Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

(vmtw) wrote in
m:

Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott


I bought one at the Woodworking show in Sacramento about a month ago. It
is an excellent piece of equipment. Virtually ALL that was changed, and
this was supposedly just as part of a test, was the color of anodization on
the Fastrack fence piece. Mine's blue, as if that matters.

I bought both a 24" version and a 36" add-on fence, since both kitchen
cabinets and living room tables are on my honey-do list.

The only problem I had was that the miter bar adjustment mechanism revealed
that the miter slots in my 18 month old Unisaw are slightly unequal in
width. When adjusted for my preferred left-side position, the miter works
well, but is too snug for the right side slot to move. The head scratching
is proceeding as to how to remedy that situation, although it isn't the
most critical of problems.

Patriarch
More Signal. Less Noise (tm charlieb)

Scott

They are selling the discontinued FastTrack precision gauge at
PrairieRiver for $79.99 and the Kreg is just a rebadged Fasttrack

John

On 3 Jun 2004 11:59:41 -0700, (vmtw) wrote:

Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

"John" wrote in message
...
Scott

They are selling the discontinued FastTrack precision gauge at
PrairieRiver for $79.99 and the Kreg is just a rebadged Fasttrack


I saw that too except I wonder if the warranty on the Fasttrack will be as
good as the Lifetime warranty on the Kreg. I wonder if Fasttrack will still
be offering the miter gauge. Seems also that the Kreg has a lens and cursor
on the stops, not sure about the Fasttrack. Kreg also has a neat stop
accessory to deal with mitered ends of boards. I wonder if that accessory
would fit the Fasttrack stops.

I saw a Kreg at the Houston show in Feb. IIRC the fence end near the blade
was beveled. Is yours?

The only problem I had was that the miter bar adjustment mechanism revealed
that the miter slots in my 18 month old Unisaw are slightly unequal in
width. When adjusted for my preferred left-side position, the miter works
well, but is too snug for the right side slot to move. The head scratching
is proceeding as to how to remedy that situation, although it isn't the
most critical of problems.

Patriarch
More Signal. Less Noise (tm charlieb)

A fine cut file run the whole length, or in those places where it is
tight, you can easily shave off .0000's with great control.

Alan

On 3 Jun 2004 11:59:41 -0700, (vmtw) stated
wide-eyed, with arms akimbo:

Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24

They're $10-15 higher than other stores.


They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticle...r_gauges.shtml

P.S: Does "woundering" hurt?

--
Vidi, Vici, Veni
---
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development

Don't know about the warranty, but I know that when the present stock
of Frasttrack products are sold, at that time the old FastTrack line
will ONLY be availble under the KREG brand

Call up PrairieRiver and ask them about interchange ability of the new
KREG stops/etc on the older FastTrack products. As I read it, the new
stops ONLY fit the NEW KREG fences for the miter gauge, but that
extension fits the old FastTrack gauges just fine

John

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:54:07 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"John" wrote in message
.. .
Scott

They are selling the discontinued FastTrack precision gauge at
PrairieRiver for $79.99 and the Kreg is just a rebadged Fasttrack


I saw that too except I wonder if the warranty on the Fasttrack will be as
good as the Lifetime warranty on the Kreg. I wonder if Fasttrack will still
be offering the miter gauge. Seems also that the Kreg has a lens and cursor
on the stops, not sure about the Fasttrack. Kreg also has a neat stop
accessory to deal with mitered ends of boards. I wonder if that accessory
would fit the Fasttrack stops.

"John" wrote in message
...

Call up PrairieRiver and ask them about interchange ability of the new
KREG stops/etc on the older FastTrack products. As I read it, the new
stops ONLY fit the NEW KREG fences for the miter gauge, but that
extension fits the old FastTrack gauges just fine

I read it that the fence is different and that the stops are different.
While the Fasttrack may be a deal now, Kreg accessories may not be available
to fit the Fasttrack later.

Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott


Looks like a nice tool, but I have one question. They state that it is
machined to ISO9002 tolerances. What with that? ISO does not specify miter
gauge tolerances or any other tolerance that I know of.
Ed

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
:


Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack
gage and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...sp?optionsid=2
4 They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the
ones reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott


Looks like a nice tool, but I have one question. They state that it is
machined to ISO9002 tolerances. What with that? ISO does not specify
miter gauge tolerances or any other tolerance that I know of.
Ed




I thought ISO meant that you just had to document what your specs and
processes were, and then submit to audits that showed that your
organization actually used those processes, specifications and documents.
Theoretically, I suppose, you could say +/- 1/16", and still be ISO
compliant. ;-)

This Kreg/Fastrack tool has me cutting much tighter miters than before.
That, and a stiffer, full kerf blade in the table saw.

Patriarch

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...



Looks like a nice tool, but I have one question. They state that it is
machined to ISO9002 tolerances. What with that? ISO does not specify
miter
gauge tolerances or any other tolerance that I know of.

I get the gist - and agree. But you made me curious about this. This is
about as close as I could come to a rationale in a few minutes:
http://www.mitutoyo.com/NewsEvents/trends01.pdf

Looks like they should have said something more along the lines of
"manufactured in a ISO 9002 accredited shop according to ISO Guide 25/17025
standards and processes." Or sumtin' like dat...

It's advertising hyp. You're right, ISO 9002 doesn't have anything to do
with manufacturing tolerances.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

Looks like a nice tool, but I have one question. They state that it is
machined to ISO9002 tolerances. What with that? ISO does not specify
miter
gauge tolerances or any other tolerance that I know of.
Ed

"mttt" wrote in message

I get the gist - and agree. But you made me curious about this. This is
about as close as I could come to a rationale in a few minutes:
http://www.mitutoyo.com/NewsEvents/trends01.pdf

Looks like they should have said something more along the lines of
"manufactured in a ISO 9002 accredited shop according to ISO Guide
25/17025
standards and processes." Or sumtin' like dat...


ISO certification pretty much comes down to stating "this is what we do and
how we check that it stays that way".

I wrote the QC manual for our company using ISO 9000 guidelines. To comply,
I must have a measuring device that can be traced back to a particular
measure. Our industry tolerance is +- 1/16". Yes, one sixteenth of an
inch. Pretty wide variation. The measuring we do is done with a tape
measure from the hardware store, but I have that certified 24" ruler in my
desk. ISO regulations mean simply that if I say we will meet a tolerance,
that is what we will do, even if I stated the tolerance of +- 1/2" They
don't care and if the customer accepts a sloppy tolerance, we are in spec.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 17:43:24 GMT, patriarch
wrote:

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
:


Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack
gage and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...sp?optionsid=2
4 They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the
ones reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott


Looks like a nice tool, but I have one question. They state that it is
machined to ISO9002 tolerances. What with that? ISO does not specify
miter gauge tolerances or any other tolerance that I know of.
Ed




I thought ISO meant that you just had to document what your specs and
processes were, and then submit to audits that showed that your
organization actually used those processes, specifications and documents.
Theoretically, I suppose, you could say +/- 1/16", and still be ISO
compliant. ;-)


Yep, if you make junk, as long as you have a documented process and turn
out the same, repeatable junk, you can be ISO certified.

This Kreg/Fastrack tool has me cutting much tighter miters than before.
That, and a stiffer, full kerf blade in the table saw.

Patriarch

Scott:
I'll be taking a weekend course from Mark Duginske, the inventor of the
original gage, and will have the chance to check it out at his shop. If you
have more specific questions, send them to me in advance and I'll ask
Duginske.

Bob

"vmtw" wrote in message
m...
Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

From what I read, the ONLY changes are to the "fence", and the Kreg
modified "fence" will fit ALL older FastTrack mitergauges. You just
buy the Kreg "fence" to be able to use the new Kreg stops/etc

Looking at commerical crosscut sleds, I find that using 2 of the
FastTrack mitergauges and a 4ft length of DP track (they say they
still have LOTS of the DP track in stock, but will NOT be making more
in the future once the on hand stock is gone) produces a very useable
crosscut sled at a lot less than the cost of the commercial sleds, and
you can use it with or without any attached wood base. Without wood,
it allows you to swing the mitergauge heads to produce a crosscut
"sled" that lets you cut very accurate angle cuts as well as dead on
crosscuts

John


On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 12:36:21 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"John" wrote in message
.. .

Call up PrairieRiver and ask them about interchange ability of the new
KREG stops/etc on the older FastTrack products. As I read it, the new
stops ONLY fit the NEW KREG fences for the miter gauge, but that
extension fits the old FastTrack gauges just fine

I read it that the fence is different and that the stops are different.
While the Fasttrack may be a deal now, Kreg accessories may not be available
to fit the Fasttrack later.

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 05:08:41 GMT, Mark & Juanita wrote:


Yep, if you make junk, as long as you have a documented process and turn
out the same, repeatable junk, you can be ISO certified.

That's about the size of it. In a former life, my employer went for ISO9000 certification. It was a real eye-opener for me to find
that the entire interest was in the documentation. Product? What's the product got to do with it?

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS USA

ISO9000 is summed up as "Say what you do, do what you say".

--
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com/woodshop


"Tom Veatch" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 05:08:41 GMT, Mark & Juanita
wrote:


Yep, if you make junk, as long as you have a documented process and
turn
out the same, repeatable junk, you can be ISO certified.

That's about the size of it. In a former life, my employer went for
ISO9000 certification. It was a real eye-opener for me to find
that the entire interest was in the documentation. Product? What's the
product got to do with it?

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS USA

On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 01:24:49 GMT, Tom Veatch wrote:

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 05:08:41 GMT, Mark & Juanita wrote:


Yep, if you make junk, as long as you have a documented process and turn
out the same, repeatable junk, you can be ISO certified.

That's about the size of it. In a former life, my employer went for ISO9000 certification. It was a real eye-opener for me to find
that the entire interest was in the documentation. Product? What's the product got to do with it?


Totally independent of product. Along the same lines as the fact that
every company now believes it must have a mission statement. Thing is,
every mission statement sounds exactly the same as every other mission
statement, the only difference is the product or service:

"We plan to be the most highly respected [insert manufacturing sector here]
by providing quality [insert widgets or service here] that exceed our
customers requirements through highly motivated people and documented
processes [optional: substitute quality or process initiative de'jour for
'documented processes'] while maintaining the highest ethical standards."

So, it doesn't matter whether you are making rockets, autos, or
hamburgers, the mission statement is the same.

Did I miss anything?

Mark & Juanita wrote in
s.com:

On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 01:24:49 GMT, Tom Veatch
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 05:08:41 GMT, Mark & Juanita
wrote:


Yep, if you make junk, as long as you have a documented process and
turn
out the same, repeatable junk, you can be ISO certified.

That's about the size of it. In a former life, my employer went for
ISO9000 certification. It was a real eye-opener for me to find that
the entire interest was in the documentation. Product? What's the
product got to do with it?


Totally independent of product. Along the same lines as the fact
that
every company now believes it must have a mission statement. Thing
is, every mission statement sounds exactly the same as every other
mission statement, the only difference is the product or service:

"We plan to be the most highly respected [insert manufacturing sector
here] by providing quality [insert widgets or service here] that
exceed our customers requirements through highly motivated people and
documented processes [optional: substitute quality or process
initiative de'jour for 'documented processes'] while maintaining the
highest ethical standards."

So, it doesn't matter whether you are making rockets, autos, or
hamburgers, the mission statement is the same.

Did I miss anything?

"Increasing shareholder value."

I purchased the FastTrak miter gauge off Ebay several months ago
because of price (think it was $89 at the time). I had several ongoing
debates with myself of "do I really need a new miter gauge" and
"FastTrak vs. Woodhaven vs. everything else".

After several months of use I wish I had gone with the Woodhaven
primarily because of the weight/mass difference between the two. The
FastTrak is truly a precision gauge but it would be much better with a
steel slider vs. the aluminum slider it has...too much flex. If the
fence/miter head is not supported on the table (i.e., pulled back for
cutting a wider board) the weight of the head and fence will flex the
whole thing and you'll have some mechinations to do to get it to push
through smoothly. If the head of the gauge is not pulled back off the
table and you are just cutting smaller width boards then this its
better but the weight of the fence (mine is 24") still jerks it around
a bit .

After using the standard Delta miter gauge for years its a pleasure to
have this much precision but its not as smooth. The Woodhaven is more
of what I'm accustomed to and that would be my first choice even at an
additional $50. No affiliation, but I've been wanting to put in a plug
for the Woodhaven folks...this is a top-notch group of people. I
always stop by when I'm driving on I-80 through Iowa. They have good
products and go to great lengths to support what they sell (as does
Prairie River).

