital-Scale-with-Remote-Readout-Inch-Metric-Fraction/T23012

270844

[Rod Sheridan]

I have the Hammer gauge, in metric, which is a lot less expensive than in Imperial.

The handwheel is 2mm per rotation, so the metric gauge is so much more ituitive on that the machine than the Imperial one.

My brother bought the Imperial one, now he wishes he went with the metric one.......Rod.

[Erik Loza]

Mickey, are you looking at the correct Wixey DRO? The WR550 goes up to 12" and is about $80...

270850

http://www.wixey.com/remote-planer/index.html

This is the one most of my customers go for. Hope it helps,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Mark Carlson]

The best accessory I bought for my A3-31 was the hammer digital scale. Very accurate and easy to use and no batteries, and no having to re-calibrate it all the time. I have Wixey DRO's on a benchtop planer and a router lift and would strongly recommend the hammer scale.

~mark

[Jamie Buxton]

...so the metric gauge is so much more intuitive on that the machine than the Imperial one...

Yeah, the problem is that fractions are non-intuitive. However, there is a intermediate solution, which Hammer supports: decimal inches. American machinists have been using decimal inches ever since the industrial revolution. You get to use inches, which what Americans intuit, and you get to use decimals, which are much more useful than fractions. Hammer has a version of their handwheel gauge in decimal inches. Works like a champ.

[Mark Carlson]

Yes, that is what I have, the guage readout says 1.50 when I want 1 1/2 inches.


Yeah, the problem is that fractions are non-intuitive. However, there is a intermediate solution, which Hammer supports: decimal inches. American machinists have been using decimal inches ever since the industrial revolution. You get to use inches, which what Americans intuit, and you get to use decimals, which are much more useful than fractions. Hammer has a version of their handwheel gauge in decimal inches. Works like a champ.

[Curt Harms]

I just installed this on my Combo's shaper with a bit of JBweld. Can't understand why others are $150.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Digital-Scale-with-Remote-Readout-Inch-Metric-Fraction/T23012

270844
I did the same on my Jet JJP-12. Works great and no issues with short battery life for me. The batteries in it now are original and I've had the DRO for a couple years, I guess. The tricky part is figuring out a way to calibrate. Matt Meiser did something similar but put the encoder on the back of the table which makes a lot of sense.