Shopsmith Forums

When I get mine I'll see how it compares to my incra stuff which is laser cut. If it works as well as that I'll be happy. BTW incra has introduced a couple new miter gauges with in the last week or two or maybe three. One of them I think will be purchased to stay on my express... It is one of the items in my budget as well as one of these MiterSet... not sure if I need one for segments yet and I didn't budget for it this year anyway.

Ed

I'll join the chorus and add that I just received mine today. A quick set-up at 45 degrees (I have the segment model) yielded a cut that when reassembled into a 90 degree corner fit "exactly" to my engineer's square. This isn't a perfect test but in a few days I plan to make several picture frames. If they turn out "right on" I'll be a happy camper.

More on my testing at a later date - probably next week. So far I am impressed with what I see and the quick shipment of my order got my attention too!

Have to agree with Dusty on the miter slot cut in the MiterSet. It is a right on tight fit AND the MiterSet is thoughtfully the right size so you can us it with a miter bar that has the washer in it. Great design.

a1gutterman wrote:Those kinds of things can be comforting, Bob, as I hope it was for you.

Tim, yes I agree it was very comforting to me.
I must add that I ordered my set on Saturday and received them on Tuesday couldn't ask for better service than that.

Bayside Bob, Calif.

I have completed my review of the MiterSet and I find that it is everything that it is claimed to be. Anyone with a miter gauge that needs to be set or verified would do well to have one.

The price is very reasonable. I paid $29.99 plus $4.75 for shipping and handling. It was delivered in perfect condition and arrived only 4 days after being ordered (on a Sunday).

I performed many different setups at all eleven angles plus all five positions on the step bar. I used a Wixey as the evaluation tool. By using the Wixey, there is an inherent error factor of +- .1 degrees as that is the tolerance specified for the Wixey. I am confident in saying that the MiterSet is accurate to better than +- .1 degrees at all positions (with or without the step bar).

It is definitely more accurate than is needed to satisfy the requirements of this wood worker. Furthermore, it is much quicker to use than my previous method (using a Wixey). For most all of my foreseeable needs, the use of the step will be unnecessary as the predrilled positions are adequate. The step bar serves only to increase versatility by providing a greater number of degrees to which the miter gauge can be set.

I anticipate only two problems.

The first may well be mine and mine only. The MiterSet comes with only two taper pins which if lost seriously impacts the usefuleness of the tool. I do tend to lose and/or misplace things so this could be a problem for me.

The second is a problem that I believe all heavy users will eventually experience. The holes that receive the taper pins are going to become sloppy over time. This will adversely effect accuracy. To extend the life of the MiterSet, I plan to take steps to always slide the miter gauge up aganst the taper pins "softly". This should lesson the wear and tear on the holes.

The miter slot in the MiterSet needs to be waxed. Without waxing the miter bar fits very tight. When one attempts to slide the miter bar in this unwaxed track, too much force is required and the taper pins are likely to get damaged when applied force finally overcomes friction. I see this as NO PROBLEM and definitely better than a sloppy miter bar. I have waxed the MiterSet miter track well.

My final conclusion: The MiterSet is definitely worth every penny it costs and every woodworker should have one as part of his/her setup tool kit.

If I was younger, I would want one made of aluminum so that it would outlive me. Being 70 already, I suspect that this one will serve all of my future needs without challenge.

dusty wrote:...The first may well be mine and mine only. The MiterSet comes with only two taper pins which if lost seriously impacts the usefuleness of the tool. I do tend to lose and/or misplace things so this could be a problem for me...

Hi dusty,
I am putting this item on my want list. It sounds too good to do without! Regarding your concern about misplacing the pins]Glad to hear you recieved your MiterSet in good shape. We changed over to tapered pins shortly after we started production. It was a pain to get a no-wobble fit with straight pins. The trouble shooting section of my brain found the solution sometime during the night, and we immediately switched to a tapered pin. By the way the pins are a #5 by 1 inch standard industrial tapered pin.

Good luck with all your projects.

Dick[/QUOTE]They should be easy to replace???

Dusty thanks for affirming my decision to order the Miterset and for the pointers on use and potential shortcomings. As always your views are valued. fjimp

dusty wrote: The miter slot in the MiterSet needs to be waxed. Without waxing the miter bar fits very tight. When one attempts to slide the miter bar in this unwaxed track, too much force is required and the taper pins are likely to get damaged when applied force finally overcomes friction. I see this as NO PROBLEM and definitely better than a sloppy miter bar. I have waxed the MiterSet miter track well.

