Thread: Wixey gauge on thicknesser

A few years ago I fitted the Wixey WR550 to my 15" thicknesser and think it is a very worthwhile upgrade.

It was reasonably easy to fit and calibrate and much better than the standard scale. Recently it seems to be losing it's calibration and needs resetting regularly, I think it just needs a good clean and should be ok.

Steven.

Fitted a Wixey WR510 to my benchtop thicknesser about a month ago. Used it half a dozen times and works great. Nice to be able to dial in a thickness repeatably. Very easy to fit. Well worth the money for me.

Mike

Just fitted one to my benchtop also. A fairly cheap and quick upgrade that is extremely reliable. I wouldn't hesitate doing it again. I am also considering whether the table saw version is a worthwhile investment given the standard rule is pretty accurate.

Cheers,

Trav

Doing it right now to my carbatec 15 inch. Had to custom make a few mounting brackets but should be worth the effort.

What model whicknesser are you doing it to, Lappa?

Be interested to see how you did that Doug, I'll want to do the same for my 15" eventually but all the gauges seem to max out at 12".

Originally Posted by bueller

Be interested to see how you did that Doug, I'll want to do the same for my 15" eventually but all the gauges seem to max out at 12".

The Wixey gauge I am using is for a "lunchbox" thicky but with a small amount of creative engineering...

I will post some photos of all the parts and the assembled and installed gauge and brackets. Give me a day or two.

Cheers

Doug

No worries mate, thanks.

I have used these DROs on my mill, can be cut to any length required. Fabricate a couple of brackets and away you go.

DRO Digital Readout Display With 600mm / 24" Scale Kit | eBay

Originally Posted by doug3030

What model whicknesser are you doing it to, Lappa?

Thinking about adding it to my Dewalt DW735 - hence the enquiries. Concensus seems to suggest "just do it"

Originally Posted by bueller

Be interested to see how you did that Doug, I'll want to do the same for my 15" eventually but all the gauges seem to max out at 12".

What 15" thicknesser are you going to fit it to bueller?

I fitted my WR550 to a Carbatec CTJ-381 15" thicknesser. The machine has a planing capacity of 205mm (about 8 inches) and the WR550 easily covers this with a range of 305mm (12 inches).

So unless you have a different machine, one of these will be ok for you.

Steven.

Oh of course, that makes sense now. It's a Jet 15" but should be similar height capacity.

Fred, big difference in price from a Wixey. Worth a look-see.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Fred, big difference in price from a Wixey. Worth a look-see.

Maybe so, but have a look at some of the other features of the wixey mounting frame that allow setting the height scale. You can't wind a thicky right down to zero so the spring loaded bar on the wixey allows you to overcome that with total precision and reset it again quickly if you have to. See this: Wixey.com - Planer Digital Readout - How To Use - Calibration

That is worth every bit of the extra cost.

and they are only AU$65.21 including postage from the UK here Digital Readout for Wood Planer and Thicknesser Portable DRO Woodwork Engineer | eBay

That's only $10 more for the wixey after postage.

Cheers

Doug

Doug, far be it from me to make comparisons to the Wixey, I don't have one. I do have a Wixey readout for my tablesaw and wouldn't be without it.

The reason I put up the link to that DRO is that it is larger than the Wixey, which was the disadvantage being pointed out for the Wixey, and can be cut to the size required for the larger thicknessers.

I certainly didn't put up that link to show a cheaper alternative as I had no idea what a Wixey costs.

Being able to set an absolute zero is not that important IMHO, I prefer to work by differential reading, ie put the piece of timber through the thicknesser, measure the thickness with calipers, then set the DRO to zero.
You know the current thickness of the piece of timber, you know the thickness you want, so you can work out how much you have to take off, the DRO allows you to measure that.

This is how I work with my 15" thicknesser as well as my 24" twin drum sander, works like a charm and doesn't rely on absolute zero settings.

An additional advantage of the DRO is that the readout is remote from the scale and keeps it away from dust etc.