DW 735 and Wixey

[David Ragan]

I've had this gage on my planer for years. Have always just used it to be sure that the all the boards for any project are the same thickness. Because, you can't zero it out, right?

I mean, is it impossible for it to read 1" when the planer head is actually 1" off the bed?

YouTube has a couple of videos on mounting it on the DW735, and I just re-read the instructions that came with it.

Does anyone have a way to get the darn thing to reflect the actual true width of the board/height of cutter head?

on YouTube, the guy is 'calibrating' the unit by sticking the freshly planed board under the end of the scale, and pressing 'on/off/calib' to zero out the unit.

This allows you to take off a desired amount off a board that you already measured.........

Just seems kinda weird-that the Wixey does not/is not able to read the height of cutter head off the table from a real zero point.

As always, thanks----and Happy New Year :)

[Dave Richards]

David,

I have an older Wixey DRO on my DW735 and it can be zeroed as it was intended to be. I don't know how the thing compares to the current version, though. You can see a picture of it here (https://www.flickr.com/gp/8294157@N08/7nZ43f). I had a friend make a replacement for the OEM scale from stainless steel. It is flat and has holes to allow mounting the DRO assembly. That assembly is adjusted so the bottom horizontal section is level with the planer table. After running a board through the planer, you put it between the bottom of the measuring bar and the horizontal bit and zero the readout. When you remove the wood, the bar goes down to the bottom and gives the height of the planer. Here's a photo (https://www.flickr.com/gp/8294157@N08/175337) showing the top of the assembly attached to the screw post. And the bottom (https://www.flickr.com/gp/8294157@N08/96q1N5) of it.

My friend made two of them but that was several years ago and I found a buyer for the second one right away.

[glenn bradley]

The Wixey is designed to be zero'd quickly and easily. Step 7 on page 6 of your manual.

[Dan Friedrichs]

the guy is 'calibrating' the unit by sticking the freshly planed board under the end of the scale, and pressing 'on/off/calib' to zero out the unit.

This allows you to take off a desired amount off a board that you already measured.........


There is a button to switch from absolute to increment. Sounds like you've got it in increment mode?

It does do exactly what you're asking - that's why the scale moves up and down and has a spring (those functions/pieces are ONLY there to enable zeroing)

[David Ragan]

Hi Everyone,

After spending more time on this than I intended-which is fine.....Here is the deal.

I remounted the entire set up and this is what I now have:


328408



























Now, as for what the unit is actually designed to do-it will do what I want, but in a weird kind of way-too many steps:

The Manual, on pages 6 & 7:

Function of Measuring a board:
328409

Why would I really need this unit to do the above?-I have never done that, as pictured above.

We have plenty of measuring devices around here.

Function of determining how much will be taken off:

328410


Now, historically, what I have done is turn the wheel (1/16" per revolution is taken off) down maybe a half turn per pass, until job is done, write down the measurement-so all my boards will be the exact same thickness. Love that feature. Use it all the time. Also, if I have to come back later, and make more boards, I refer back to the written down thickness-much better than calipers or eyeball a scale/ruler.

Now, folks, perhaps I am asking too much, but what I had in mind, is for the Wixey to read out exactly how thick my board is going to be when it rolls out the other end (not where I have to man-handle it under the end of the scale, as depicted in 8 above).

In order for this to happen, (and this is more in line with my original question), the gage must "zero out" with the cutter head @ "zero" on the bed.

But-that is not possible, because even with the 'Turret Stop bolt' defeated, and the cutter head taken down as low as it will go, the cutter head is still I guess about 1/4" off the table.

What you see in the next picuture is the cutterhead as low as it will go, and freely moveable (a piece of paper is on the bed):
328415

The next picture is with a board maybe 1/2" thickness (an auxiliary bed, if you will), and the cutter head is on the bed "zeroed":

328416


So, what is going to happen, is that I will get a sheet of UHMW, and make an auxiliary bed so the cutter head can be truly zeroed out, and a little longer than the stock one, but not as long as the 'Accessory Folding Table' in/outfeed wings that are currently on the machine. This has the added advantage, of course, of cutting down on snipe. (This unit has never had any snipe...)

