As an intro/reminder, here's an excerpt from my post here on 2/9: "I just saw a blurb in the latest FWW about this tensioning gauge (page 20, April issue). Looks like a new small company out of Maine. LINK It goes for $40+shipping. Like alot of things, the design looks obvious and simple - after the designer worked it out. IMO, it's not really a tension gauge - it's more of a jig or fixture - it sets up for only one specific tension (15,000 pounds). But that's good enough for most normal work I do, according to what I have read."
ORDERING. At this time they only take Paypal, but that wasn't a show stopper. I was immediately and pleasantly surprised that the company was VERY REASONABLE on shipping. No gouging the customer! Edit: Just noticed this blurb at the top of his website: "All orders ship USPS First Class mail for a flat rate of $4.00." That makes sense to me - the thing only weighs a couple ounces.
INITIAL UNPACKING AND FIRST LOOK. The package arrived quickly and was well packed. I opened the box and examined the device. Its 3D printed. I haven't purchased any 3D printed items before, so I found it interesting. It's about 90% plastic, with 2 magnets, a long screw and an allen wrench attached. The fit and finish were good enough for this sort of tool. FWW's only grumble was that the device needs a 2nd storage pocket, because it comes with TWO small plastic setup gauges, with onboard storage for only one. I agree. So I immediately taped the second one to the side of the device to lessen the chance of losing it. I'll find a more permanent answer later.
FIRST USE. I tried it on my small bandsaw (JET 12" Shopline) with a 1/4 inch, 12tpi all-purpose blade. The gadget is very easy to use. You simply turn the adustment screw until its length matches the setup gauge. The setup gauge has slots of different lengths, each of which corresponds to a blade width. At this time, it can set these blade widths: 1/4", 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4. After setting the adjustment screw, you just clip it on the blade and tighten until one magnet pops loose. (Note: The instructions say clearly it doesnt work on bi-metal blades because of different magnetic properties. So does the website.)
I got a little nervous as I kept tightening and tightening the tension knob on my saw, and the magnet didnt pop loose. I dont think I've ever had it cranked down that far since I installed a "high performance" spring a few years ago. (Clearly, I have failed at setting tension correctly using the "flutter method", huh?) Well it did pop loose and when I checked blade deflection, it seemed reasonable. So I fired up the saw and made a few cuts on an old 2x4. I dont own a "real" tension gauge, so I can't tell if I really got 15,000 pounds. Gonna have to take the inventor at his word on that. But the cuts I got in my first test were straight, the faces of the cuts were perpendicular and the cut surface was as smooth as I've seen with this toothcount. And neither the blade, nor the saw broke.
WHAT I THINK AFTER TRYING IT. The device is so simple you wonder why nobody has invented one before. It is no harder to set up and use than a 4" double square. Seriously. I feel like I can set the tension in less time and more consistently than I could use the flutter method. (YMMV of course.) Next weekend I'll try it on my Rikon 14", with a 3/4" blade. That should be "telling". Will let ya know.
Fred
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Originally Posted by Tim Laing
