wixey digital angle gauge inaccurate?
#11
I just picked up one of those Wixey digital angle gauges.   "zeroed" it while sitting on my table saw top, attached it to be blade and tilted it until the gauge read 30.0 degrees, and made my cut. 

The resulting cut was 32.5*

very confused, I locked my jointer fence at 90* using one of those magnetic welding holders, zeroed the Wixey gauge on the bed, and then attached it to the fence.. it read 92.5

what gives? do I have to calibrate this thing? is it defective? It came with no instructions but is brand new.
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#12
I would say that it is indeed defective. I bought one of those when they first came out and have found it to be dead on accurate still after years of use.
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#13
Mine is dead on.
I would try zero'n it in again.
Steve

Missouri






 
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WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








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#14
was the gage resting on a tooth or 2 of the saw blade?
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#15
(03-22-2020, 06:56 PM)tomsteve Wrote: was the gage resting on a tooth or 2 of the saw blade?

That couldn't explain why the same happened on the jointer. So I say it's defective, unless something went wrong with how he zeroed out the gauge. May be check that the base and sides of the gauge are flat.

Simon
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#16
Mound,  I would do some more testing to be sure.  A welding square is pretty square, but it is not designed to check the calibration of something like the Wixey.  First, you need to check whatever you are testing.  Do you have a good combination square.  You can easily test that by getting a straight edge on some hardboard, then use a knife to  draw a 90 degree line , then reversing the square and use a knife, see if when you draw the second line it separates from the first at one end or the other.  Once you have confirmed it is 90, then you can use that to test the Wixey.
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#17
(03-22-2020, 05:40 PM)mound Wrote: I just picked up one of those Wixey digital angle gauges.   "zeroed" it while sitting on my table saw top, attached it to be blade and tilted it until the gauge read 30.0 degrees, and made my cut. 

The resulting cut was 32.5*

very confused, I locked my jointer fence at 90* using one of those magnetic welding holders, zeroed the Wixey gauge on the bed, and then attached it to the fence.. it read 92.5

what gives? do I have to calibrate this thing? is it defective? It came with no instructions but is brand new.

Check to see if there is ANYTHING on the bottom. It doesn't take much to be off .5 degrees....there could be goo, a sliver, a burr and it would throw it off.......mine will have sawdust on it and be off .1 or .2 degrees.

Once Favre hangs it up though, it years of cellar dwelling for the Pack. (Geoff 12-18-07)  



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#18
Did you register the gauge at zero degrees (0.00) on a reference surface before using it? For example, when setting the table saw blade to be 90 degrees, first set the gauge on the table saw top and ensure that it is set to zero degrees.

If you do not do this, the measurement you are getting could be referenced to anything.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#19
I'm firmly in the "more testing" category.

I've had a Wixey angle gauge for well over 10 years.

I've found that my Wixey is very sensitive to orientation with respect to the table.  Here's a series of pictures to illustrate:

1.  The gauge is flat on the table and zeroed, so this is my reference surface.

   

2.  Gauge is on the blade, showing 45 degrees.  

   

3.  With the gauge on the blade as shown in picture 2, I make sure that the face of the gauge is perpendicular to both the plane of the blade and the table (reference plane).  This picture shows that.

   

4.  Without moving the blade at all, I moved the gauge itself by rotating it some while on the blade.

   

5.  Simply by changing the orientation of the gauge as shown in Picture 4, I have induced a significant error in the reading on the gauge.

   

Hope this helps.
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#20
Quote:5.  Simply by changing the orientation of the gauge as shown in Picture 4, I have induced a significant error in the reading on the gauge.

That's probably the correct angle.  
Crazy

When you angle legs on a table or chair, and there is rake and splay involved, you get a resultant angle. The Wixey on angle displays a resultant angle (which will be different as you angle the gauge more or less ... changing the resultant angles).

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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