JerryD Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 Good morning all, My dad is asking for a height gauge for Christmas. He is going to be using this to set the table saw and router table. He has a digital and dial caliper, but he wants a specific "height gauge" to help him with the previous tools. Now, here's the catch. He also stated that he did not want the Wixley gauge due to poor reviews. I looked on Amazon, and the reviews all seemed reasonable. Does anyone have thoughts and/or experiences that they would like to share? Many thanks! Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 Personally I use set up blocks for setting all my machines and routers and for all sorts of other stuff. Its as accurate and more practical. I use these: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45089&cat=1,43513,51657 With these sets and the 1,2,3 block there isn't much you can't do in terms of setup. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 I agree with Shane, setup blocks are more reliable and easy to use. I have brass bar set up bars and the kreg set up blocks. The other thing I like is the mag shims by Fast Cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 I have the one by iGaging and wish I had bought the Wixley or better. It works but is kinda fussy to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 Can you follow up and ask where he read the bad reviews? I wouldn't buy him something totally different, like the setup blocks, without talking to him ahead of time...not saying they aren't good, but it will be hard to convince him he needs them if he doesn't figure it out on his own first Don't ask me how I know... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 I agree with Shane. Kreg has a set of setup bars, definitely not as good as the Veritas set, but they are easy to use: https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-PRS3400-Precision-Router-Table/dp/B002YIG58W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481745346&sr=8-1&keywords=kreg+setup+blocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted December 14, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 Make it a special gift and make him one yourself. I cannibalized an iGaging height gauge for this one. The iGaging as designed was a bit wonky as it did not straddle the point being measured. It used an arm that stuck out to the side. There is a stainless steel washer epoxied to the tip to provide the bearing surface. The smaller one was my first version done on the cheap with a Harbor Freight caliper. The reason for version 2 was that I found I wanted a wider stance and a bit more height. This one now does just about anything I ask of it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 2 hours ago, wdwerker said: I have the one by iGaging and wish I had bought the Wixley or better. It works but is kinda fussy to use. I also have an iGaging and it works OK but, the fact that it is plastic bothers me. However, I have not had a problem with it. I also have one without a name on it. I has a heavy steel base that is not magnetic but works well. They both are digital and will switch from inches to mm with just a click of the button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandorLush Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 @gee-dub, those look awesome, do you have any more info on how you made them somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 @CandorLush I don't want to threadjack too blatantly so I dropped a thread here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elroy Skimms Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 I use both a Wixey and brass setup gauges, depending on the situation. The brass gauges are great. However, in some operations where I need a measurement and know that I will need that measurement again later, I'll use the Wixey to be as precise as possible. If you've ever used a router to cut dovetails and had to come back later and replace a part, using the Wixey and keeping good notes on the cutter height can save a lot of time. -E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryD Posted December 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 All, EXCELLENT information all around. Thank you for the time. Gee-Dub, I love the idea. I wish I would have known this was on his wish list sooner! Those are amazing. I agree with the use of the setup blocks...I use them frequently. He definitely wants something more in line with the Wixley. I'll keep you all updated. Jer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_r_ Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 I never liked the cheap digital options out there and ended up going with the Jessem (LINK). Its been awesome and I use it for multiple tools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 On 12/19/2016 at 9:53 PM, ben_r_ said: I never liked the cheap digital options out there and ended up going with the Jessem (LINK). Its been awesome and I use it for multiple tools. I've used the Jessem. I like it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_r_ Posted December 24, 2016 Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 1 minute ago, Bulldog said: I've used the Jessem. I like it a lot. They make some good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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