TS Aligner jr.
Charlie Maus
table saw (Unisaw). I was wonding if anyone had any thoughts on the
upgrade to the gauge(Fowler).
B a r r y
I don't think you need the upgrade, because the TS Jr. isn't needed at
all. <G>
A combination square, with the only requirement that it locks the
blade securely, a Sharpie, and some scrap wood are all you *really*
need to set up a saw. Check your local library for "Tage Frid Teaches
Woodworking" and/or "Tune Up Your Tools".
Let the flame war begin. <G>
I've had several saws, and now have a General 650, and have NEVER
needed a $150+ alignment tool.
Googling on Table saw alignment might not be a good idea, either.
Barry
David Zaret
like it. personally i think it's a worthwhile investment, but probably
not entirely necessary.
i also got the 6" square they offer and the 45 triangle. certainly the
most accurate squares i have in my shop.
good luck,
-- dz
igor
I had very good luck on my first TS, last summer, using an inexpensive dial
indicator. Attached it to my miter guage to set up both the blade and
fence alignments. Got the indicator with a magnetic base from Grizzly -
best deal at that time. In fact, the threading on the metal post that
screws into the mag base actually fit right into a hole in my miter guage
that came with my DW TS. For the amount I have used it, the indicator has
been my best investment. (I can't seem to connect to the Grizzly website
right now or I'd include a link.) Just make sure that your miter guage
is tight in the slot or be sure to put side pressure on it when you slide
it to keep it consistent. YMMV. -- Igor
bri...@thanks.com
the chinese indicators work fine and are plenty accurate enough for
setup of woodworking machines. the downside is that they are a bit
more likely to fail with rough use and probably will wear out sooner.
unless you are going to be using it a lot I probably wouldn't bother.
adddress@spamfree.com CW
the Fowler/Baker name.
<bri...@thanks.com> wrote in message
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bri...@thanks.com
wrote:
>The Fowler indicator is also sold as a Baker. They are made in China with
>the Fowler/Baker name.
fowler manufactures their indicators in germany.
I can't find anything on Fowler/Baker.
adddress@spamfree.com CW
several, actually. They may make some in Germany but that is probably the
spendy ones. Some of the Chinese ones are quite good. I've had a couple of
them for about ten years. On gets severe duty (on mills an lathes while
running) and is still doing fine.
<bri...@thanks.com> wrote in message
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Charlie Maus
Charlie
bri...@thanks.com wrote in message news:<54r8h0156ppv73r59...@4ax.com>...
Ed Bennett
> The Fowler indicator is also sold as a Baker. They are made in China with
> the Fowler/Baker name.
>
Hi CW! Hope all is going well.
Perhaps Fred Jr. will step in here...maybe not. He's been known to
contribute in the metalworking groups from time to time.
Fowler buys their instruments from manufacturers all over the world.
Yes, the low end instruments are from China. But, the same can be
said for the low end Starrett instruments (I fell off my chair when I
saw this on a 6" calipers that I purchased). Other Fowler instruments
are German, Swiss, American, Japanese, etc. The one that I buy isn't
marked with a country of origin (not sure how this works). In any
case, the instruments are all manufactured to Fowler specifications
and Fred has told me that they are 100% inspected.
My experience with literally thousands of indicators gives me a basis
for judging quality without regard to country of origin. The Fowler
indicator that I buy is clearly a step above the MHC (China) indicator
that I also offer. It definitely falls in the category of a
"mid-range" indicator alongside the Teclock and Peacock (both fine
Japanese) models. I've seen some Bakers labeled as "Made in India",
others "made in China". Most come without marking (must be some FTC
rule that I don't know about). Even still, the quality is
consistently mid-range. The design is significantly different from
the Fowler so I'm not inclined to say that they come from the same
factory/manufacturer.
There is a whole range of quality coming from China. Most share the
same basic design but the quality of components and craftsmanship
varies tremendously. There are a whole lot of them that I just won't
waste any money on. I've had the best of luck with indicators bearing
the "MHC" brand. Since each indicator is calibrated to the Jr. that
it ships with, I end up testing every single one that I sell. Yes, I
do find defective units but it's pretty rare (far less than 1%) and
they definitely don't go out with any of my Aligners.
Hope it helps.
To comment on what others have said in the thread...
I encourage people to try out the "dial indicator on a stick"
solution. It's a heck of a lot better than subjective "feel the rub"
and "hear the scrape" techniques. And, you'll learn a whole lot of
new stuff for a pretty small investment (always a plus). I've even
devoted some space for it on my web site:
http://www.ts-aligner.com/tsjrlitevsdistick.htm
It's true, precision alignment instruments that use dial indicators
are not absolutely necessary for the production of high quality
woodwork. Face it, people have been doing fine woodworking for
centuries without dial indicators. But, consider that they've been
doing it without power tools too. So, tablesaws, routers, drill
presses, planers, jointers, etc. are also just as unnecessary for the
production of high quality woodwork. Precision dial indicator jigs
are a lot like power tools: they just make the job go much faster and
easier. Some people like fine results and are always searching for
better ways to achieve them. Some people derive more enjoyment from
developing specific skills with a specific set of tools (i.e. "the
process") and fine results are the basis for measuring their progress.
You decide what you want out of your woodworking persuits and let
this guide your needs.
Thanks,
Ed Bennett
e...@ts-aligner.com
GerryG
and precision approaching your setup repeatability, so a better one won't
help. I do like the thick square they offer, but the really best item is the
45 triangle. It's large enough to calibrate the Aligner, and the combination
is all that you need for the TS.
As it happens, I just set up a new shop after moving and reassembling all the
equipment. For the TS AlignerJr, cut a piece of melamine a couple of inches
larger. Spot and counterbore three holes for the bearings. That allows you to
register against a flat surface without having to remove the bearings.
Melamine is flat enough that small, and calibration is on the work surface.
This allowed easily walking around to the jointer, router table, drill press,
BS and others for quick alignment.
Flame guard statement - Of course, how accurate you need something depends
entirely on what you're doing with it, and the tool's available precision.
GerryG
On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 01:29:01 GMT, David Zaret <news@__REMOVE__zaret.com>
wrote:
Grant P. Beagles
TS Aligner Jr. makes some of it easier. You can also use it to set up a
drill press, precision bevel cuts on the table saw, and many other
applications (i haven't looked at the video in a while, so I cannot
remember all of them!)
Grant