Table Saw Digital Readout Options

[Bryce Andersen]

Greetings all, I am new to the non classifieds section of Sawmill Creek, and looked but didn't see any recent discussion on DROs. If there is one and I missed it, please forgive me.

I just bought a 3HP 36" PCS Sawstop, not because I am a serious woodworker, but because I have serious fear of the table saw and the saw could pay for itself with one accident. That being said, I got myself sold on the rip flip system by Woodpeckers as a way of micro adjusting the fence. The repeatable cuts with the flip stops were just an added bonus, but then I started reading about DROs and got intrigued. I have looked at the Wixley digital fence readout and the Digifence by Accurate Technology Inc and am not sure what to do and am wondering if you all have any experience or thoughts as to DROs.

I am also open to any thoughts anyone has on micro fence adjustments. I have seen the incra fence system and am intrigued by it, but I'd prefer to not change out the fence at this time.

Thanks all!

-Bryce

[Alan Lightstone]

I had the Wixey on my previous SawStop contractor's saw, and liked it a lot. I wasn't fond of drilling into the solid metal rail. That took some work.

I haven't installed one on my ICS yet, but keep meaning to get around to purchasing and installing a Digifence, or perhaps another.

No question that having a DRO and a microadjuster is a great combo. At least IMHO.

[Cary Falk]

I had the Wixey on my table saw and hated it. It drove me crazy trying to chase all those digits bumping the fence with my hand. A micro adjust would have made it better. I took it off and am fine with using my cursor.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I was looking to install a DRO on my Sawstop couple of years ago. I made myself a micro adjuster to help shave a little more off with each cut, but it didn't have any measurement info, so it wasn't repeatable if I changed the fence position and then wanted to come back and cut another piece.

I opted for the Incra fence and love it. It does require your table to have about an extra 30" of clearance off the right side of the table. I initially went with the imperial system and then bought the conversion kit to change it to metric.

With the indexing on the TS-LS Positioner and the micro adjust, I can rest the width needed no matter how many times I've adjusted the fence in the mean time.

Another decision in going with the Incra, I decided to use that unused space, on the right side of the fence, and install a router there. I don't use this much, but it's nice to have.

[Michael Drew]

I have the Incra as well. I love it, but......I would really like to add a DRO to it. I have not figured out how to do that, yet. It's getting difficult to read the scale without wearing cheater glasses..... I also don't like how the scale collects dust, making it even more difficult to read.

[Roger Feeley]

I have the Digifence on an ICS and I'm not sure I would get it again.
-- It installs below the big rail and impinged on the handwheel handle. I had to turn a wooden knob that didn't stick out as far.
-- My Digifence turns itself on anytime the fence moves. I don't use the DRO for absolute measurement. I use it when I'm taping the fence to micro-adjust. Having the DRO there if I overshoot is great. I just got used to pushing the off button a lot. Sometime, I'm going to put in a little switch. I replace batteries too often.
-- The physical connection between the fence and the DRO rail is a little fussy.

Overall, though, the Digifence does what I need it to do. If I was doing more production, I would probably calibrate it and use the absolute measurement feature. I think it would do that just fine.

If I was doing it again, I would take a longer look at Wixey to see if I like the arrangement better.

[Frank Pratt]

I have the Wixey & it works very well for me. My main motivation was that it's getting so I have to strain my eyes to accurately see the cursor. The bonus is the accurate repeatability. A micro adjust would be alright to have, but not needed. The key to nudging the fence tiny amounts is to use a mallet, not the hand. I do that with the fence lock partially engaged so there is no slop & it's really easy to fine tune it.

[glenn bradley]

My Wixey has moved from two saws to it's location on my current saw. Having the DRO available is now built in to the way I approach an operation.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I have the DigiFence on my 52" Unisaw and love it. It works perfectly. It is very easy to zero and I use it for all of my cuts. It makes a quick setup for a very accurate cut width. This accurate cut width makes repeated cut widths later a simple operation and dead on each time.

I don't see any need for a micro-positioner with the DigiFence DRO.

