Tom Dacon wrote:
"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
What you need is a "Precision Universal Bevel Vernier Protractor"
http://www.starrett.com/download/371_cat_70_p95.pdf
A lot of times you can find these in pawn shops.
Set this to the angle and align the saw blade and table to the
blades. A model 360 (non vernier) would be very good. Vernier
version Is best! New it was $250. Something like it in plastic and
lower in precision can be had at office suppliers. This one is
rated at 1/12 degree with vernier.

Martin


You nailed it, Martin. That's the kind of thing I was talking about.

Early on in this benighted thread I talked about using a protractor
as a tool to solve a problem which as the original poster posed it
was to measure an arbitrary angle to the precision of a tenth of a
degree and make a suitable cut. Machinists are accustomed to solving
problems like this, and consequently they have the tools to solve
them. If a machinist gets an angle called out as 70.6 degrees, he
understands that he needs to produce an angle between 70.55 and 70.65
degrees. He HAS to produce an angle to that measurement and those
constraints. This is a nice tool, Starrett as you might expect, and
well within the constraints of the problem. I have a slightly less
accurate machinist's protracter of my own, but I'm going to be on the
lookout for one of these. Thanks for the tip. I hope we don't end up
in a bidding war :-)

Glad to see someone here who doesn't have something to prove :-)

FWIW, Grizzly has a dial protracter readable to 5 minutes for 40 bucks and a
digital readable to .1 degree for 90. Not Starrett quality of course but
should do most hobbyists just fine.