New tool!

[Leon]

My birthday is coming up this week and I treated myself to a new tool.

Comparable in price to the Starrett tools but IMHO more versatile for
the woodworker.

Incra makes measuring devices for lay out, usually a flat piece of SS
with countless rows and offset columns of tiny holes. A quick location
of the proper hole is problematic for me using those type lay out tools.
PLUS you need a very sharp point on your pencil or a fine mechanical
pencil.

So Woodpeckers seems to have addressed the pencil and or any kind of
marker, including a Sharpie if you did not need a thin line.

And this has the slide out tab to keep the base from tipping, along the
edge of a board as many squares will do. Smooth!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/51396382554/in/dateposted/

[k...@notreal.com]

On Sun, 22 Aug 2021 15:55:41 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

They have a lot of well thought-out tools. None cheap and some
worthless but there are some real gems, too. Their new drill guide is
a keeper.

I have a couple of their aluminum rules and squares. The seemed like a
good idea and are sure pretty but not all that useful. They're too
thick, leading to parallax errors. The steel rule/square that you show
would be useless in Al but a stainless blade changes everything.

[Leon]

Agreed, the thick aluminum squares are more for squaring up a project.

I have these, the set, and they work pretty well. Their edges are thin.

https://www.woodpeck.com/woodpeckers-woodworkers-edge-rule.html

And I have had this set plus the shorter ones before this was
introduced. I use these for laying out cut marks for the track saw when
breaking down sheet goods. And obviously for laying out repetitious
measurements.

https://www.woodpeck.com/woodpeckers-story-stick-pro-96.html

And I have the exact 90 miter gauge on order. My Incra miter gauge
almost has rust on all of the steel surfaces including the miter bar.
Oddly that is about the only thing in my shop[ that has rust on it. BUT
I do not spray it down with TopKote. My sweaty hands are the issue.
Woodpeckers claims that their steel bar is plated with some kind of coating.

[k...@notreal.com]

On Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:20:10 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>
wrote:

I looked at those but decided that I didn't need them.

I bought a set of aluminum "Paolini" rules and was severely
disappointed. Then I bought a set of the stainless rules. Very
different tools. I use them constantly.

>And I have had this set plus the shorter ones before this was
>introduced. I use these for laying out cut marks for the track saw when
>breaking down sheet goods. And obviously for laying out repetitious
>measurements.
>
>https://www.woodpeck.com/woodpeckers-story-stick-pro-96.html

I think I bought on when they first came out. Maybe you were the one
who pointed them out.

>
>And I have the exact 90 miter gauge on order. My Incra miter gauge
>almost has rust on all of the steel surfaces including the miter bar.
>Oddly that is about the only thing in my shop[ that has rust on it. BUT
>I do not spray it down with TopKote. My sweaty hands are the issue.
>Woodpeckers claims that their steel bar is plated with some kind of coating.

I decided that I didn't need it (priorities). My miter gauges are in
good shape now. I replaced some of the corroded parts recently.

[Leon]

I have a set of Bridge City Steel rules that I bought 30+ years ago. I
find that I use them all at the same times, some times. Being anal but
necessary when joining face frames to a carcass and all joints are
dado's or groves. I often stack the steel rules end to end to set a
miter saw stop "accurately" And they are handy for setting the rip
fence with a stacked dado set. I use a tape measure simply as a quick
double check, never as a primary measurement for a finish cut.

>
>> And I have had this set plus the shorter ones before this was
>> introduced. I use these for laying out cut marks for the track saw when
>> breaking down sheet goods. And obviously for laying out repetitious
>> measurements.
>>
>> https://www.woodpeck.com/woodpeckers-story-stick-pro-96.html
>
> I think I bought on when they first came out. Maybe you were the one
> who pointed them out.
>>
>> And I have the exact 90 miter gauge on order. My Incra miter gauge
>> almost has rust on all of the steel surfaces including the miter bar.
>> Oddly that is about the only thing in my shop[ that has rust on it. BUT
>> I do not spray it down with TopKote. My sweaty hands are the issue.
>> Woodpeckers claims that their steel bar is plated with some kind of coating.
>
> I decided that I didn't need it (priorities). My miter gauges are in
> good shape now. I replaced some of the corroded parts recently.
>

I really do not mind the rust, I can squint and set the angle if
necessary but that is for .05% of my cuts. The real issue that I have
with the Incra set up is it's strong point, the exact increments of
adjustment. More often than not, when fitting pieces of wood between
fixed objects, like rails between a column of drawers, I need a higher
resolution than a 32nd of an inch.

AND the Incra flip stop has that adjustment on the steel dowel. BUT
that is all adjust and test as the rod tends to move when tightening the
tiny thumb screws. And those screws/nuts are not fixed so they slide
around. I hate that after thought adjustment for an otherwise pretty
good system. And when you use the fence extension the indexing is no
longer a factor, it's strictly slide and tighten the extension to the
"hopeful" exact spot. AND that is assuming that the adjustable plastic
rule has not slipped. Not a really big deal unless you are needing exact.

The Exact 90 has no indexing but the measure markings are permanent so
no slipping of the tape. And it's flip stop is easy to tweak if
necessary and does not have to be returned to zero. The Incra rod has to
be retracted to zero on the flip stop. The exact 90 measures off of the
stop arm itself vs the carage that carries the adjustable arm on the Incra.
Hopefully it works like they say it will.

[k...@notreal.com]

On Tue, 24 Aug 2021 09:21:13 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>

You don't use the fence gauge for the measurement on that SawStop?
Maybe you should get one of these:

<https://www.woodpeck.com/rip-flip-fence.html>

[Leon]

I have seen that but I don't think I would use it.


Yes I use the fence rule "except" when I use the stacked dado set. That
setup subtracts some odd amount from the amount shown on the fence rule.

You know, the fence rule says 4" but the steel rule says 3-19/64".

Or if cutting rabbets also consider the sacrificial fence added in there.

[k...@notreal.com]

On Wed, 25 Aug 2021 13:26:48 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>

They don't have one for my saw so it's not a decision that I have to
make (most likely not). I bought one of the Wixy fence gauges some
ten years ago but never used it much. Like all Wixy stuff, and HF
calipers, the battery is always dead when it's needed.

>Yes I use the fence rule "except" when I use the stacked dado set. That
>setup subtracts some odd amount from the amount shown on the fence rule.

I thought you measured off the blade?

>You know, the fence rule says 4" but the steel rule says 3-19/64".
>
>Or if cutting rabbets also consider the sacrificial fence added in there.

Then you get the "1-error".

[Leon]

I do...... Is your saw right tilt? The scale on a left tilt is accurate
from the right side of a single blade to the Fence. Stack blades to the
right of a single blade and the scale is inaccurate. That is when I use
the steel rule to measure from the fence to the outside of the right
most outer dado blade.

Right tilt saws are a different situation in this respect and about
their only advantage over left tilt.

And having said that it is interesting to note that the industrial
SawStop appears to be a right tilt saw. It's tilt crank is on the left
side of the saw. BUT it is a left tilt.

[k...@notreal.com]

On Thu, 26 Aug 2021 12:57:44 -0500, Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet>

It's a left tilt but the scale isn't all that accurate. Not nearly as
accurate as you're talking about.