Using a Digital Angle Gauge to Set Table Saw Miter Gauge Angles
George VondriskaA table saw miter gauge is a handy “must have” accessory that can be used for a variety of applications. There are a variety of ways to set this up so that it is perfectly square, and George demonstrates a couple ways to do that here. Assuming that you have mastered the basics of how to use a table saw, and understand the process of tuning the miter gauge so that it can enable perfectly square cutting, it is now time to tackle the next challenge which is to set your table saw miter gauge to any angle necessary to make the cuts that your project requires.
To do this you will need a calibration tool that is used to set precise angles. One tool that could be used for this would be a protractor, which is commonly used in geometry applications. Unfortunately not all woodworkers have one of these in their shop, but in recent years there has been an increase in popularity in the digital angle gauge. A digital angle gauge can be used for a number of applications in a woodworking shop, such as setting a specific angle on a jointer fence, or dialing in a saw blade to a specific angle for a precise cut. Here George introduces a new application for the digital angle gauge, which is to configure a table saw miter gauge to a desired angle.
Calibrate the gauge
Calibrate the gauge to the work surface that you are using in order to ensure dead-on precision.
Adjust
Then you will carefully make the adjustment on the miter gauge itself until you achieve the specific angle that you desire. Don’t settle for “pretty good” here; you’ve got the luxury of digital precision, so take your time and take full advantage of it!
Here's a great way that you can really accurately set angles on a miter gauge. These devices, have been in the Water King Marketplace for quite a while. It's a digital angle gauge. And honestly, the normal application of this is to set the blade angle on the table saw or out a miter saw but we can also use this to set the angle of a miter gauge. So here's how it works.
Get this on your table, zero it out. It's got a magnetic base on it. So it's sticking to the table there for me. Now, our miter gauge head goes on the same table. Then with the head loose, I'm gonna put the digital angle gauge on the bar.
And we have to do just a little bit of thinking here. If I'm wanting to set this to thirty degrees think of the position I'm currently in as ninety. So as I start to make an adjustment here, ninety minus thirty when I have the miter gauge loose enough is sixty. So I've got to roll this up until I read sixty degrees. I'm going to put a little tension on the lock do a little micro adjusting a little more attention, fine tuning, right there.
Lock that miter gauge in place. We're set at a perfect sixty degrees reading out in 10th degree increments. This is a great way to very easily set precise angles on your miter gauge.
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