I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday.
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but
considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my
preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,240,41064

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday.
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you
wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but
considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my
preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,240,41064



I have had a similar one of these for a year or so now, they are very handy
for determining angles also. I use mine for much more than setting up my
equipment.
I spect your magnets would hold on to vertical surfaces better if the unit
used a "watch battery" instead of a heavy 9 volt battery. ;~)

But then the magnets don't do squat on wood surfaces. LOL

Upscale wrote:
I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday.
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but
considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my
preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,240,41064



I've got the Wixley that I picked up on sale for $24.00 at Woodcraft.
The magnets hold well even when vertical.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.asp...&FamilyID=5894

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday.
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you
wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but
considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my
preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,240,41064



OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. I noticed that the gauge is
supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. You may have a defective unit, it
should be very resistant to slipping or falling. I'd give LeeValley a call
and have it exchanged.

Slipping is a problem if you use it to return your TS blade back to a 90
degree setting.

"Leon" wrote in message
OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. I noticed that the gauge is
supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. You may have a defective unit, it
should be very resistant to slipping or falling. I'd give LeeValley a
call
and have it exchanged.

As you've mentioned (and Sheldon), it's possible the canopy pole I quickly
tested it on was partially a non-magnetic alloy of some type. That was the
only place I tried it because at the time, there wasn't anything else close
by. I'll test it on a more reliably metal ferrous object and let you know
what I find out.

On Jun 16, 3:01*am, "Upscale" wrote:
"Leon" wrote in message
OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. *I noticed that the gauge is
supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. *You may have a defective unit, it
should be very resistant to slipping or falling. *I'd give LeeValley a
call
and have it exchanged.

As you've mentioned (and Sheldon), it's possible the canopy pole I quickly
tested it on was partially a non-magnetic alloy of some type. That was the
only place I tried it because at the time, there wasn't anything else close
by. I'll test it on a more reliably metal ferrous object and let you know
what I find out.

Try a refrigerator. ;-)

wrote in message
...
On Jun 16, 3:01 am, "Upscale" wrote:
"Leon" wrote in message
OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. I noticed that the gauge is
supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. You may have a defective unit, it
should be very resistant to slipping or falling. I'd give LeeValley a
call
and have it exchanged.

As you've mentioned (and Sheldon), it's possible the canopy pole I quickly
tested it on was partially a non-magnetic alloy of some type. That was the
only place I tried it because at the time, there wasn't anything else
close
by. I'll test it on a more reliably metal ferrous object and let you know
what I find out.

Try a refrigerator. ;-)

Perhaps not a stainless steel cased one.

On Jun 16, 4:01*am, "Upscale" wrote:
"Leon" wrote in message
OK, I looked at the Lee Valley link again. *I noticed that the gauge is
supposed to have "Rare Earth' magnets. *You may have a defective unit, it
should be very resistant to slipping or falling. *I'd give LeeValley a
call
and have it exchanged.

As you've mentioned (and Sheldon), it's possible the canopy pole I quickly
tested it on was partially a non-magnetic alloy of some type. That was the
only place I tried it because at the time, there wasn't anything else close
by. I'll test it on a more reliably metal ferrous object and let you know
what I find out.

Lee valley also sells a strap-on level for posts - not metal, but you
could rig something
it also works well

shelly

"Upscale" wrote:

I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last
Thursday.

Personally, I'm not a believer in layouts using angle measurements.

There is simply too much chance for error.

Rather use trigonometry and layout the line lengths using a compass
and intersecting arcs.

Then use a router /w/ a bearing and a straight edge to clean up the
lines.

I use 1/2 (9 ply) for these angle guides which is also handy if you
need to do the setup again in the future.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
"Upscale" wrote:

I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last
Thursday.

Personally, I'm not a believer in layouts using angle measurements.

There is simply too much chance for error.

Rather use trigonometry and layout the line lengths using a compass
and intersecting arcs.

Then use a router /w/ a bearing and a straight edge to clean up the
lines.

I use 1/2 (9 ply) for these angle guides which is also handy if you
need to do the setup again in the future.

So tell us how you use that technique to set your table saw blade for a
bevel cut.

"J. Clarke" wrote:

So tell us how you use that technique to set your table saw blade
for a
bevel cut.

Make a gauge block first, then set to it.

Basic 101.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
"J. Clarke" wrote:

So tell us how you use that technique to set your table saw blade
for a
bevel cut.

Make a gauge block first, then set to it.

Basic 101.

Uh huh. Right. Never actually tried that, have you?

"J. Clarke" wrote:

Uh huh. Right. Never actually tried that, have you?

Yes

Lew

On Jun 16, 1:36*am, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
"J. Clarke" wrote:
So tell us how you use that technique to set your table saw blade
for a
bevel cut.

Make a gauge block first, then set to it.

Basic 101.

Lew

good idea - I'll give it a whirl
shelly

On Jun 15, 6:19*pm, "Upscale" wrote:
I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday..
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.