Didn't think about Wax, but didn't need it! At first the SS miter bar would not fit into the MiterSet. Hmmmm! So I grabbed my allen wrench and backed out the tapered screw maybe a half turn or so. Then - a perfect fit!! (See Post #12)

Not to worry about the holes becoming off round. I think aluminum would wear faster than this material!

Had to chuckle a little - thinking that a check of the MiterSet with a Wixey might have been stated in reverse if the MiterSet had been owned first. Maybe this was a check of the Wixey with the MiterSet!

Dusty: I had the same thought when I looked at the product. I was wondering if it holes for the pins would become sloppy, negating the accuracy. I am still very tempted to purchase based on everyones review here.

I have attached a copy of a note I received from Mister Pattee, inventor of the MiterSet. I thought it appropriate to do so. I hope that you all find this tool to be as valuable an addition to your work shop as I have.

You have given quite a complete and informative review of MiterSet, and I thank you for the time and effort that went into it. It has caused additional purchases to be made and of course I am thankful for that as well.

If I may I would like to comment on some of your concerns, and the review in general:

I have had customers lose pins which I gladly replace when they contact me. I know this causes a short down time for the customer but it is what I have done to help out. I have considered packing MiterSets with an extra pin but have not found losing them to be such a big problem that I need to add them to the cost of the product.

On the bright side of things I hope you do wear out the holes on your MiterSet plate. That will mean you are getting full use out of it. That will make me very happy and prove MiterSet is as good as I claim. When you think it is time to replace it due to wear please send it back to me and one will be shipped to you free of charge. But of course I am 67 myself so it is kind of a race to see which of us are still around.

Thank you so very much for your confidence and interest in MiterSet. I'm available to answer questions at most anytime, and am happy to do so. You are welcome to add this letter to the Shopsmith forum if you care to.

Respecfully Yours,

Dick Pattee, Inventor of MiterSet

dusty wrote:I have completed my review of the MiterSet and I find that it is everything that it is claimed to be. Anyone with a miter gauge that needs to be set or verified would do well to have one.

The price is very reasonable. I paid $29.99 plus $4.75 for shipping and handling. It was delivered in perfect condition and arrived only 4 days after being ordered (on a Sunday).

I performed many different setups at all eleven angles plus all five positions on the step bar. I used a Wixey as the evaluation tool. By using the Wixey, there is an inherent error factor of +- .1 degrees as that is the tolerance specified for the Wixey. I am confident in saying that the MiterSet is accurate to better than +- .1 degrees at all positions (with or without the step bar).

It is definitely more accurate than is needed to satisfy the requirements of this wood worker. Furthermore, it is much quicker to use than my previous method (using a Wixey). For most all of my foreseeable needs, the use of the step will be unnecessary as the predrilled positions are adequate. The step bar serves only to increase versatility by providing a greater number of degrees to which the miter gauge can be set.

I anticipate only two problems.

The first may well be mine and mine only. The MiterSet comes with only two taper pins which if lost seriously impacts the usefuleness of the tool. I do tend to lose and/or misplace things so this could be a problem for me.

The second is a problem that I believe all heavy users will eventually experience. The holes that receive the taper pins are going to become sloppy over time. This will adversely effect accuracy. To extend the life of the MiterSet, I plan to take steps to always slide the miter gauge up aganst the taper pins "softly". This should lesson the wear and tear on the holes.

The miter slot in the MiterSet needs to be waxed. Without waxing the miter bar fits very tight. When one attempts to slide the miter bar in this unwaxed track, too much force is required and the taper pins are likely to get damaged when applied force finally overcomes friction. I see this as NO PROBLEM and definitely better than a sloppy miter bar. I have waxed the MiterSet miter track well.

My final conclusion: The MiterSet is definitely worth every penny it costs and every woodworker should have one as part of his/her setup tool kit.

If I was younger, I would want one made of aluminum so that it would outlive me. Being 70 already, I suspect that this one will serve all of my future needs without challenge.

Where in the world can we find such excellent customer care? Much larger corporations could learn a few things from the Patee family.
Thanks for posting Dick's reply to your excellent review.