I went with the DigiFence due to the display being more flexible as well as being larger. The DigiFence also appears to be a bit better built. I do have a Wixey on my planer and it works very well for it but isn't as easy to zero and such.

I'm very happy with choosing the DigiFence over the Wixey but it does cost more.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Digifence on an ICS and I'm not sure I would get it again.
-- It installs below the big rail and impinged on the handwheel handle. I had to turn a wooden knob that didn't stick out as far.


I found that the Wixey impinged a little too. And I have that issue with my infeed table, and the lockdown arm with the SawStop fence, and a few other things.

All of these things get a little in the way IMHO. But I really miss the DRO and need to get another one.

And I REALLY like have that microadjuster. It makes things so much easier and I haven't hit the fence with a mallet once.

[Bob McBreen]

I love my Wixey. I have used on three of my saws. The repeatability is wonderful by my favorite feature is the ability to switch between imperial & metric by hitting a button.

I wish that Wixey made a dro for miter saws.

[Derek Cohen]

Greetings all, I am new to the non classifieds section of Sawmill Creek, and looked but didn't see any recent discussion on DROs. If there is one and I missed it, please forgive me.

I just bought a 3HP 36" PCS Sawstop, not because I am a serious woodworker, but because I have serious fear of the table saw and the saw could pay for itself with one accident. That being said, I got myself sold on the rip flip system by Woodpeckers as a way of micro adjusting the fence. The repeatable cuts with the flip stops were just an added bonus, but then I started reading about DROs and got intrigued. I have looked at the Wixley digital fence readout and the Digifence by Accurate Technology Inc and am not sure what to do and am wondering if you all have any experience or thoughts as to DROs.

I am also open to any thoughts anyone has on micro fence adjustments. I have seen the incra fence system and am intrigued by it, but I'd prefer to not change out the fence at this time.

Thanks all!

-Bryce

Bryce, I had the Wixey on my contractor saw, and then moved it to its replacement, a Hammer K3. It was a little fussier to set up before I added a micro-adjuster to the K3 rip fence. Now the combination is magic. It has been reliable in the several years I have used it.

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0v4fWw7/1.jpg

I added one to my Bandsaw as well!

https://i.postimg.cc/GpMfYBjM/2.jpg

This makes for easy set up of repeatable settings.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the Digifence on an ICS and I'm not sure I would get it again.
-- It installs below the big rail and impinged on the handwheel handle. I had to turn a wooden knob that didn't stick out as far.
-- My Digifence turns itself on anytime the fence moves. I don't use the DRO for absolute measurement. I use it when I'm taping the fence to micro-adjust. Having the DRO there if I overshoot is great. I just got used to pushing the off button a lot. Sometime, I'm going to put in a little switch. I replace batteries too often.
-- The physical connection between the fence and the DRO rail is a little fussy.

Overall, though, the Digifence does what I need it to do. If I was doing more production, I would probably calibrate it and use the absolute measurement feature. I think it would do that just fine.

If I was doing it again, I would take a longer look at Wixey to see if I like the arrangement better.

Looking at the picture of it, I'm not sure how the Digifence gets in the way of the handwheel on the ICS. Could you elaborate?

I could see this happening if you had the fence to the left of the blade (which I almost never do), but the picture has it installed on the right side of the fence. Or is it a long metal piece like the Wixey which is installed under the rail?

People generally say better things about the Digifence, but is that not true when installed on an ICS?

[Scott Shimmin]

You could check out Accurate Technology at https://www.proscale.com/

They have digital readouts for a variety of products, including table saws, and their customer service is top notch.

[Alan Lightstone]

OK, so I went with the Accurate Technologies Digifence. As with the Wixey, you have to drill a few holes through the hardened steel rail. Well, 6 drill bits later, and I gave up and epoxied and fiberglassed the parts to the rail. God I hate drilling into hardened steel. I clearly don't know what I am doing with that, despite reading as much as I could on Google.