Of course, the entire Wixey unit will have to be remounted, with the foot of the scale zeroed @ the height of the auxiliary table.

Time will tell how close the new method will be for doing what I want.....

Thank you for your attention:)

[Dan Friedrichs]

David, I'm very confused about what you're having trouble with. The Wixey does EXACTLY what you want, and NOT in a "round-about" way.

Put it in "Absolute" mode (from the picture, it looks like you have it that way). Plane a board - any board, any thickness you want. Stick the board between the movable scale and the "foot" (as shown in the "8 - Measuring a board" diagram). While the board is there, press and hold the "On/off - Hold to cal" button. The display should go to zero. Pull the board out, the scale will get pulled (by the spring) back down to the foot, and the display will read the thickness of the board.

Now, the display will always show exactly the thickness of the finished board. Just as you want.

You only need to recalibrate anything when you change knives.

Edit to add: You're right that the "Measure a board" function (Fig. 8) is kind of useless. It works, but, yeah, I'd just grab a caliper.

Here's the page from the manual showing the steps I described.
328432

[David Ragan]

Hey Dan,

I see what you mean now......Perhaps that way is better.

However, have had it in my small mind to work as I tried to describe.

Thanks much:)

David

[lowell holmes]

I have a Wixey on my DW734 and it works like the instructions say.

However, I end up planing to a close thickness and then adjusting the thickness by measuring the board and setting the depth gage. It adjusts to 1/64".

I'm lazy and just don't care to use the gage. :rolleyes: Oh well!

[Art Mann]

If you mount and calibrate the Wixey exactly as specified in the owner's manual, it will provide an absolute readout of the thickness of your material after it has been run through the machine. The accuracy is near +/- 0.005", assuming the bed is exactly parallel to the cutter head and the cut is reasonably small. I have verified this accuracy countless times with a set of calipers. I need this level of accuracy because I carve fine lettering and graphics on the surface of wood with a CNC router and it won't carve correctly unless the material is at a uniform thickness to a high level of accuracy.

[lowell holmes]

If you mount and calibrate the Wixey exactly as specified in the owner's manual, it will provide an absolute readout of the thickness of your material after it has been run through the machine.

Like I said earlier, I have the Wixey on my planer. I agree with your comment. What aggravates me is I can check the thickness with my calipers with less effort.
I'm disappointed with the instrument.

[Myk Rian]

I remounted the entire set up and this is what I now have:
That's how it's supposed to be mounted. How did you have it before?

[Jon Nuckles]

Like I said earlier, I have the Wixey on my planer. I agree with your comment. What aggravates me is I can check the thickness with my calipers with less effort.
I'm disappointed with the instrument.

Lowell, I don't have the Wixey so I may be wrong, but I think you are misunderstanding what Art said. I think he means that the Wixey will tell you, before you run your boards through, what the thickness will be after that pass.

[Dan Friedrichs]

What aggravates me is I can check the thickness with my calipers with less effort.
I'm disappointed with the instrument.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that seems like way more effort?

Options:
1) Turn crank until Wixey shows the final dimensions I want the board to be. Run board through planer. Done.
2) Get close with planer, set depth stop, get out calipers, measure board, etc....huh? What am I missing, here?

[lowell holmes]

I keep calipers in my shop apron. I check the thickness as the wood comes off of the outfeed. After I know the first thickness off of the outfeed, it is simply a matter of dialing in the thickness. My 734 lowers 1/32 per quarter turn of the handle. For me using the Wixey is just another step to go through. Also, I have one of the earlier Wixeys with the strange batteries.

[Mike Gottlieb]

+1 what lowell said.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Well, whatever works best for you.

I noticed that I had calibration problems when I first got the unit, but carefully remounted everything, and it's been fantastic on my DW735. I think a firm mounting with everything adjusted for bind-free operation made a HUGE difference in how useful I perceived it to be.

Prior to getting the unit, I always had issues with "overshooting" (planing too much off), which I would only find out about after taking the calipers to the wood as it came off the outfeed. With the gauge, every time I turn the height crank, I immediately see the exact dimension that the finished piece will be (without having to calculate x - 1/32", etc...).

