"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 22 Jun 2015 21:05:53 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Mon, 22 Jun 2015 18:12:54 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Gunner Asch wrote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wixey-WR510-...-/311349577001

Are they any good?

As a convenience? Likely so. I'd find something better to spend my
money on. This is bling, like adding a flowmeter to the helium
regulator at a balloon shop.


I have no experience with that particular unit , but we had a
digital/fraction readout similar to that on a small drum sander at a
cabinet shop I worked at , and a similar unit built into a "time
saver" (bigass machine!) sander at another . Both worked well .

The only problem I see is that this tech solves something which is not
a problem for 99% of woodworkers.

Most woodworkers, though, just plane the second and subsequent boards
to the same thickness as the first, and that's easily doable without a
digital readout.

Digital readouts are irreplaceable in metalworking, but only a bit of
a convenience in most woodworking.

I'm not "most woodworkers" . I was senior bench man in a multimillion
dollar commercial millwork shop , and "close enough" wasn't . I've built
reception desks that cost over $30,000 and done custom repair work that
HAD
to match existing woodwork perfectly .

OK, so you're one of the few exceptions. A few are PFTC.

But did you really see any vital difference in setting up the planer
digitally vs using the analog scale?

Accuracy, probably not. Speed quite likely. Time is money.