We'll see how accurate it is. A little bulkier than the Wixey, and a little finickier to install. Plus I had to work around my microadjuster, which thankfully was possible.

Hopefully I'll like it a lot.

Here's a few pictures:
455993
455992

So now I have digital readouts on my planer, tablesaw, and wide belt sander. Geek-like?? I'm sure. But much happier this way. Bandsaw next? Panel saw?

[Alan Lightstone]

Well, it turns out not too easy yet. My microadjuster gets caught up in the supports for the Accurate Technology Digifence supports. So I had to take a hacksaw to my microadjuster to make it less tall.

I also had to install the hinge adapter to the fence.

So, to make this work, I had to go through 6 drill bits, fiberglass the parts to the rail twice, remove my auxillary fence, and hacksaw and grind down my microadjuster to make the Accurate Technologies Digifence work.

The Wixey was so much easier. Keep this in mind if you have an ICS, or perhaps any Sawstop.

Here's the microadjuster finally installed and working (I hope.)

456092
456091

[Charles Coolidge]

I'm tempted to adapt a metal working DRO. Had one on my 12x36 metal lathe with a huge display that's easy to read from several feet away. When the ICS arrives I'll be giving it the raised eyebrow on this.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I have the DigiFence on my Unisaw which is a very similar mounting. I see you have a micro adjuster and I understand that you already have it and want to make use of it. However, I can set my fence within a thousandth or two by bumping the which would seem to be much quicker than the adjustor.

I don't have your setup and I'm not knocking it but it may have been easier to just remove the micro adjuster.

Also, what is the rotary adjustor on you auxiliary fence?

You indicated you had to remove your auxiliary fence but I don't understand why?...

[Alan Lightstone]

That "rotary adjuster" is a Deulen Safety Fence. It was a 2015 WOOD Innov8Award winner, and I bought one at the time. It is incredibly handy/safer for ripping narrow pieces on the table saw. That being said, sadly I was one of a tiny number of people who bought them, and the inventor had to stop making them.

Interestingly, I e-mailed him recently out of the blue, and he is working on an upgraded version that sounds motorized with a stepper motor and improved. Could be awesome. I very much like his original one. It does make a dodgy operation quite safe, and allows me to use my overhead dust guard more often on narrow pieces. I would seriously consider it when that comes out.

I have no financial relationship with the company. Just one of the few who bought one way back.

[Charles Coolidge]

That "rotary adjuster" is a Deulen Safety Fence. It was a 2015 WOOD Innov8Award winner, and I bought one at the time. It is incredibly handy/safer for ripping narrow pieces on the table saw. That being said, sadly I was one of a tiny number of people who bought them, and the inventor had to stop making them.

Interestingly, I e-mailed him recently out of the blue, and he is working on an upgraded version that sounds motorized with a stepper motor and improved. Could be awesome. I very much like his original one. It does make a dodgy operation quite safe, and allows me to use my overhead dust guard more often on narrow pieces. I would seriously consider it when that comes out.

I have no financial relationship with the company. Just one of the few who bought one way back.

Watched a video and like the idea. His hold downs need work as they allowed that short piece to lift up but that's so much safer. That said I wonder if most people just cut those on a bandsaw. Even with the safety fence I'd be not inclined to use a table saw for this.

[Bob Hinden]

I also have a 36" PCS. So far I haven't seen the need for a digital readout. I find the factory scale works fine for me.

I have the Wixey on my drill press, it has turned out less useful than I thought. The main issue is that the resolution is too good. For example, if I was trying to drill a 1/2" hole, it's too easy to go from 7/16", to 15/32", to 1/2" to 17/32", etc. Analog scales in my view make it easier to see the 1/2".

Also, on my PCS, I am usually more interested in repeatability than a super exact measurement. It is woodworking after all.

The Woodpecker Rip-Flip Fence Stop does look interesting. Doesn't require drilling any holes in the saw :-). I am waiting till they ship it and see what the actual user feedback is.

