Sawdust on the Floor

How close is close enough?

How many times have you heard some one say, “It’s close enough”? Plenty of times I’m sure, I know I have. And maybe in some things that’s OK, but lately I have come to believe that there is no room for that attitude in woodworking. After all, we all strive for perfection; we all want that perfect cut, that perfect finish, that perfect game. Well, I can’t help your game, and the perfect finish is for another time, but I can help out with that perfect cut.

I am also sure that you have heard the old cliché about never “ASSUME” anything, and the story about what the word means if you tear it apart. So lets just for a minute agree that we shouldn’t assume anything when we go into our woodworking shops.

So how do you check that the blade on your table is really at 90 degrees, if you’re like me, you take your trusty square out of the tool box, and check the angle between the table and the blade? Seems close enough, Right? Or if you want to cut at a 45 degree angle, you move the blade tilt wheel till it hits the stop, and you check it with your speed square. We do this because we don’t want to assume that the angle is correct. The problem is that both of those methods are only as accurate as your eyes and the condition of the square.

If you have never dropped your square or if you’re speed square is 100% accurate, and your blessed with 20-20 vision, then you should have no problem, but for us mere mortals, we need all the help we can get..

Wixey, has produced a line of Digital readouts for the “Intelligent Woodworker.” With the Digital Angle Indicator, Model WR300 you can read precise angles in seconds. The built-in super strong magnets securely attach the gauge to a saw blade so you can quickly and easily set the bevel angle to 0.1° resolution. Works great for miter saws and table saws, plus set the angle of jointer fences and band saw tables. The zero button calibrates the gauge to any reference surface. Range is +/- 150°. This extremely accurate tool belongs in every tool box.

Digital Angle Gauge
Digital Angle Gauge

The WR300 is battery powered from a standard watch battery, Part number CR2032. The included battery is reportedly good for 6 months use. And it’s readily available when it does need to be replaced.

The WR 300 is relatively small in size, only 2”x 2” x1.3” , and only weights 1.5 Lbs. There are two magnets on the bottom, which attaches easily to either the work surface or the Blade.

Using the WR300 will take all of the guess work out of setting up your Table saw. No more concern about build up on the limit screws for either 90 or 45 degrees.

Using the WR is extremely easy to use. Attach to the table surface and power up the display, Press and Hold the zero button, to set your reference angel, then attach it to your Blade and check its accuracy. And if you forget to turn the WR300 off, it has a self timer to turn off the power, if left unmoved for too long.

If your wondering how good this is, Well I asked my friend who works at the local Woodworking store his opinion, he told me, “ I took one home to try it, It never came back to the store”, he bought it the next day.

So, let’s boldly go into the 21st Century, and move Woodworking into the digital age. This is a great product that belongs in everyone’s tool Box. At less then $50.00 USD, it’s a cheap price to improve the accuracy of our cuts.