Disappointed in MiterSet

[Cliffy]

I replied but I guess it went to thin air somewhere
My slot measures .731 and the SS gauge bar mics at .724
.007 thousands of an inch play. How much will this slop affect 40 cuts in a 20 segment ring?
Also as noted above in pictures, my 6 and 8 segment stops are not usable because the gauge isn't long enough to engage the
6 or 8 segment pin holes.
Didn't anyone at SS even try this thing before offering it for sale? Maybe say in the advertising that you can't cut 6 and 8 segment rings with it?
I can cure the issue by using a piece of drill rod across the pins and setting the gauge to that but really- you sell something that won't even engage two settings? Maybe the most used ones after a 45 and 90?
Hence - my disappointment.

[RFGuy]

I replied but I guess it went to thin air somewhere
My slot measures .731 and the SS gauge bar mics at .724
.007 thousands of an inch play. How much will this slop affect 40 cuts in a 20 segment ring?
Also as noted above in pictures, my 6 and 8 segment stops are not usable because the gauge isn't long enough to engage the
6 or 8 segment pin holes.
Didn't anyone at SS even try this thing before offering it for sale? Maybe say in the advertising that you can't cut 6 and 8 segment rings with it?
I can cure the issue by using a piece of drill rod across the pins and setting the gauge to that but really- you sell something that won't even engage two settings? Maybe the most used ones after a 45 and 90?
Hence - my disappointment.

Is the setscrew in the middle of the miter bar adjusted to fit into a Shopsmith miter slot snugly? On my MiterSet, the slot is 0.7335" measured with my calibrated Mitutoyo calipers. If I measure my Shopsmith miter bar near the setscrew, which would be the widest part of the bar, then it is 0.7330" so in theory I have 5 thousandths play on mine (not counting that bar is not uniform in thickness down its length). So mine has a little less play than yours but unfortunately this is often considered "good enough" in woodworking which tends to be less demanding of precision than the machinist's world. Of course, you are doing a project with many segments so the play/slop on each amplifies so perhaps it does matter. You could try holding the miter bar in a consistent position, e.g. against one side or the other perhaps to minimize play.

I still don't understand why you say you can't cut 6 and 8 segment rings with it. I posted pics on this thread showing that 4 and 6 work well. Are you using a Shopsmith miter gauge? Can you share your own pics so that we can see why it doesn't reach the pins? Mine reaches 4 or 6 with no problem. No need for drill rod or a bar across it, though you will need a supplemental miter gauge fence for the 8 position.

[dusty]

The slot on my MiterSet, which is a very early model and used regularly, measures .7255".

The miter slots on my two Mark V's measure 47/64" (.7344").

The miter bar on one of my SS Miter Gauges measures .7290".

The miter bar on the other SS Miter Gauge measures .7285".

The miter bars are a "snug" fit in the MiterSet. I would have to say "no wiggle room at all".

I would also say you need to make affirmative contact with whomever you purchased the MiterSet from. To be on the save side, measure all of your miter slots to ascertain reasonably similar readings.

20210225_090717.jpg (282.65 KiB) Viewed 939 times

20210225_090922.jpg (270.54 KiB) Viewed 939 times

[chapmanruss]

RF Guy,

Thanks for the pictures and descriptions showing the MiterSet Segments. I was considering getting that one too but I think I will stick with just having the MiterSet Standard.

[dusty]

Being curious about this dilemma, I went looking. Embedded down in the MiterSet web page, I found this:

"This MiterSet jig is not configured to support Shopsmith. You can purchase the Shopsmith version of MiterSet directly at www.shopsmith.com."

If you bought yours from Shosmith....maybe Shopsmith has a vendor problem.

I'm now wondering why items like the Incra Miter Gauge and now this are no longer available except through Shopsmith and now even the Incra Miter Gauge for Shopsmith is no longer available Just wondering..

[RFGuy]

The slot on my MiterSet, which is a very early model and used regularly, measures .7255".

The miter slots on my two Mark V's measure 47/64" (.7344").

The miter bar on one of my SS Miter Gauges measures .7290".

The miter bar on the other SS Miter Gauge measures .7285".

The miter bars are a "snug" fit in the MiterSet. I would have to say "no wiggle room at all".

I would also say you need to make affirmative contact with whomever you purchased the MiterSet from. To be on the save side, measure all of your miter slots to ascertain reasonably similar readings.

20210225_090717.jpg20210225_090922.jpg

Dusty,

If the slot on your MiterSet is 0.7255" and the miter bar on your miter gauge is 0.7285" or 0.7290" then how do you use it? It seems like your miter bars are larger in width than the MiterSet slot and should not slide into the slot.

