Exact-90 Miter Gauge

[HarveyWildes]

Just saw this in my inbox this morning: https://www.woodpeck.com/exact-90-miter-gauge.html?utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Woodpeckers+Exact-90+Miter+Gauge&utm_content=New+Tool+Alert:+Exact-90+Miter+Gauge.&utm_campaign=06.15.21+New+Exact-90+Miter+Gauge&_bta_tid=14074991335476421803960484205042894041712405030584640588566915149893403631066683117906690800653354770715&_bta_c=gfwx8s2wll7tqktoka4ly92m76fj4

My first response was, why?  Does this thing have value in the shop that I'm missing?

There are lots of strategies for cutting 90 degree angles on a table saw, and I have a set including a Kreg miter gauge for narrower pieces and a large miter sled for wider panels.  (I don't like my miter fence hanging off the back of the saw at the start of a cut.)  They are both dead-on.  Then there are miter saws and MFT tables and track squares, all of which I use.  For 90 degree cuts, I use my miter saw about 90% of the time, my table saw 8% of the time, and something else 2% of the time.  (Breaking down panels is another thing - for that I use my Festool track saw.)  I just don't have issues with getting perfect (for -all- practical purposes) 90 degree cuts using any of these methods.

But - if there is some reason that I'm overlooking why you think this is an important addition to your shop, I'd like to hear it.

 

[Mini Me]

I haven't looked at the price as it won't fit on my saw but that spring leaf design is brilliant. I had a cabinet saw years ago that the mitre slot was machined so badly I could not fit any after market mitre gauge on because they used to jam in one particular part and be loose in others. This would fix that problem and hold its accuracy in any badly machined slot.

 

[Chainring]

$269 for the full kit while it's in the introductory period.

I received the same email this morning, and while I like Woodpecker's products, this one has me wondering why it's needed over something like the Incra Miter range of products. Heck, just a week or two (maybe more?), Woodpecker's had the Incra Miter 1000 SE on sale for $139. After tax and shipping it came out less than anyone else.

 

[jeh]

$269 for the full kit while it's in the introductory period.

I received the same email this morning, and while I like Woodpecker's products, this one has me wondering why it's needed over something like the Incra Miter range of products. Heck, just a week or two (maybe more?), Woodpecker's had the Incra Miter 1000 SE on sale for $139. After tax and shipping it came out less than anyone else.

It's an alternative to the Incra. There is a market and Woodpecker's is filling. I'd rather have ten choices than one. They make good products and it will be at least as accurate as the Incra if not more so.

 

[Chainring]

$269 for the full kit while it's in the introductory period.

I received the same email this morning, and while I like Woodpecker's products, this one has me wondering why it's needed over something like the Incra Miter range of products. Heck, just a week or two (maybe more?), Woodpecker's had the Incra Miter 1000 SE on sale for $139. After tax and shipping it came out less than anyone else.

It's an alternative to the Incra. There is a market and Woodpecker's is filling. I'd rather have ten choices than one. They make good products and it will be at least as accurate as the Incra if not more so.

Thank you for stating the obvious.

 

[guybo]

Hi,the thought of production capacity is not in the terms of I,which should be respected by all of the above posters,however if production has merit so does this item,crosscut sleds have problems wear and tear,and running back and forth is bad for production,btw all of the ways the OP listed to get 90 degree cut are the same arguments whether to get a table saw or not.In todays  world what's the cost to replace your crosscut sled.Maybe woodpeckers won't sell many to hobbist and many to one man bands and small production shops. guy

 

[jeffinsgf]

For those who haven't seen me post before, I work for Woodpeckers, and I've been a Festool fanatic since they landed in the U.S. I'm the guy in most of the Woodpeckers video (the old dude, not the young buck that started last summer). I had a lot of the same reservations about the Exact-90 when I was brought into the product discussions. I have used a lot of after-market cut-off guides. What's so unique about one you can't adjust? Well, the first thing I'll point out is that most of the home-made cross-cut sleds take exactly the same approach...no adjustment means no mistakes. I've had a prototype in my personal shop for a couple months and it has changed my workflow a bit. Now when I need to cut an angle I get out the old factory SawStop miter gauge, use it to cut the angles, and then put the Exact-90 back in place.

If you prefer a sled, do yourself a favor. Whether you're building one or already have one built, put one of our Miter Bars on it. The leaf spring design is a game-changer.

 

[tsmi243]

Some people are table-saw people.  Before track saws took off, it was THE tool for getting things done.  I'm not even 40 yet, but I speak fluent table saw because it's how I was raised.  I've got a New Yankee-style homemade sled that's basically the same as this thing- it's so I don't have to fiddle with resetting the miter gauge when I just need to bang out some square edges.  Spend 15 minutes dialing it in ONCE, and you'll never need to spend more than 5 seconds getting your saw back to 90.

