[OP]
Member
I recently purchased the Wixey Digital Fence Readout for my Steel City TS. It didn't fit. I had to do a lot of "Custom Engineering" to mount it. The instructions were minimal to say the least. It does seem to work well now that I have fixed it but why should I have to re-engineer a product that claims to fit many different TS's?
Bob
Isn't the SC fence a lot like the Biesemeyer? The Wixey is pretty much made for that style of fence. Is there a specific difference that is causing trouble? I know many others here have them. Hopefully they will chime in so we know if the amount of effort was "normal" or out of bounds.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
That's what's great about Wixey readouts, you get to tinker with them. Not only does that help you improve your engineering skills but it helps you appreciate it all the more once it's installed....No but seriously I agree with you but in order to manufacture a "one size fits all" product (which keeps the cost down and I'm sure you appreciate that) there has to be some consumer engineering involved to fit it to different models of fences. At least they engineered it to fit the Biesemeyer fence which is the most copied fence design out there. You should see what I had to do to fit mine to my Vega Fence! I'll post some pics later today when I get home.
Last edited by Jeremy Monge; 06-12-2008 at 12:58 PM.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Can you identify this species?
Member
Sometimes when I read these posts I feel like saying "Stop whining, you are a woodworker, a craftsman. You make things from raw wood and solve problems all the time. Figure it out for gosh sakes!" but then I realize that not all WWers are created equal, many may not have the necessary metal working experience, skills or tools, or are reluctant to make the modifications to their machines required to install many after-market devices.
The point has been made, though, that it is cost prohibitive for the manufacturer to make an after market device that fits all flavors of machine- there are just too many variations out there.
Member
There are two issues here. Firstly the instructions are woeful, this makes the fitment a more difficult task than it should be, it can't fit everything well but the unstructions don't assist much. in this day and age how difficult would to be to make a short DVD instead of a bit of paper?
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening
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Robert;
I've got to pitch in here. First, I really appologize for the lousy instructions. I am working on new ones that should be a lot better.That is just not my strenght. Proper instructions would have been a big help. On the Steel City fence you just need to have the track extend out 1" instead of the normal 1/2" and then the readout attaches directly to the handle flange. ( there is a photo of this on the web site but it is not that easy to figure out)
Jeremy is correct, We were trying to make a single product that would fit every fence out there and be able to get it in your hands for less than $150.
Finally, if anyone else is trying to mount this and can't find photos in the "will it fit my" http://www.wixey.com/fence/fit/index.html and needs some help just email me at digital@wixey.com and I will help out. I don't think anyone has found a fence that this cannot be mounted to. Some just take a little more head scratching than others.
Last edited by Barry Wixey; 06-12-2008 at 4:06 PM. Reason: whoops; thanks Dennis
Member
Originally Posted by Barry Wixey
Need to fix that link: http://www.wixey.com/fence/fit/index.html
Member
That Mr. Wixey, just showing up on our forum like that to explain a fitting for a different saw. Heck now I feel I know the guy and will have to buy one from him. UNFAIR sales practice. Ha-Ha. An all right guy!
Creation is a transfer of ideas to matter.
Must be fixed. Works for me.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
You're right and wrong, Alan. While it is indeed within the capability of most of us to "make it fit", the question is "should I have to?".
I also think that the point about keeping the cost down while marketing a very highly functional and accurate product is also valid.
My experience with this particular product was that I installed it while assembling my new TS. In following the instructions, I discovered that the front rail would no longer mount to the saw as the mountings for the digital track were positioned too far back.
I have to admit that I was not at all happy about having to drill (and tap) a second set of holes in my brand-new $1500 table saw! Had I been installing this on a fully-assembled saw, this wouldn't have happened as I would have recognized almost immediately that I needed to modify the instructions for this saw.
I think that the issue for me is that I slavishly follow the manufacturer's instructions for assembly of a new and unfamiliar item. I wasn't sure EXACTLY how all the pieces fit and worked together (which is often the case with some new add-on gadget), so I (like many others I'm sure) follow the instructions. It isn't hard to feel betrayed when you try so hard to do the job right. If the instructions said clearly "This may not fit your saw exactly as pictured/described - here is what you should do to determine the correct mounting", I think many of us would be fine with that.
My digital planer readout (not a Wixey - sorry, Barry) had instructions like that. They said (in effect) "Here is what is critical to proper operation - use some of the enclosed brackets or make your own to address these issues". I was able to get that installed in about a half hour which including customizing some of the mounting hardware and contributing a few fasteners, but it mounted and worked right the first time.
The Wixey digital fence readout by comparison was a frustrating and nerve-racking experience that would have gone much more smoothly had I known how it needed to mount to work properly and been advised that "Yes, Virginia, you might need to apply a bit of practical engineering to get it mounted". It probably would have gone together in half the time, and without an extra set of holes in my brand-new TS rail!
Something else that contributed to the frustration level were the "self-tapping" bolts that wouldn't. I ended up having to substitute some standard fine-thread bolts and tapped the holes in the rail to fit. Not everyone has a set of taps laying around, and even I had to make a trip to the hardware store to get fine-thread bolts and an NF tap to match.
Despite all that, I have to say that it was $100 (I bought it on sale) very well spent. I love the readout and have done some pretty interesting things with it. The only thing I would advise Wixey to do is a) find self-threading bolts that do, and b) write better instructions that explains how it needs to be mounted to work, make some suggestions about how that can be achieved, and let the user know that their mileage may vary because table saws, fences and fence rails vary in their configuration, and some cobbling may be required.
--Steve--
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I installed a new Wixey TS DRO on my Grizzly G1023SLX saw last week and didn't have any significant problems following the instructions, even though the Shop Fox "Classic" fence is attached to the front tube differently than the Biesemeyer that this DRO was designed for. I recognized that I could not mount the four brackets the same way that Wixey spelled out -- they had to be mounted closer to the bottom front edge of the tube. Took the fence tube off, marked the holes and drilled them. Mounted the brackets and put the fence tube back in place. Mounted the rest of the Wixey stuff and was cutting stock accurately in less than an hour. I like it!
______________________________
Rob Payne -- McRabbet Woodworks
[OP]
Member
Thanks for the responses. And thanks Barry for your response also. I was hoping that someone from your company would read this and respond. It shows that you care for your customers and for getting a good product to them. This forum is a way to get several ideas in one place. It's great. I think the problem I had was both the instructions and the length (too short) of the mounting brackets. I had to cut the end that attaches to the fence off to get it to mount half way close to the 1/2 inch from the fence as stated in the manual. No real big problem, just some thinking and experimenting and hacksawing. It works well now and I'm glad I purchased it on sale at woodcraft.
Have a nice day everyone.
Bob
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