[DLB]

...On my MiterSet, the slot is 0.7335" measured with my calibrated Mitutoyo calipers. If I measure my Shopsmith miter bar near the setscrew, which would be the widest part of the bar, then it is 0.7330" so in theory I have 5 thousandths play on mine (not counting that bar is not uniform in thickness down its length). So mine has a little less play than yours but unfortunately this is often considered "good enough" in woodworking which tends to be less demanding of precision than the machinist's world...

Looks like either 5 ten-thousandths or the numbers weren't transcribed right. Thinking it's the former, that is somewhat better than the OP's 7 thousandths. Down in or better than the accuracy/resolution limits of calipers. Seems excellent to me.

- David

[RFGuy]

...On my MiterSet, the slot is 0.7335" measured with my calibrated Mitutoyo calipers. If I measure my Shopsmith miter bar near the setscrew, which would be the widest part of the bar, then it is 0.7330" so in theory I have 5 thousandths play on mine (not counting that bar is not uniform in thickness down its length). So mine has a little less play than yours but unfortunately this is often considered "good enough" in woodworking which tends to be less demanding of precision than the machinist's world...

Looks like either 5 ten-thousandths or the numbers weren't transcribed right. Thinking it's the former, that is somewhat better than the OP's 7 thousandths. Down in or better than the accuracy/resolution limits of calipers. Seems excellent to me.

- David

David,

You are right...guess I was in a hurry when I posted earlier. Thanks.

[Cliffy]

I replied but I guess it went to thin air somewhere
My slot measures .731 and the SS gauge bar mics at .724
.007 thousands of an inch play. How much will this slop affect 40 cuts in a 20 segment ring?
Also as noted above in pictures, my 6 and 8 segment stops are not usable because the gauge isn't long enough to engage the
6 or 8 segment pin holes.
Didn't anyone at SS even try this thing before offering it for sale? Maybe say in the advertising that you can't cut 6 and 8 segment rings with it?
I can cure the issue by using a piece of drill rod across the pins and setting the gauge to that but really- you sell something that won't even engage two settings? Maybe the most used ones after a 45 and 90?
Hence - my disappointment.

Is the setscrew in the middle of the miter bar adjusted to fit into a Shopsmith miter slot snugly? On my MiterSet, the slot is 0.7335" measured with my calibrated Mitutoyo calipers. If I measure my Shopsmith miter bar near the setscrew, which would be the widest part of the bar, then it is 0.7330" so in theory I have 5 thousandths play on mine (not counting that bar is not uniform in thickness down its length). So mine has a little less play than yours but unfortunately this is often considered "good enough" in woodworking which tends to be less demanding of precision than the machinist's world. Of course, you are doing a project with many segments so the play/slop on each amplifies so perhaps it does matter. You could try holding the miter bar in a consistent position, e.g. against one side or the other perhaps to minimize play.

I still don't understand why you say you can't cut 6 and 8 segment rings with it. I posted pics on this thread showing that 4 and 6 work well. Are you using a Shopsmith miter gauge? Can you share your own pics so that we can see why it doesn't reach the pins? Mine reaches 4 or 6 with no problem. No need for drill rod or a bar across it, though you will need a supplemental miter gauge fence for the 8 position.

If I knew how to post pics I'd give it a try but right now the way escapes me.

In further study I find 6 and 14 do NOT contact the pin at the tangent point and 8 misses it entirely.
6 and 14 contact the edge point of the SS miter gauge at a point short of the tangent thereby being at the wrong angle for the segment.
So we have 3 segment settings that do not work on the MierSet for segments.
If you look at the pictures above you will see that the 8 setting will not be in contact with the miter as the miter is too short to reach that pin.
The only way to make this tool useful on these settings is with a bar or rod across the pins and setting the gauge to the bar or rod.
Yes its a design flaw that was not looked at when SS decided to use the MiterSet. OR my miter gauge from SS is a different size (width) than all the rest (except the one in the pictures above).

[reible]

I don't own one of these but I'm interested in a bit more information. I found this note on the shopsmith web site:

"MiterSet Segments (556459) includes a metal piece (6"x3/4"x1/8") not listed in the Product Components section of the Manual. This is to be used as instructed in the manual on Page 7. "Some miter gauges have a narrow face and may require the addition of a sacrificial face extension to reach all sector holes on the MiterSet Jig." This metal piece is the face extension. "

Could one of you take a photo or scan of page 7 so I could see and read it?

Ed