Mounting a Digital-Read-Out (DRO) to MM20 bandsaw

[Nate Secrist]

Hi,

The MM20 is a great bandsaw.....The fence - not so much!
The fence itself is good & sturdy - the measurement scale isn't really that accurate - looking down on the measurement cursor - Minimax put some kind of 'magnifying glass' - to allow you to see the measurement - but it is kind of hokey.

A few questions....

1 - Not sure if an after-market fence - like a Kreg Bandaw Fence will fit - seems like these aftermarket fences are made for the smaller 14-inch-type bandsaws.
Anyone mounted an after-market fence to their MM20? The fence itself I can't complain about - it is sturdy, straight and works well - the issue is with the measurement tape.

2 - What about a DRO - like a Wixey? I have a Wixey DRO that works very well on my planer....Anyone used a DRO with their MM20?
Looking at Wixey's webpage - I don't see a DRO specifically for the Bandsaw - anyone made one of these models work with a bandsaw fence?
I use my MM20 exclusively for resawing, so I don't change the blade - I have the Lennox carbide resaw blade on their - so no need to re-calibrate the DRO over and over....

3 - Any other MM20 enhancements you can share that have made the bandsaw more useful?


Thanks Alot for your input.

Nate

[John Lanciani]

Laguna Driftmaster is just about the perfect fence for the MM20. Unfortunately it has gotten very pricey in the past couple of years.

[Jim Becker]

I've never used the "scale" on my MM16's fence. I just measure directly, either with a rule or with a piece of wood that's the correct thickness for the cut I want.

[Van Huskey]

There are quite a few Driftmasters on Minimax saws. I really like mine but it isn't cheap. I will say that I have never used a scale on a bandsaw fence.

[Len Rosenberg]

I have not installed a Driftmaster on my MM20 but found this installation post on the Minimax forum:

http://myplace.frontier.com/~unix888...originalfence/

[David Davies]

I have the Driftmaster on my MM24

[Alan Schaffter]

The cut from just about any bandsaw blade requires a fair amount of clean up. I always set the fence with a small rule to cut slightly oversize then run the board through the planer to bring it down to final size. I don't think a precision fence is necessary at all.

[Van Huskey]

The cut from just about any bandsaw blade requires a fair amount of clean up. I always set the fence with a small rule to cut slightly oversize then run the board through the planer to bring it down to final size. I don't think a precision fence is necessary at all.

I generally cut veneer at 3/64th and shoot for .003" variation over the sheet, though I will accept up to .005". I couldn't do this without a precise fence.

[Alan Schaffter]

I generally cut veneer at 3/64th and shoot for .003" variation over the sheet, though I will accept up to .005". I couldn't do this without a precise fence.

Other than getting the most from expensive veneer stock, I still don't see the need for such precision. Don't you plane or scrape after laminating?

[Van Huskey]

Other than getting the most from expensive veneer stock, I still don't see the need for such precision. Don't you plane or scrape after laminating?

I normally scrape or sand, depending on the finish I am planning. I don't see the reason not to produce the precision my equipment allows. It isn't like it is difficult I just set the fence and feed the stock through, I do use a power feeder which allows for a cleaner cut. It saves time and money all the way around.

[mreza Salav]

Van, what is the width of the board you resaw to get 3/64" with 0.003" variations?
The blade marks on my cuts (1.25" resaw king, hand fed) are generally rough enough that I need more than a few passes through the drum sander to get them smooth...

[Nate Secrist]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the info on the Driftmaster - it is pricey, but worth consideration.
i am in agreement with Van - I like to have precision in all my tools. i like repeatability, I like the precision of my tablesaw fence and on the accuracy of the Wixey DRO on my planer.
As was mentioned above, after re sawing I do run the wood through the planer to clean up the saw marks..
What got me thinking about this was that I have 5/4 Basswood - I am resawing down the middle to make two - 7/16 louvers for plantation shutters from each piece - So I needed to be accurate in splitting it down the middle. I spent a lot of time 'fiddling' with scrap to get equal thicknesses on either side of the blade....I didn't have much room for variance...
I guess it's that engineer mentality where "Accuracy and repeatability makes me happy!"
I know this comes with a cost, but I still like it.

Thanks

[Van Huskey]

Van, what is the width of the board you resaw to get 3/64" with 0.003" variations?
The blade marks on my cuts (1.25" resaw king, hand fed) are generally rough enough that I need more than a few passes through the drum sander to get them smooth...

I think the widest I have actually measured is about 14". I have noted the hand fed hesitation marks are probably the tallest but 5 thou is certainly obtainable hand fed. Now I honestly can't say the sheets have a true maximum variation of .00X since I usually just check the 4 corners, the middle outsides and a couple of places inside middle and my calipers I use only have a 6" throat. The measuring is less about me being worried about perfect sheets than it is making sure nothing is wrong with my setup before I go full bore cutting the flitch, it also helps to identify a blade that is dulling. The main thing I am trying to avoid is having to joint the stock over and over. This level of precision had its genesis several years ago when I saw Torben from Laguna cutting veneer with a powerfeeder on a LT24 at IWF and showing .002 and .003 variations on the veneer. That all said I have seen people get (near) the same level of precision with a handfed Delta 14" saw.

[Jim Becker]

Nate, one thing to remember about a band saw is that the "precision" of the cut is extremely variable and changes as the blade loses sharpness and tooth set from use. The one exception might be if you're using something like the Lenox TriMaster with carbide teeth which somewhat resembles a "table saw blade on a long loop", although over time even it will start to drift a bit.