[Art Mann]

I don't "check" thickness with the Wixey on my planer. I "set" the thickness I am going to plane the material to with the Wixey. I guess it could be used to measure thickness but that is certainly not what it was designed for. I don't bother to check the thickness with calipers as I know from experience that the thickness I set with the Wixey will be accurate.


Like I said earlier, I have the Wixey on my planer. I agree with your comment. What aggravates me is I can check the thickness with my calipers with less effort.
I'm disappointed with the instrument.

[Art Mann]

1/32 inch is 0.031". I need accuracy closer to 0.005". Suppose I need to plane a piece to 5/16". That is a common thickness I use. That is 0.313". How would I dial that in using a knob on the planer? With the Wixey, I just turn the crank on the planer until the Wixey reads 0.315" and run the material through. That's it. I don't check it afterwards because it would be a useless extra step.


I keep calipers in my shop apron. I check the thickness as the wood comes off of the outfeed. After I know the first thickness off of the outfeed, it is simply a matter of dialing in the thickness. My 734 lowers 1/32 per quarter turn of the handle. For me using the Wixey is just another step to go through. Also, I have one of the earlier Wixeys with the strange batteries.

[Tom Ewell]

1/32 inch is 0.031". I need accuracy closer to 0.005". Suppose I need to plane a piece to 5/16". That is a common thickness I use. That is 0.313". How would I dial that in using a knob on the planer? With the Wixey, I just turn the crank on the planer until the Wixey reads 0.315" and run the material through. That's it. I don't check it afterwards because it would be a useless extra step.
Exactly, once the thing is calibrated, dial in the thickness of need using the scale on the machine.
Use it for repeatability within the project.
Use the caliper in the pocket if the device is not on the machine.
If the purpose is to check the accuracy between two different measuring devices then that's a matter of calibrating those two devices to zero out equally.
The 'measure twice-cut once' acumen is best done using the same measuring device.

[Art Mann]

I am becoming convinced that Mr. Holmes is unaware of the real purpose of the device and needs to make some time to read the manual.

[glenn bradley]

This is the longest and strangest thread on a simple and reliable accessory that I think I have seen to date. Are we sure we are all talking about the Wixey WR-510 or the like? As Art says, I think some folks have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the DRO does and how to use it. I used mine for years, replaced batteries about every 6 months or so. Re-calibrated every now and then when knives were flipped or when an unusually cold snap blows the little guys mind. I would just run any old (properly long) piece of scrap through the machine and set it in the Wixey to calibrate. It would then remain calibrated till something untoward occurred but, this is true of any DRO that doesn't include a permanent reference trigger. This video from Infinity (at about the 50 second mark) could explain it any easier.


https://youtu.be/uY80MMSt_C4?t=45

[Brent Romero]

This thread provided a good laugh while having my first cup of coffee this morning. :)

[lowell holmes]

I don't "check" thickness with the Wixey on my planer. I "set" the thickness I am going to plane the material to with the Wixey. I guess it could be used to measure thickness but that is certainly not what it was designed for. I don't bother to check the thickness with calipers as I know from experience that the thickness I set with the Wixey will be accurate.

I understand completely how the Wixey works. I just don't like it.
I will joint the board on a jointer and then true the remaining side on the planer . After that I know the thickness of the board and it is just a matter of cranking in the depth of the cut to get the thickness I want.

Because of it's location, I find setting the Wixey to be awkward. The numbers are small and well below my normal line of sight. I don't run a lot of wood through my planer.

I'm sure if I were more skilled, I would use it more.:)

I just looked at the picture posted in this string. I have an earlier model with an awkward display. Maybe if I had a newer one, my opinion might be different.

[lowell holmes]

I am becoming convinced that Mr. Holmes is unaware of the real purpose of the device and needs to make some time to read the manual.

I don't think so. My time in the shop is not to play with gadgets, but to make things. Maybe if I had a more current model of the Wixey, I would like it better.

