A tool looking for a problem?

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Got this in my email this morning…. I never knew I was doing it wrong…

http://www.igaging.com/page45.html

Makes sense for a jointer, but the email was talking about the tough job of setting handplane blades, and the way they word it, my brain goes to the clumsy folks in infomercials…

[David Weaver]

Is it a ruse?

[Brian Hale]

WoW..... a digital depth gauge with .156" of travel ? ! ?

Totally New Concept

[Steve Rozmiarek]

In six months I'll bet that we see a few "never used" ones for sale on the classifieds though...

[george wilson]

That reminds me of the 1001 gadgets that Stewart MacDonald has in their catalogs to aid every conceivable brain dead cell in guitar making.

[Kees Heiden]

That's funny!

Accuracy +/- 0.001". So not usable in the Japanese planing contests. That's a pitty.

[Bill White]

I'm eagerly awaiting digital toilet paper.
Will the digital madness ever end?
Bill

[george wilson]

How much money did some guy invest in THIS crutch?

The day I can't set my planes by the usual means,I'll just have to hang it up.

This isn't really new. It's a twist on the gauges for setting (machine)jointer knives,which have been around for quite a few years. I can understand why some semi skilled newbie might want one for his jointer-you strive to get all the knives to the same height. Most do this by feel. But,this is just too much.

[Augusto Orosco]

Got this in my email this morning…. I never knew I was doing it wrong…

http://www.igaging.com/page45.html

Makes sense for a jointer, but the email was talking about the tough job of setting handplane blades, and the way they word it, my brain goes to the clumsy folks in infomercials…

I guess that's for real. I agree that it makes sense for a power jointer, but the way the video goes about how hard it is to set up a hand plane is almost insulting, even for a newbie like me. It's only $18, so it might be a good gag gift for some of the hard-core neanders in here :D

[Brian Hale]

What's the price???

[Malcolm Schweizer]

How much money did some guy invest in THIS crutch?



Probably not not a whole lot since it seems to use existing parts with a short throw probe. It may be good for a power jointer, but only a small one, as it seems to not be very wide.

[ian maybury]

I hate digital stuff - it leaves you flying blind/with little sense as to whether or not the gauge is working properly.

Gauges like these are problematical even for use with most jointers. Precise setting of knife height relative to the outfeed table (within a couple of thou) does matter, but when machine makers lob out stuff claiming that table flatness within 0.009in is OK (which it isn't if you want your machine to joint accurately and predictably without magic spells - only a small fraction of that out in the wrong place can cause major issues. Reduces warranty claims and confuses the punters most of whom tend to blame themselves though) and tables are often significantly worse than that - then where on the table do you place the damn thing to get a consistent measurement???? You're probably better off in that already highly compromised situation to use a stick with a bit of length and the 'carry forward' method or a One Way gauge with a good long foot - it may average out some localised humps.

A bit like a hand plane really - accuracy/flatness matters, but once this is present there's other more intuitive ways of getting to a set up...

[Jim Koepke]

It must be a gag.

If measured shavings are wanted, isn't it more accurate to measure them after they are made? With something a bit more accurate than +/- 0.001"?

Many of us have made shavings in the area of this tool's finest resolution.

jtk

[Adam Cruea]

I guess that's for real. I agree that it makes sense for a power jointer, but the way the video goes about how hard it is to set up a hand plane is almost insulting, even for a newbie like me. It's only $18, so it might be a good gag gift for some of the hard-core neanders in here :D

Someone send it to George. Triple Dog Dare on that one. :p

[Daniel Rode]

2 thoughts.

1) Clearly a solution looking for a problem to solve. Totally superfluous.
2) Like Ian, I don't have much love for digital tools in woodworking. I replaced the digital calipers for an analog dial gauge and I couldn't be happier. It was the only digital thing in my shop.

[David Eisenhauer]

I just added it to my "When I Win The Lottery.............." list.

[Matthew N. Masail]

LOOLL How STUPID do people thing other people ARE ??:) that is the most insulting dump absolutely immoral thing I've seen this week.

I bet I can set a plane to a fluffy shaving faster than someone can get that thing out of a drawer and snap it onto his plane sole (and that plane will be crying murder..)

[Dale Murray]

In photography we have people we call measurebaters. They are the people who take a photo then load it on the computer and zoom in to 400% and complain the camera is not sharp enough and there is a speck of dust on the sensor and the camera is crap and the photo unusable.

This is the perfect tool for the wood working equivalent.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Someone send it to George. Triple Dog Dare on that one. :p

All kidding aside, George- PM me your address and I will order it for you. It would be well worth the $18 to see your "review."

[David Weaver]

You could sell a few of those at woodworking classes with beginners, I guarantee it. If the instructor says they like to smooth with 2 thousandth shavings and do rough jointing with 5 thousandths, half the people in the class are going to buy that at $18 to try to do exactly what the instructor said.

Of course, the shavings and the cutting depth are not exactly the same because the shaving gets worked and puffs up a little bit bigger than the depth of cut. That'll cause some problems, and the manufacturer will have to release a conversion table for the buyers based on the type of wood.

[glenn bradley]

Hee-hee-hee-hee, Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo. And it ain't even April. I'm gonna get one right after my laser guided scissors show up.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Hee-hee-hee-hee, Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo. And it ain't even April. I'm gonna get one right after my laser guided scissors show up.

the price on the laser guided scissors is not far off the plane adjuster:

http://m.gadgetsandgear.com/straight-edge-laser-guided-scissors.html?utm_source=straight-edge-laser-guided-scissors&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=Google_Products&gclid=CKnVzbSH2sACFc1i7AodjWcAbw

[John Coloccia]

All I know is that I'm clearly working WAY too hard to make a living. I need to start working on gadgets.

Any suggestions?

[paul cottingham]

Am I missing something? Could it not be used to set jointer knives?
But setting plane blades? That's almost insulting.

[Winton Applegate]

I didn't watch it all but at first I seriously thought some body here threw it together to mess with me/us.

Nope. They look serious. I like the opening comments though. At first I thought I was hearing my echo in here.
:p

[george wilson]

Malcom,I'll refrain on the kind offer,in spite of getting a free tool that I could take apart-and use the pieces to make some other tool out of!!:)

For example,I could use it as a chest hair indicator. To see how high the hairs on my chest stand up.

Sorry,all I can think of this late.

[Winton Applegate]

Of course, the shavings and the cutting depth are not exactly the same because the shaving gets worked and puffs up a little bit bigger than the depth of cut. That'll cause some problems, and the manufacturer will have to release a conversion table for the buyers based on the type of wood.

Table nothing . . . I'm envisioning marketing a $1000 "Type Of Wood Analysis Machine" the TOWAM for short. As opposed to TOEJAM. Which works as well by the way but don't tell any body.
Have you ever seen the machine they have at auto paint stores ? They can take it out, set it on your car, it takes a look at the amount of fade in the color and what not and prints out a formula that their paint mix guy can mix up to perfectly duplicate the present "color".

[ian maybury]

:) That's presumably so that when it in turn fades a bit it doesn't match any more...

[george wilson]

Since nearly ALL auto finishes these days contain metal particles,even if they get the color right, if they don't get the air pressure just right,the color won't match. Air pressure drives the metal in,more or less. And then,there's humidity,of course.

A friend had repair work done on his wife's car,with re painting. During the day,it looked fine. Near sunset,the repainting took on a distinctive pink hue. That metal flake makes a lot of trouble for the repair men.