Beall Tilt Box II

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:23 pm

I now think it should say something like 67.4.

In any event, I have something called an iGaging Angle Cube from Rockler, with a zero button and magnets on three sides so I don't have to think about adding or subtracting, I think.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:48 pm

dusty wrote:I know that what you say is with good foundation but can you explain why the Wixey must remain facing in the same direction to make comparative reading? and Is this true of others?

The title of this thread was originally Beall Tilt Box II so I suppose we could be rightly accused of highjacking still another thread.

Perhaps I need to be clearer what I meant by 'facing'.

Consider a viewpoint from the top of the blade, table, etc.

If the face of the wixey is not coplaner to a vertical plane oriented parallel to the front of the table, an error will be introduced.
This error can be observed by zeroing the wixey on the level table(orientation does not matter as long as the table is level both l-r and f-r. Now tilt the table to say 20°. as you rotate the wixey away from a face parallel to the front of the table, the angle indicated will change(becomes smaller) and will become 'zero' when the face is perpendicular to the table front(parallel to the miter slot).

I misspoke somewhat in that the face orientation of the wixey is not critical when zeroing it to the blade, but a large deviation from that front plane will interfere with proper operation of the wixey.(worst case tilted on its back)

The wixey responds to angular positioning relative to a vertical line, but, only indicates accurately to a plane coplaner to its face(or back).

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:55 pm

pennview wrote:I now think it should say something like 67.4.

In any event, I have something called an iGaging Angle Cube from Rockler, with a zero button and magnets on three sides so I don't have to think about adding or subtracting, I think.

Try doing dusty's procedure with the igag.

Hope you are talented at balancing on yer head or seeing things reversed!] identical[/B] to the Beall II except color.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:35 pm

I'm not sure I'm following this, JPG. But truthfully, I don't trust these gizmos for accurate work. Maybe they're good enough, but I still cut a test piece to ensure accuracy. If I'm making a box with mitered corners, I have a scrap frame and make 8 cuts to ensure that the saw is dead on 45 degrees. If not, I tweak the blade and make another 8 cuts until it's right. Next time I'm cutting miters, I'll try setting things up using the Angle Cube and see how it performs.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:01 pm

pennview wrote:I'm not sure I'm following this, JPG. But truthfully, I don't trust these gizmos for accurate work. Maybe they're good enough, but I still cut a test piece to ensure accuracy. If I'm making a box with mitered corners, I have a scrap frame and make 8 cuts to ensure that the saw is dead on 45 degrees. If not, I tweak the blade and make another 8 cuts until it's right. Next time I'm cutting miters, I'll try setting things up using the Angle Cube and see how it performs.

To keep from making everything confusing, decide what the reference surface is going to be and make all measurements with respect to that reference surface.

I have not always done that, as evidenced by the two photos that posted (which created this confusion).

If you use the top of the ways tubes as the reference surface, the blade would then be 90° when the way tubes are 0°. Under those conditions, the tilted table, if set for 22.5° will be represented by my photo #2.

These devices (Wixey, Beall, etc) are really quit accurate and especially if your task is wood working. Precision instrumentation, umm, questionable. But then I have been told that wood working is not a precision operation.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 7:44 pm

Dusty, regarding precision, I understand that some question how accurate one should be in woodworking. But they are wrong. I can tell you that if you're making a box with mitered corners, if opposite sides are not identical or the miter cuts are not 45 degrees, you will end up with a box with sloppy looking corners. Also if you trying to fit a drawer into an opening and it is 1/32" too wide, it won't fit no matter how hard you try or how big your hammer is. Or if you're making pens and you have 7mm tubes and use an 8mm drill bit, you're only a millimeter off, but you can't make the pen. On the other hand, if you're making a table top and the plan calls for one that is 72" long and you make it 72 1/4" it probably doesn't make any difference.

What I'm saying here is that some things are important and some aren't so important, but when precision is required, it doesn't make a difference what material you are working with. Sloppy is sloppy.