[Stew Hagerty]

I understand completely how the Wixey works. I just don't like it.
I will joint the board on a jointer and then true the remaining side on the planer . After that I know the thickness of the board and it is just a matter of cranking in the depth of the cut to get the thickness I want.

Because of it's location, I find setting the Wixey to be awkward. The numbers are small and well below my normal line of sight. I don't run a lot of wood through my planer.

I'm sure if I were more skilled, I would use it more.:)


OK look, I agree with several of you who are scratching your head about this thread.
The Wixey is simple, the Wixey is accurate.
Once you install the Wixey on the machine, you have done ALL the hard work.
After installing the Wixey or after changing blades, you must calibrate it. This could not be easier to do. Run a board through the machine. It doesn't matter what the thickness of it is, in fact you don't even need to know what the thickness of it is.
You lift the spring loaded rod and place the board between the rod and the bottom of the gauge, let the spring hold the rod against the board while pressing & holding the power button. The gauge will then register "0". After you remove the board the gauge will indicate how this it was.
Unless you change the planer blades or the battery in the gauge, that is the ONLY TIME that you will stick a board in it!!!
Now, with the gauge set in "Absolute Mode", as you crank the planer up or down the Wixey readout will indicate the dimension of the board AFTER it runs through the planer.
No fuss, no muss.
Say you start with a rough sawn 4/4 board and you want a finished dimension of 3/4", you just keep running the board through cranking it lower each time until the Wixey says "0.750" and "3/4".
After you run the board through, it will be 3/4" thick.
You do not need to remeasure it! You do not need to stick the board between the spring loaded rod and the bottom of the gauge to measure it. It's Done!
The Wixey is not an attached digital caliper. It replaces the mechanical scale.
I just checked a couple of boards that I planed yesterday. Both are EXACTLY the same, although I ran them through at different times. According to 2 different calipers, they read 0.752"

[lowell holmes]

[QUOTE=Stew Hagerty;2518124]OK look, I agree with several of you who are scratching your head about this thread.

You lift the spring loaded rod and place the board between the rod and the bottom of the gauge, "

That is the part I object to. Often I will be working with long boards and it is awkward to do.

I mostly will be running long boards and I challenge you to place a 6' to 8' long 1X10 piece of sapele between the stop and the rod.
I run the board through to flatten two sides, whip out my Rabone 1465 caliper, measure the remaining thickness and mill the board.
I can lower the cutters as little as 1/64". 1/4 turn moves the cutters 1/64"

It's all about how we individually work.

[Brent Romero]

I bought the Wixey a couple years ago and have not installed it yet. I have a Delta planer (22-590 I think) and the installation requires a little bit of engineering. When I have a little time I will install it. Seems like a reference that could be a little bit of a time saver.

[Dan Friedrichs]

That is the part I object to. Often I will be working with long boards and it is awkward to do.

I mostly will be running long boards and I challenge you to place a 6' to 8' long 1X10 piece of sapele between the stop and the rod.
I run the board through to flatten two sides, whip out my Rabone 1465 caliper, measure the remaining thickness and mill the board.
I can lower the cutters as little as 1/64". 1/4 turn moves the cutters 1/64"

It's all about how we individually work.

No no no! You're doing it wrong, and I think this is why you're not finding it useful!

You only have to do the "lift the spring loaded rod and stick the board under" thing ONCE, when you first install it, to calibrate. After that, you never touch it again! So don't bother with a long board for this - get a scrap that's, like, 8" long, plane, calibrate, DONE!

[Tom Ewell]

Maybe I'm wrong but if the foot of the Wixey is not in plane with the table of the planer would there be a 'bad' zero in the calibration.

When I calibrate my device I'll plane, cut a chunk off and insert the piece between the foot and slide of the Wixey only to zero out in hopes that any difference between the table and the foot is accounted for.

For instance, if the foot of the Wixey is below the table of the planer by say 1/8", plane a piece then lay the stock across the table to calibrate the Wixey... zero it out, remove the wood, would the Wixey now indicate a reading by 1/8 off the actual thickness?

Of course if the foot of the Wixey is in plane with the table no problem and mine is pretty close.... but let's get real.