[Charles Lent]

I installed the Wixey DRO on my Unisaw and 52" Unifence shortly after Wixey began offering them. I used short pieces of 1/2" square tubing cantilevered out from under the Unifence rail and attached the Wixey readout extrusion upside down to these 1/2" square pipe pieces. Then installed the readout PC board strips right side up. I wanted the extrusions to run the full length of the Unifence, so I could use the fence and readout on both sides of the saw blade, so I bought an additional extrusion and PC board strip from Wixey. Adding this additional extrusion also keeps the readout module from falling to the floor when you forget to disconnect it's magnetic coupling from the fence and move the fence past the blade location. The main Unifence fence casting is aluminum, so I used the Wixey supplied metal magnetic target strip by cutting it in half and mounting each half to the sides of the Unifence casting. This lets me use the Wixey readout module on either side of the Unifence since the module can magnetically attach to either side of the Unifence main casting.

I have found that I can set the fence to 1" from the blade using the Wixey DRO and then make a cut in a piece of hard wood like Maple. Then move the fence to other positions and make cuts. Then move the fence back to the 1" position and make a duplicate cut to the first that I made. When checking the width of both of these 1" wide pieces using a Wixey digital caliper, the two pieces will be within 0.003" of each other. I don't need accuracy better than that in woodworking. I now have digital readouts on almost all of my woodshop power tools. Going fully digital and using laser line generators has taken me to a whole new level of woodworking accuracy and safety.

Above my Unisaw I have a ceiling mounted laser line generator that puts a red cut line across the top of my table saw to show where the blade will cut as well as on any work that I'm cutting. This helps keep me from placing my hands anywhere near the cut line and it is especially good for doing any blind cuts that don't cut fully through the wood. DADO blade cuts come to mind here, but we frequently do blind cuts with just a saw blade too. What if the thickness of the wood changes or what if something goes wrong with the saw and the DADO blade or saw blade rises up during the cut, breaking through the top of the work? I certainly never want to be pushing the work and have this happen when my hand is above the DADO blade as this happens. This line is easy to turn on and off using a single button remote that I have Velcro attached to the top of my table saw fence. It can run on batteries, but a better way is to use the included "wall wort" power supply so it's always ready to use. If a red line is ever showing on my fingers, they are in the wrong place. I bought this laser and remote from Woodline USA www.woodline.com but these no longer seem to be available. They were originally marketed to help you stay on the cut line, but we use table saw fences for that, although the line projects well out in front and behind the saw table, so it does help stay on the line when ripping very long work. But I think they are a better safety feature than a blade guide and I use mine often. Maybe if enough of you ask about them, Woodline will begin carrying them again.

Charley

[Michael Fiantaca]

The factory has an adapter available if your handle touches the electronics.
And a newer kit design that is easier to install (holes no longer need to be tapped into the steel rail). The newer design also solves the fussy encoder connection.


I have the Digifence on an ICS and I'm not sure I would get it again.
-- It installs below the big rail and impinged on the handwheel handle. I had to turn a wooden knob that didn't stick out as far.
-- My Digifence turns itself on anytime the fence moves. I don't use the DRO for absolute measurement. I use it when I'm taping the fence to micro-adjust. Having the DRO there if I overshoot is great. I just got used to pushing the off button a lot. Sometime, I'm going to put in a little switch. I replace batteries too often.
-- The physical connection between the fence and the DRO rail is a little fussy.

Overall, though, the Digifence does what I need it to do. If I was doing more production, I would probably calibrate it and use the absolute measurement feature. I think it would do that just fine.

If I was doing it again, I would take a longer look at Wixey to see if I like the arrangement better.

[Larry Edgerton]

I would like to add height indicators to my old Unitronix double spindle shaper. 67 now, eyes are not as good as the once were, and the height adjustment is getting harder for me.

[Derek Cohen]

Wixey DRO for height on my router table. No reason it can't be adapted for a table saw ...


https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered%20Tools%20and%20Machinery/RouterTableAdventure_html_6ecc8567.jpg


https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered%20Tools%20and%20Machinery/RouterTableAdventure_html_m3bff57b4.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek