custard
Established Member
Like many woodworkers, over the years I've picked up various devices to handle assorted workshop measuring tasks. Here are just three, all different but with significant areas of functionality overlap,
In the background is an Aigner Distometer, it's superb for setting up a spindle moulder "by the numbers" and therefore saving a lot of time-consuming test cuts. It'll handle the large rise and fall you often need for a spindle moulder as well as bridging the whopping gap in the fence that you get with things like larger diameter tenon tooling. But it costs an arm and a leg so it lives in a box which lives in another box, and only comes out when it's really needed.
In the middle is the Canadian built Oneway Gauge. It's just under $100, which is excellent value for a precision made tool. But there's the faff and cost of importing it, plus it takes a few minutes to set up and has less than 30mm of travel, which often is insufficient for router table tooling. On the plus side it's weight allows you to use it "hands free" on any surface and there's a built in square for fence setting.
In the foreground is a new tool, the iGaging Snapcheck for a very reasonable £19.95. I wanted something that was cheap enough that I could leave it in a drawer all ready to go, and that had over 50mm of travel for router table work.
Having used the Snapcheck for a few weeks I'm delighted with it. I tested it against the Aigner and Oneway alternatives for checking planer knives and all three agreed with each other to within 0.001". It's made from plastic, but clearly some kind of superior plastic and the moulding quality is very nice. There are three rare earth magnets in the base so it can be used hands-free on a cast iron or steel table/fence. And with over 50mm of travel it'll handle most router table set ups and even many spindle moulder set ups. There's a choice of two alternative screw in styluses and the electronics are excellent, absolute zero, choice of metric or imperial, and it shuts itself off to conserve batteries (which I've found is the big let down with many cheaper far eastern callipers).
All in all a well made item at an attractive price, well worth a look.
http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/epages ... IG_35-0907
In the background is an Aigner Distometer, it's superb for setting up a spindle moulder "by the numbers" and therefore saving a lot of time-consuming test cuts. It'll handle the large rise and fall you often need for a spindle moulder as well as bridging the whopping gap in the fence that you get with things like larger diameter tenon tooling. But it costs an arm and a leg so it lives in a box which lives in another box, and only comes out when it's really needed.
In the middle is the Canadian built Oneway Gauge. It's just under $100, which is excellent value for a precision made tool. But there's the faff and cost of importing it, plus it takes a few minutes to set up and has less than 30mm of travel, which often is insufficient for router table tooling. On the plus side it's weight allows you to use it "hands free" on any surface and there's a built in square for fence setting.
In the foreground is a new tool, the iGaging Snapcheck for a very reasonable £19.95. I wanted something that was cheap enough that I could leave it in a drawer all ready to go, and that had over 50mm of travel for router table work.
Having used the Snapcheck for a few weeks I'm delighted with it. I tested it against the Aigner and Oneway alternatives for checking planer knives and all three agreed with each other to within 0.001". It's made from plastic, but clearly some kind of superior plastic and the moulding quality is very nice. There are three rare earth magnets in the base so it can be used hands-free on a cast iron or steel table/fence. And with over 50mm of travel it'll handle most router table set ups and even many spindle moulder set ups. There's a choice of two alternative screw in styluses and the electronics are excellent, absolute zero, choice of metric or imperial, and it shuts itself off to conserve batteries (which I've found is the big let down with many cheaper far eastern callipers).
All in all a well made item at an attractive price, well worth a look.
http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/epages ... IG_35-0907