[lowell holmes]

Tom,
The foot of the Wixey is not in plane with the table. It has sliding parts and you calibrate it to the thickness of the board by inserting it into the wixey bottom and sliding the scale to 0. You then slide the scale on the wixey to the thickness you want. When you set the cutter head to the scale you just set and Voila your there.
I personally find the whole operation to be awkward, so I don't use it. I run a board through the planer, measure it's thickness, and lower the cutter head as needed.
360 degrees on the thickness crank is 1/16", so 1/4 turn is 1/64".

[Stew Hagerty]

No no no! You're doing it wrong, and I think this is why you're not finding it useful!
You only have to do the "lift the spring loaded rod and stick the board under" thing ONCE, when you first install it, to calibrate. After that, you never touch it again! So don't bother with a long board for this - get a scrap that's, like, 8" long, plane, calibrate, DONE!

Exactly! I think that this is what Lowell & a couple others are not understanding.



[QUOTE=Stew Hagerty;2518124]OK look, I agree with several of you who are scratching your head about this thread.

You lift the spring loaded rod and place the board between the rod and the bottom of the gauge, "

That is the part I object to. Often I will be working with long boards and it is awkward to do.

I mostly will be running long boards and I challenge you to place a 6' to 8' long 1X10 piece of sapele between the stop and the rod.

Lowell, as Dan and I both have stated, you do NOT need to do this each time, nor do you need to use a piece 6 feet long. All you need is a piece of scrap. Any piece of wood in your shop will do. It does not matter how thick it is either. Run the board through one time, drop the spring loaded rod on it, hit calibrate, and you are DONE! Not just for this one time, but until you either have to change your planer blades or the battery dies in the Wixey.
Once and done... Period.



Maybe I'm wrong but if the foot of the Wixey is not in plane with the table of the planer would there be a 'bad' zero in the calibration.

When I calibrate my device I'll plane, cut a chunk off and insert the piece between the foot and slide of the Wixey only to zero out in hopes that any difference between the table and the foot is accounted for.

For instance, if the foot of the Wixey is below the table of the planer by say 1/8", plane a piece then lay the stock across the table to calibrate the Wixey... zero it out, remove the wood, would the Wixey now indicate a reading by 1/8 off the actual thickness?

Of course if the foot of the Wixey is in plane with the table no problem and mine is pretty close.... but let's get real.

Tom, it doesn't matter if the foot of the Wixey is in the same plane as the bed of the planer. In fact it could be a foot below the bed and it wouldn't matter.
When you calibrate the Wixey, you aren't putting the piece of wood between the planer bed and the spring loaded rod. You are putting it between the spring loaded rod and the foot of the gauge itself.
The Wixey knows that the dimension that you just calibrated in, is the same as what just came out the back of the planer.
Like I said, mine is accurate to .002", and it is repeatable over and over without further adjustment or re-calibration (except in the case of blade and battery replacement).


To those who don't understand, I'm sorry...
I don't see why this is so difficult. I believe you're overthinking it. It's not designed to be complex, hard to use, or redundant. It's designed to make planing material a no-brainer.
This is all in the manual, and as manuals go, it's a pretty good one.

[Dan Friedrichs]

You then slide the scale on the wixey to the thickness you want. When you set the cutter head to the scale you just set and Voila your there.


Again, no! Once you calibrate the scale, you never touch it again. It just sits there and reads the exact thickness of the finished board. What on earth are you talking about "slide the scale...to the thickness you want"? Huh?

Process:
1) Calibrate Wixey
2) Turn crank on planer. As you're turning the crank, the display is showing (in real time) what the finished board thickness will be. If you want a board that is 1.234" thick, you turn the planer height adjuster until the Wixey reads 1.234".
3) Run board through planer. Board comes out 1.234" thick.