LV also sells a non-digital compass type version of an angle gauge, but
considering the cost difference is only $11, the digital one gets my
preferred vote. Another toy to add to the pile. *

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,240,41064

I have the same gauge. I have to prevent it from smacking into a
vertical surface.... I suspect the surface you are testing is an alloy
that is fairly non-metallic

shelly

P.S. I love the thing. Couldn't cut a good miter before using it. The
onlt hitch is that it can't be used for a CMS

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:46:46 -0700, sheldon.mandel wrote:


P.S. I love the thing. Couldn't cut a good miter before using it. The
onlt hitch is that it can't be used for a CMS

But it works great on my old Delta tablesaw where the table tilts instead
of the blade :-).

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:46:46 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

. The\ onlt hitch is that it can't be used for a CMS

Hmmm, I haven't tried to use mine to set the bevel angle on my CMS but
don't see any obvious reason that it couldn't. I agree on the miter
angle, but why not the bevel?

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:19:51 -0500, "Upscale"
wrote:

...
My only complaint is that the magnets don't hold as well as they could the
closer you get to a vertical surface, but it's situation one is not likely
to encounter very often.


I agree with Shelley's comment. I have the same device (Beall Tilt
Box) and it has absolutely no tendency to slip when it grabs a
vertical saw blade. If yours does, and it shouldn't, talk to Lee
Valley about it. They have one of the best customer service
reputations in the business.

Mine is used often to set/check/verify the blade tilt angle (even 0°
tilt) on almost all tablesaw cuts where the correct angle is critical.

Beall makes some pretty useful shop accessories.

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA

On Jun 15, 6:19*pm, "Upscale" wrote:
I picked up one of the digital angle gauges from Lee Valley last Thursday..
It comes with rare earth magnets both sides and is solid and relatively
heavy. It can be set to relative zero and fully recalibrated if for any
reason that it loses it's settings. It runs on a 9v battery, so you wouldn't
have to worry about being gouged for some expensive little watch type
battery should you need a new one.

Accuracy typically claimed at what, 1/10 degree?

How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

"Father Haskell" wrote in message
Accuracy typically claimed at what, 1/10 degree?

They claim accurate to 0.2°.

How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

I figure close to a pound. I suppose under the right conditions (or wrong
conditions in this case) the weight could have an effect on degree angle,
but considering all the possible variations one is going to encounter when
working with wood, I'd guess any deflection effect is going to be negligible
in the grand scheme of things.

On Jun 17, 6:40*pm, "Upscale" wrote:
"Father Haskell" wrote in message
Accuracy typically claimed at what, 1/10 degree?

They claim accurate to 0.2°.

How heavy is "relatively heavy?" *Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

I figure close to a pound. I suppose under the right conditions (or wrong
conditions in this case) the weight could have an effect on degree angle,
but considering all the possible variations one is going to encounter when
working with wood, I'd guess any deflection effect is going to be negligible
in the grand scheme of things.

Gotta be real careful whenever I'm using a dial
indicator on a blade (1/8" kerf, standard, thick
plate). Seems like a pound force against the
side will flex it a good 10 thou or better.

Father Haskell wrote:
On Jun 17, 6:40 pm, "Upscale" wrote:
"Father Haskell" wrote in message
Accuracy typically claimed at what, 1/10 degree?

They claim accurate to 0.2°.

How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

I figure close to a pound. I suppose under the right conditions (or
wrong conditions in this case) the weight could have an effect on
degree angle, but considering all the possible variations one is
going to encounter when working with wood, I'd guess any deflection
effect is going to be negligible in the grand scheme of things.

Gotta be real careful whenever I'm using a dial
indicator on a blade (1/8" kerf, standard, thick
plate). Seems like a pound force against the
side will flex it a good 10 thou or better.

I doubt that one can cut one of Lew's plywood triangles to that kind of
precision.

when I worked in a furniture plant, many years ago,
we used flat machined plates, 1/4 inch thick, mounted on the arbors
to do our initial setup and that eliminated blade runout and problems
avoiding the teeth during setup.

basilisk


"Father Haskell" wrote in message
...
On Jun 17, 6:40 pm, "Upscale" wrote:
"Father Haskell" wrote in message
Accuracy typically claimed at what, 1/10 degree?

They claim accurate to 0.2°.

How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

I figure close to a pound. I suppose under the right conditions (or wrong
conditions in this case) the weight could have an effect on degree angle,
but considering all the possible variations one is going to encounter when
working with wood, I'd guess any deflection effect is going to be
negligible
in the grand scheme of things.

Gotta be real careful whenever I'm using a dial
indicator on a blade (1/8" kerf, standard, thick
plate). Seems like a pound force against the
side will flex it a good 10 thou or better.

"Father Haskell" wrote in message
How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

And, I forgot to mention one other consideration. For a woodworker, this
digital angle gauge has immeasurable toy value. I figure there's hours and
hours of play potential incorporated into it.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...

"Father Haskell" wrote in message
How heavy is "relatively heavy?" Heavy enough to
deflect a tilted blade a few tenths of a degree?

And, I forgot to mention one other consideration. For a woodworker, this
digital angle gauge has immeasurable toy value. I figure there's hours and
hours of play potential incorporated into it.



I like the way you think.