Calibration, settings and tuning

**TritonJapan** · 15th November 2006, 03:53 PM

A current thread on the BRG and some recent customer comments over here have got me wondering how much expectation should be on the product and how much on the consumer for calibrating, or tuning machinery.

Reason I ask is that I often am faced with someone who wants me to improve a product that is within tolerance.

Most tools we buy seem to need some sort of tuning, sharpening, setting or squaring before they are at their peak.

Naturally we sometimes get a Friday arvo special too.

I try to avoid annoyed customers, by advising limitations as well as features and benefits of products before they buy. Am starting to wonder if extra notes on tuning are necessary.

Seems that DIY expectations are becoming more just, open it, plug it in and use it. Or is it just that consumers from this body are moving more into heavier equipment?

One of the buzzes I get from working with tools is when I can make a plane give a perfect shaving, chainsaw cut straight and well and a mower that actually starts when it is supposed to.

The response in the BRG thread was great. Identify problem, seek solution, apply solution, continue work, knowing what to do next time, or in similar circumstances.

What are your thoughts?

Steve

**minvec** · 15th November 2006, 04:12 PM

I am happy to calibrate, set, test etc etc if the end result gives me a too that performs to my expectation. Infact, in most cases, with woodworking tools especially, I expect to do fair amount of calibration.

It is annoying only when documentation that comes with the tool doesn't highlight what needs to be done to calibrate the tool and boofheads like me are left sitting there wondering where things went wrong.

**echnidna** · 15th November 2006, 04:18 PM

Probably there is an increasing ratio of newbies who just haven't got much of a clue about woodowrking so they try to work to the (unnecessary) precision of metalworkers

**DJ’s Timber** · 15th November 2006, 05:12 PM

I expect to have to calibrate every piece of machinery or tool I buy.

I have bought some machines that have been quite well setup out of the box, but I can still find something wrong with the settings.

I share some of the more expensive tools with one of my brothers and everytime we swap users we re-calibrate it cause the settings he uses, I don't like and vice versa.

I think it really comes down to how the end user will use them and their expectations of the end results. i.e. if their not happy with the cut or whatever they will adjust it accordinly.

I do know of some tradys who are happy with their finish but I will think it is woeful.

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