(Lowell - if you're happy with the way you do things, don't let me tell you otherwise. It just sounds like you've misunderstood how to use this device. Frankly, I hate "gadgets", but this gauge has changed how I do woodworking. Being able to precisely and repeatedly get a board to exactly the same thickness - down to 0.001" - is fantastic. It's left me wanting to add DROs on my table saw and every other tool)

[Art Mann]

Mr. Holmes,

I don't mean to embarrass you but you haven't the slightest idea how the device is supposed to work. The calibration is a one time thing, just like Stew said. After that, you just crank the handle on the planer until the Wixey reads the thickness you want to cut. At that point, you simply send the material through the planer and you are done. No calipers required. It will work the same way over and over again with different thicknesses of material without having to do anything but look at the display and turn the crank. Read the instructions! I just can't let this go because someone else who doesn't own the device might get incorrect information from your posts.

[Stew Hagerty]

Mr. Holmes,

I don't mean to embarrass you but you haven't the slightest idea how the device is supposed to work. The calibration is a one time thing, just like Stew said. After that, you just crank the handle on the planer until the Wixey reads the thickness you want to cut. At that point, you simply send the material through the planer and you are done. No calipers required. It will work the same way over and over again with different thicknesses of material without having to do anything but look at the display and turn the crank. Read the instructions! I just can't let this go because someone else who doesn't own the device might get incorrect information from your posts.


+1
I couldn't agree more Art. If I was looking at buying one of these and saw this thread, I'd be looking at some other tool purchase.
When in fact, this is an amazing little device. I have a Wixey table saw model on my Want-to-Get List.

[Tom Ewell]

Tom, it doesn't matter if the foot of the Wixey is in the same plane as the bed of the planer. In fact it could be a foot below the bed and it wouldn't matter.
When you calibrate the Wixey, you aren't putting the piece of wood between the planer bed and the spring loaded rod. You are putting it between the spring loaded rod and the foot of the gauge itself.
The Wixey knows that the dimension that you just calibrated in, is the same as what just came out the back of the planer.
Like I said, mine is accurate to .002", and it is repeatable over and over without further adjustment or re-calibration (except in the case of blade and battery replacement).

LOL this is getting silly :)

Gotcha, I've used mine for years with great results and I do not calibrate from the bed (in case you missed it) but I could easily see by looking at the pictures in the manual where some might think that's the way to do it and was trying to point out the error of doing so....thus the 1/8" thingy.

Just for clarification...... the foot of the Wixey is 1/8" below the bed (or table) of the planer, plane a piece to 3/4" (or whatever), lay the board across the table (not the correct method to calibrate) under the Wixey slider, zero out , take out the board, it should read 7/8" (or whatever plus 1/8") in absolute.

[Brent Romero]

I suggest we all go out for a beer and the last one to understand the Wixey concept picks up the tab. :) It's all about calibration and "relative" movement.

[Tom Ewell]

I'm in........

[Stew Hagerty]

Free Beer! I'm in!

[Clay Crocker]

Wow, what an entertaining thread! "Who's on first!" "What?" "No, what's on second!" BTW, there is a great video tutorial on installing said Wixey on a DW735, on that there personal video website (think G**gle search: "wixey install dw735 video" to find it). This video shows how to calibrate the Wixey for absolute thickness. Pretty darn simple and works great. I'm still giggling about the visual image of a frustrated woodworker precariously balancing an 8 foot long board in one hand while trying to insert one end of the board into the calibration foot of the Wixey with the other hand. What a hoot! I've been away from The Creek too long. :)

[lowell holmes]

UNCLE!

Just for the record, I have the documentation and have read it. Secondly, my unit is first generation and the documentation leaves a bit to be desired. I bought it from a man on line through this forum.

The connection to my DW734 is a bit weak.

I use the planer primarily to prepare wood for thickness and sometimes to reveal figure. I typically take a rough board and prepare it for use, it may be white oak,
maple, walnut or sapele. When examining the board, it is easy to measure thickness and slip up on it. I'm real comfortable using calipers. I seldom mill more than three or four boards, so production does not matter.

I never meant to insult some body for their use of the wixey. I do understand what I'm doing, and like the rest of you, will continue doing it my way.:)

[David Ragan]

I must agree completely with Lowell.

I understand how it works, I just don't like it.

It truly is a simple thing.

It is interesting that in all of this, no one (besides Lowell?) demonstrated that they understood my original (simple) question, restated with more (attempted) clarity 2 days after original post.

