miter gauge

[EricU]

I just realized that my powermatic miter gauge is really sloppy in the slot. Maybe I'll try dimpling the bar. I should probably give it to a metal recycler and get something better.  My Incra lives on my Miter Express, and disassembling it from that is not something I really want to do often.

I have thought I would really like a miter gauge that only did 90 degrees. But then it wouldn't be a miter gauge, I suppose. I might make one once I get my mill up and running, that's on the short list right now.

[Handplanesandmore]

You know when you buy a precision square that comes with the certificate of tolerance. Such squares can be had for under $100.

Simon

[Handplanesandmore]

By the way, pencil lines are too thick for checking precision dimensions. Scribed lines are better. Each woodworker's "good enough" definition is different. Some people are happy with their job site saws while others insist on nothing less than cabinet saws; same for choosing and using squares. For machine setting (90 & 45) I have a CNC precision made square reserved.

Simon

[EricU]

then the question is how well the cnc is trammed.  It never ends.

There are ways of checking straight edges to very high accuracy.  I have done some work in precision engineering. There is no such thing as perfect, you have to specify your error budget.

[Handplanesandmore]

then the question is how well the cnc is trammed.  It never ends.

If one sources from a reputable, established manufacturer, squareness, flatness and straightness of a product would be as good as the vendor's reputation. For example, Woodpeckers, known for its reliability, offers this info.:

Unmatched Precision and Finest Quality Materials. Our Precision Framing Squares start the manufacturing process as a solid piece of cast aluminum tool and jig plate. This stable material is then carefully machined in our cutting edge CNC machinery. The result is a single-piece blade and handle that’s made square and will stay square. Two pieces of precision-machined aluminum form the cheeks of the handle. These cheeks are affixed with stainless steel dowel pins that ensure bulletproof rigidity and perfect alignment when pressed into their precision-machined holes. This kind of strength and accuracy simply cannot be matched by conventional framing squares.

Each and Every Square is Inspected for both perpendicularity and scale accuracy on state-of-the-art CNC inspection machines to give you the confidence to trust these precision tools.

How square is square is maker-dependent. Crooked furniture or a gappy joint is no disaster as long as the maker or owner/user is at peace with it. Any square, including homemade one, can be a square if the user is happy with it, even if it is out of square. I, however, no longer use plastic squares when they did not provide the precision I needed in the past.

Simon

[Philip1231]

I've been using this MG from Woodhaven for years: works well.

[Cooler]

Just check the triangle to a good square....I spent enough time hunched over a drawing board to know a plastic triangle isn't always square.

Ed

It is  really easy to check.  Place one edge of the square at the bottom of a sheet of paper and draw a vertical line.  Flip over the square and make another line at the exact same position.  If the two lines align perfectly then the square is accurate for the 90 degree sides.

Here he is testing a framing square (steel, and not accurate).  It is not the material, but the manufacturing process that determines accuracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDh-E5xhm0o

[Cian]

I've been using this MG from Woodhaven for years: works well.

The Woodhaven is a great miter gauge.  I have a version they had made for Jet.  Hadn't Kreg bought them out?

[Philip1231]

Here is link to their website: I couldn't find any mention of ownership?

https://www.woodhaven.com

The Woodhaven is a great miter gauge.  I have a version they had made for Jet.  Hadn't Kreg bought them out?

[Cecil]

I don't think it's unusual that you need to tighten up that bar for the slot.

I periodically check my Miter Gauge for square when it's set on 90. 

I use an Incra Miter 1000SE for the vast majority (95%+) of that work.  It's set up for the saw with adjustable "shims/washers" to fit to the saw.

For me, all of the above, plus, one of the first things I made was a miter gauge at 90*.  Ditto at 45*. At that time I did not have the Incra.  You might ask why a miter gauge and not a sled.  It took some scrap maple I had laying around and I could make one in a few minutes.  I used it often for a couple of years.  It is still around somewhere, but I have not used it in many years.  I still use the 45* gauge on the disk sander from time to time.  It was a very quick way for me to solve a problem.