If you reset your miter gauge to 90, how much time does it take?  And how accurate is it?

Now when I need to cut an angle I get out the old factory SawStop miter gauge, use it to cut the angles, and then put the Exact-90 back in place.

Yep, exactly this. 

And plus, I mean, it looks really cool. 

 

[MikeGE]

I have a Minimax slider saw, so the Exact-90 Miter Gauge is not for me.  I was going to recommend it to one of my friends here who has a cabinet saw until I noticed the engraved scale is Imperial.  I did not find any reference to a metric version.  Too bad.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
If you prefer a sled, do yourself a favor. Whether you're building one or already have one built, put one of our Miter Bars on it. The leaf spring design is a game-changer.

The self-adjust bars indeed are clever, even better than this manually adjustable one which I use for my table saw jigs:https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ies/guides/65247-incra-miter-slot-slider-bars

For the record, I have the beefy Jessem Miter R Excel II, used for repetitive cuts and angled cuts. For quick and standard 90* cuts, I use the SawStop stock miter gauge. Edit: The SawStop stock miter gauge has spring-loaded balls on the bar.

But no miter gauges -- 90* only or variable ones -- can replace a well-built cross-cut sled. For example, you can get excellent dust extraction on the cross-cut sled, and you can notch out stock precisely using two stop blocks clamped to the fence. 

 

[squall_line]

For those who haven't seen me post before, I work for Woodpeckers, and I've been a Festool fanatic since they landed in the U.S. I'm the guy in most of the Woodpeckers video (the old dude, not the young buck that started last summer).

I knew you worked for Woodpeckers, but I didn't know you were the guy in the videos.  Since I learned that just now, I heard the rest of your post in your voice and cadence. [big grin]. That's a good thing, mind you!  [wink]

 

[Mini Me]

Forget the rest of the assembly, to me it is all about the self adjusting design of the bar, simply brilliant and I wish I had thought of the idea because of the badly machined slot on my saw.

 

[Steve1]

I haven't looked at the price as it won't fit on my saw but that spring leaf design is brilliant.

I didn't like the leaf springs.  I want the guidance to be as rigid as possible.  Rule of thumb is "If it can move, it will move"

 

[ChuckM]

Valid point, and it depends on how strong the spring mechanism is.

I assume that the Woodpeckers' has been shop-tested to ensure that side play doesn't happen when the gauge is pushed tight against the slot.  I mentioned that the SawStop stock bar has spring-loaded balls and they are very strong. They can be replaced when worn to the point where some play exists.

My Incra slot bars have nylon wheels, and they can be manually adjusted when worn from use. They're expensive compared to wooden runners, but they outlast any wood in a shop that undergoes big humidity changes between seasons (like mine).

 

[jeffinsgf]

The springs are very strong and there are 5 of them. If your slot is really sloppy and you actually try to defeat the springs, you can do it, but only by pushing sideways so hard you could not get any force going forward. That said, if you are working on the left side of the saw (as most of us do for cut-off), and you do manage to force the bar off line, the cut will grow, not shrink, so your stock is safe. In my 60 year old Craftsman, my SawStop PCS and the SawStop ICS at the office the fit is much nicer than the standard gauges.

 

[cpw]

Jeff,

What is the distance from the metal to the blade to get the scale calibrated properly?

Charles

 

[jeffinsgf]

There's 1/8 inch clearance between the end of the fence and the saw blade when the scale is properly calibrated. If you're worried about tripping your SawStop, don't. There's more than enough clearance.

 

[Claimdude]

Jeff,

Will this miter bar fit in the Shopsmith 520 table slot?

Thanks
Jack

There's 1/8 inch clearance between the end of the fence and the saw blade when the scale is properly calibrated. If you're worried about tripping your SawStop, don't. There's more than enough clearance.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Do you know the dimensions of the Shopsmith 520 miter slot? If it is nominally 3/8" x 3/4", it will fit. The springs give it a pretty good range from slightly undersized to considerably oversized.

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

I understand the notion that something like this is not necessary or is limiting in its use (compared to a full miter gauge), but I really like the idea.

I don't trust the miter slot on my saw (or the miter gauge that came with it), so the leaf spring design is particularly appealing to me. 
The scale/stop/extension look easy to use.
I would estimate that well over 95% of the crosscuts I make are at 90 degrees, so it makes sense to me to have something that's not adjustable.

[member=7266]jeffinsgf[/member] I assume the answer is "no," but do you know if a metric version is planned or being considered?