(vmtw) wrote in message om...
Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 03:21:01 GMT, Mark & Juanita wrote:


Totally independent of product. Along the same lines as the fact that
every company now believes it must have a mission statement. Thing is,
every mission statement sounds exactly the same as every other mission
statement, the only difference is the product or service:

"We plan to be the most highly respected [insert manufacturing sector here]
by providing quality [insert widgets or service here] that exceed our
customers requirements through highly motivated people and documented
processes [optional: substitute quality or process initiative de'jour for
'documented processes'] while maintaining the highest ethical standards."

So, it doesn't matter whether you are making rockets, autos, or
hamburgers, the mission statement is the same.

Did I miss anything?


Not a thing. In fact, with the appropriate substitutions, that's almost a direct quote of my former employer's "mission" statement.

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS USA

"Bob Schmall" wrote in message ...
Scott:
I'll be taking a weekend course from Mark Duginske, the inventor of the
original gage, and will have the chance to check it out at his shop. If you
have more specific questions, send them to me in advance and I'll ask
Duginske.

Bob

"vmtw" wrote in message
m...
Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott
Sorry, I didnt see your post until this morning. My questions to Mark
would be is the Kreg miter gage built to the same high quality
standards as the Fasttrack unit was. I know that it is not built
exactly the same, but is it as good, or better then the Fasttrack
unit. I am very happy with my Kreg Pocket hole jig, and am hoping
that their new line of equipment will be of the same high quality.

I live in Iowa and would be interested in hearing your impressions on
the woodworking class you took/are taking.
Scott

(skimhoff) wrote in message . com...
I purchased the FastTrak miter gauge off Ebay several months ago
because of price (think it was $89 at the time). I had several ongoing
debates with myself of "do I really need a new miter gauge" and
"FastTrak vs. Woodhaven vs. everything else".

After several months of use I wish I had gone with the Woodhaven
primarily because of the weight/mass difference between the two. The
FastTrak is truly a precision gauge but it would be much better with a
steel slider vs. the aluminum slider it has...too much flex. If the
fence/miter head is not supported on the table (i.e., pulled back for
cutting a wider board) the weight of the head and fence will flex the
whole thing and you'll have some mechinations to do to get it to push
through smoothly. If the head of the gauge is not pulled back off the
table and you are just cutting smaller width boards then this its
better but the weight of the fence (mine is 24") still jerks it around
a bit .

I never looked into it closely, but I always thought that the
Woodhaven miter gage was the same as the Fasttrack miter gage, or at
least built in the same place. Thanks for letting me know.
Scott




After using the standard Delta miter gauge for years its a pleasure to
have this much precision but its not as smooth. The Woodhaven is more
of what I'm accustomed to and that would be my first choice even at an
additional $50. No affiliation, but I've been wanting to put in a plug
for the Woodhaven folks...this is a top-notch group of people. I
always stop by when I'm driving on I-80 through Iowa. They have good
products and go to great lengths to support what they sell (as does
Prairie River).

(vmtw) wrote in message om...
Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott

Scott:
I'll post a "review" here the week of July 12.
Scott, please email your correct addy so I can contact you directly. Thanks,

Bob

"vmtw" wrote in message
m...
"Bob Schmall" wrote in message
...
Scott:
I'll be taking a weekend course from Mark Duginske, the inventor of the
original gage, and will have the chance to check it out at his shop. If
you
have more specific questions, send them to me in advance and I'll ask
Duginske.

Bob

"vmtw" wrote in message
m...
Got a flyer from these people last night and was interested in the
Kreg miter gage. It looks like Kreg tool purchased the Fasttrack gage
and will now be producing, or at least selling them.
http://www.prairieriverwoodworking.c...p?optionsid=24
They look good, I was just woundering if they are as good as the ones
reviewed in FWW last year.
Scott
Sorry, I didnt see your post until this morning. My questions to Mark
would be is the Kreg miter gage built to the same high quality
standards as the Fasttrack unit was. I know that it is not built
exactly the same, but is it as good, or better then the Fasttrack
unit. I am very happy with my Kreg Pocket hole jig, and am hoping
that their new line of equipment will be of the same high quality.

I live in Iowa and would be interested in hearing your impressions on
the woodworking class you took/are taking.
Scott