miter gauge

[cme4dk]

I have a SawStop and I use the miter gauge that came with the saw. Periodically I have to reset the miter gauge to 90 degrees.  I removed any free play in the track so that is not an issue.  Is that normal?  If not, which brand is a reasonable replacement?  Is the Woodriver brand worth it?

thanks

jay

[R Clark]

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

I periodically check my SS Miter Gauge for square when it's set on 90.  I don't think that's where SS put the quality into the system.

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.

[Cooler]

I never considered my miter gage a precision cutting piece of equipment.  A sled is more accurate.  A chop saw is more accurate.  A radial arm saw is more accurate. 

But a sled it handy and easy to make and is certainly worth the effort.  I used an aluminum framers square to make a picture framing miter gage.  I checked the framing square for accuracy.  Then I screwed it down on a board for my radial using spacers to raise it up another 1/8".  

Then I simply sliced throug the aluminum on the first cut.  I put the rabbet on the square and made my cuts.  This cost more than using wood, but was very fast to make and worked perfectly.  Eventually I bought a sliding table miter saw that was designed for the picture framing industry.  (Very accurate, but not very powerful).

[fredhargis]

I'm using an Incra miter gauge on my SS as well, at least when I need the precision. I do use the SS one form time to time, but I always check it first.

[barryvabeach]

Jay, are you saying the miter head is coming loose?  I have the SS and while I think overall it is great, the miter is not the best in class.  Once I tighten it ,  I don't have an issue with the head coming loose and losing the setting.  BTW, the best trick I learned for setting it is to use a digital angle gauge set on the left side of the table facing out, set it to zero, then put the miter gauge in the same place, and hang the digital angle gauge on the bar - and adjust till the bar reads exactly 90 degrees.

[R Clark]

To be clear...I think all miter gauges need to be checked for accuracy from time to time.  The quality difference comes in the "how often". 

An inexpensive plastic drafting triangle can be a great help in checking for square when setting the miter gauge back to 90 degrees.

[EdL]

An inexpensive plastic drafting triangle can be a great help in checking for square when setting the miter gauge back to 90 degrees.

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

[Handplanesandmore]

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

I believe magazines are the culprits that promote the idea plastic triangles are precision tools for setting up machines. Granted, some plastic triangles dead-on but every of them is. Just like the Empire combo squares we find at home centers.

I had two plastic triangles (one made in China and one in Germany), and both were NOT dead square according to my machine square (0.0005"). Of course, one could say woodworking with wood, those squares were good enough. That would be a choice decision, but not a certification that plastic triangles are great squares.

Simon

[R Clark]

How do you know that your machinist square is "dead square"?  5/10,000ths of an inch is perhaps 1/10th of the thickness of an average human hair.

Yes, we are talking about wood; a natural material given to variation based on environmental conditions.

I still think that an inexpensive drafting triangle is a decent standard that can be had for a couple dollars.  One can determine if any framing square/drafting triangle/machinist square is reasonably square using nothing more than a straight edge and a finely-sharpened pencil.  Of course, that begs the question of the straight edge:  How "straight" is "straight"?

If I'm designing nuclear enrichment centrifuges (which I don't do), my definition of accurate might be a bit more stringent than what I need from my miter gauge when I need a picture frame joint to close up.

[Stwood_]

I use the miter gauges that have come with my machines. And I always check them, reset them when I go to use them, as they are rather cheaply made. But they do work, once set to the angle you need.
I've never found it justifiable to spend big money on a miter gauge.