I'm an idiot-when I purchased it, I had in mind something other than what was intended.

Picture me, hat in hand, bowing forward, sweeping my other hand in front of me......"Uncle"

Thanks everyone, as always, David

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thank you for being so courteous David!:eek:;):D

[Dan Friedrichs]

It is interesting that in all of this, no one (besides Lowell?) demonstrated that they understood my original (simple) question, restated with more (attempted) clarity 2 days after original post.

Your original question was: "Does anyone have a way to get the darn thing to reflect the actual true width (sic) of the board/height of cutter head?"

And several people have answered: "Yes. That is exactly that the device is intended to do. Follow the calibration procedure."

Not sure where the confusion is.

[Stew Hagerty]

I must agree completely with Lowell.

I understand how it works, I just don't like it.

It truly is a simple thing.

It is interesting that in all of this, no one (besides Lowell?) demonstrated that they understood my original (simple) question, restated with more (attempted) clarity 2 days after original post.

I'm an idiot-when I purchased it, I had in mind something other than what was intended.

Picture me, hat in hand, bowing forward, sweeping my other hand in front of me......"Uncle"

Thanks everyone, as always, David




Your original question was: "Does anyone have a way to get the darn thing to reflect the actual true width (sic) of the board/height of cutter head?"

And several people have answered: "Yes. That is exactly that the device is intended to do. Follow the calibration procedure."

Not sure where the confusion is.


Yeah, I thought I did. Twice.

I apologize if I wasn't clear enough.

However... "Uncle" accepted

[Scott Dorrer]

I didn't even know what a Wixey was until I read this thread..... now I'm convinced I don't need one.

:p

[Brent Romero]

David, my apology for not understanding your questions. Please, have a beer on me. :)

[Barry Wixey]

Hey guys! Pardon me for interrupting but I want in on the free beer. This is the best thread I have read in a long time and some of you have explained the calibration process better than I ever have. ( Anyone want a job writing instruction manuals??) It is just exciting to see that 11 years after this product was first introduced people are still using them and talking about them. Thanks for all the positive support and if you ever have questions about your Wixey products don't hesitate email digital@wixey.com we answer usually in less than 24 hours.

[Alan Schaffter]

I'm glad Barry weighed in because I joined this thread late and was unable to give him a heads-up. While reading it, I really had to bite my tongue! The Wixey planer height gauge is probably one of the best machine accessories introduced in the last 12(?) years. The calibration technique is just so darn elegant and simple, that it is really hard to accept that some folks have trouble with it. From my experience with the I-BOX, I believe they have a preconception of how they think it works that is wrong. Over the years I have had Wixey height gauges on a Delta lunch box planer (with vertical display), one with a vertical display, then the improved slanted display, on a Delta DC380 15", and then on a Delta RC51 20" planer. For the last 5(?) years I have had a height gauge with remote readout on the front (the mechanism is mounted on the outfeed side) of the 20" planer.

The key to good calibration is to hold your just planed calibration board (test piece or project stock) horizontal when you insert it between the foot and the tip of the spring loaded scale on the height gauge. If the board is tilted you won't get a good calibration. Remember, while it is nice and necessary to have the height gauge foot at the same plane as the planer bed (or bed edges like those on my DC380 and RC51) if you rest the board across the bed during calibration, the position of planer bed is used by the height gauge but is not important to you during calibration. The foot can be anywhere (I had mine temporarily mounted upside down once so the foot was at the top of my planer) as long as the board is horizontal and proper parts move when the planer head or the table moves (in stationary head planers).

The only issue I have ever had was not with the height gauge but with my RC-51. It doesn't have or really need a table lock (the table moves, the head is stationary), but, despite being a heavy duty unit, the bed exhibits a small amount of give when planing heavy, wide boards. I've used it enough that I am able to compensate by dialing in a few thou" less than the target thickness.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P6080024.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P1190035.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P1190038.JPG

[Bill Fleming]

My experience is good when it is good but bad when batteries end up dead or it is out of adjustment. The setup would benefit from replacing the aluminum material with something more rigid. My 735 has consistent adjustment. As a result I went back to the standard gauge and calipers.