MAG-DRO Alignment Tool Option

[RFGuy]

How much does it flex with the caliper installed? Just wondering if it is hard plastic or something softer. Reason I ask is you need to maintain that 90°so that you get consistent readings as you move it to measure across the sawblade, reference plate, etc. I may be overthinking this, but just wondering if the fact that it is plastic will affect your ability to get a good alignment or not.

[rpd]

Re picture orientation, it is a "feature" of the phpBBS software,
The easiest way to deal with it is to take all your pictures with the phone in the "landscape" orientation.

It is a feature of using a phone for a camera.

A camera does not play the orientation game.

Neither does the forum software.

I was just going for the short explanation this time.

The phone/camera stores all photos as if they were taken in landscape mode to minimise processing time, but also stores a flag in the metadata as to what the actual orientation was,
Most software that displays photos will take that flag into account and adjust the orientation accordingly, the programmers at phpBBS have chosen not to do that.
Photo editing programs can be used to rotate the photo, but the one I use on my computor, Shotwell, doesn't do it in a way that works with phpBBS, the image doesn't rotate, but the horizontal and vertical pixel count does, so the image is distorted too. Your results may vary.

So I set my phone camera to take square ( 1:1 ) photos, and hold the phone with the long side horizontal (landscape mode), and the photos post correctly without manipulation (other than reducing pixel count and files size).

[sehast]

Think hard about how you would use this MAG-PRO as a table alignment tool on your Shopsmith.

Like Dennis I am thinking of other uses than just alignment. For one, once you know the precise distance from the miter slot to the blade as a reference you could use it to set the fence or any number of jigs dependent on the position of the blade. I also have a miter slot on my router table that it could be used on to set the fence position. Jigs that you make could easily incorporate an accurate digital adjustment by just including a miter slot in them. Pretty small investment for all those possibilities.

[dusty]

How much does it flex with the caliper installed? Just wondering if it is hard plastic or something softer. Reason I ask is you need to maintain that 90°so that you get consistent readings as you move it to measure across the sawblade, reference plate, etc. I may be overthinking this, but just wondering if the fact that it is plastic will affect your ability to get a good alignment or not.

I don't want to initiate a debate over this but it all depends on just how precise the readings "NEED" to be.

The same debate can be had over whether or not the Shopsmith miter bar has too much slop in the miter track.

There was a time not all that long along that I would enter that debate. No more. Now days, striving for .005" is over kill. That sort of precision is needed if you are pressed to create invisible joints; otherwise NO.

[bainin]

Pretty interesting little device.

The one comment I have is that the old dial gauge indicator is spring loaded-so it follows blade surface whether the blade gets closer or further from the miter slot. The Wixey caliper you have (same as mine) tends to hold its position...so if it encounters a high spot (closest to miter slot), it will never register a low spot (further away from miter slot) after that unless you apply pressure to push the depth gauge back against the blade surface.

b

[DLB]

I'm intrigued. Just a word of caution - the supplier's pics are a standard T-slot and the OP's pics are on a pre-500 (I think) SS table. Neither reflects how this device will get along with the unique SS T-Slot. So if anyone knows, or when someone finds out, please report your experience. I like the idea, obviously a much less expensive method if you want to quantify the alignment error compared to the SS dial gauge setup. But I used to quantify the error with a feeler gauge that was even less expensive.

- David

[DLB]

Like Dennis I am thinking of other uses than just alignment. For one, once you know the precise distance from the miter slot to the blade as a reference you could use it to set the fence or any number of jigs dependent on the position of the blade...

I'm seeing this as a relative measurement, essentially the same as a dial gauge. Sure, the calipers give me an absolute number, but in reference to what? Can you explain how you'd use this to measure the precise distance from the miter slot to the blade? Seems like I need some precise way to position the caliper in the tool, and I'm not seeing that.

- David

[sehast]

Just simple addition. Add the distance you measure to the blade to the distance measured to the fence. Some digital calipers have the capability to carry an offset in memory. If that is the case it is even simpler, just read it directly.

[dusty]

Like Dennis I am thinking of other uses than just alignment. For one, once you know the precise distance from the miter slot to the blade as a reference you could use it to set the fence or any number of jigs dependent on the position of the blade...

I'm seeing this as a relative measurement, essentially the same as a dial gauge. Sure, the calipers give me an absolute number, but in reference to what? Can you explain how you'd use this to measure the precise distance from the miter slot to the blade? Seems like I need some precise way to position the caliper in the tool, and I'm not seeing that.

- David

Do you know the precise distance from the edge of the miter slot (or even the center of the miter slot) to the blade when you utilize the Shopsmith dial indicator setup. I think not.

You do know if both the infeed and outfeed side of the blade are equal distance from the blade (thus parallel or not) but not the precise distance.

[JPG]

With a dial indicator the 'zero' is manually set. Ditto the digital calipers.

My concern would be with those 4 'fingers that allow the body to meander across the miter slot.