Miter Gauge Question

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wdcav1952

wdcav1952

Activities Manager Emeritus
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Mar 18, 2004
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Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA.
I have the Grizzly GO555 14 inch bandsaw and really like it. I find the miter gauge that came with it to be less than adequate.

I am not particularly skilled at making my own jigs and such and would like to buy a decent but not expensive miter gauge and fence for the band saw.

Any suggestions?

TIA,
 
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Cav ... They don't come very cheap, but the miter guages from Incra are excellent! You can always use them both on a table saw and on the bandsaw. Oh yea, their accuracy is superb!
 
Yep , what Fred said ! . I have an Incra v27 on my bandsaw and I love it . It's the cheapest of the Incra miter gages , It sells for around $60 but you have to make your own fence for it which is what I did or you can buy their fence for it .
Once you get it aligned it is dead on accurate and you can adjust some nylon inserts that remove any play from the miter slot .
 
wdcav1952 said:
I have the Grizzly GO555 14 inch bandsaw and really like it. I find the miter gauge that came with it to be less than adequate.

I am not particularly skilled at making my own jigs and such and would like to buy a decent but not expensive miter gauge and fence for the band saw.

Any suggestions?

TIA,
Click to expand...

Now I suppose there will be lots of people who will disagree with the statement I am about to make because they will state that they make knots and other things using a bandsaw. But to spend good money on a miter gauge for a bandsaw is a bit beyond me. When using a miter guage you need to adjust for blade drift. Different blades and different tension will give you different drift. I would be more inclined to use a tablesaw or a miter saw for accurate mitered cuts. I think a standard miter guage or even a home made miter sled will get the job done and save the money for a tablesaw miter. Now if the guage can be used on both then you are ahead of the game but still the drift needs to be factored in. Just my 2¢
 
Cav,

Without a doubt, you will find more people recommend the Incra's more than any other. I have used them and handled them for years. However there is one other brand that is every bit as accurate and much more robust than any of the Incras - the Woodhaven miter guage here:
http://woodhaven.com/Woodhaven-4910-Deluxe-Miter-Gauge/M/B001NMPJD2.htm

I have the one with the fence purchased in '95. When you handle an Incra and then handle a Woodhaven (WH), it is like changing from a steel framed saw to a cast iron - solid and robust! There is that much difference in the robustness and it is every bit as accurate. In '04 or '05, FineWoodWorking did a review comparison and the WH beat out the Incras by a noticeable margin.

The WH are more expensive but they are more robust and durable. Plus, if you need 50° angles, you can do them. In fact it can rotate 180° - 90° per side, even though most skilled wworkers make their own jigs for this. But if you want accuracy at odd angles without jigs, this one is made for you!

Be sure to look at the fences that go with them:
http://woodhaven.com/search.htm?keyword=Miter+gauge+fence+kit

Not cheap but neither is a RR. Even better, the WH is the LSU of miter gauges! :biggrin: (Hey, you gotta know your audience!) :biggrin: This brand will take some misgivings and be around for your woodworking grand children to inherit.

Edit: After reading John T's recommendations, I will say that if you have the WH, then all you have to worry about is the BS drift. Also, the WH has adjustment screws for precision alignment of the bar. (I think the Incras have this feature also, but not sure.) By the way, these will fit standard band saws and table saws.
 
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I dont regard my bandsaw as a precise tool so would never consider spending money on a new mitre guage for it.
For optimum performance:

use a quality blade, (This one is most important)
ensure correct blade tension,
ensure blade guides set correctly
ensure tracking set correctly
ensure clean tyres always
You should then get the best out of your saw even with the supplied fence and mitre guage.
I dont think its necessary at all to upgrade the fence and mitre guage on a bandsaw. its not a 'precision' machine.
regards, Bill
 
I have the G055 and I use the Incra with it. Great guage as others have said. You will have to remove the tip guide which just unscrews.
:wink::wink::wink:
 
Cav, without more info as to why the stock stuff with the Griz is inadequate for your use I find it hard to make recommendations...But here goes Mitre guage: this assums cross-cutting ..I find the bandsaw a horrible cross cutter..chopsaw..table saw..anything BUT a bandsaw...but if you still wish to crosscut..keep your mitre and make sure it runs solidly in the slot and get a digital protractor to set it...this new tool is my favorite item....now the fence...what are you doing? Yep drift is a problem, but it is on any bandsaw and the fence has no bearing at all...I did replace my fence with a Kreg and find it adequate for what I do....hope this helps :)
 
Cav, what do you find with the miter gauge that is "less than adequate"?
I have used mine happily for six years. I did add a wider wood faceplate the first week I owned the machine. (that's what those two notches are for, screws)
I really don't understand the problem.
 
I also have the GO555 and have had no problem with the miter gauge. I also am of the school of John in that a band saw is my last choice for cutting a miter though. any gauge will have to be adjusted to the line the blade cuts, which is not square to the table. This line will also change as the blade wears or when cutting different materials etc so it must constantly be reset. My second favorite way to find the line the blade is cutting is to mark a straight line parallel to the edge of a long piece of wood. Make sure the line you draw is accurate to a straight edge of the board. then carefully free hand cut down that line about half way through the board. Making sure that the board does not move at all, turn off the saw and mark the table along the edge of the board. you have a line on you saws table that is the same direction the blade wants to cut. that is until it changes it's mind. My first favorite way is much easier. I just use my radial arm saw.
 
I'd love to have a Micra fence and mitre too, but I certainly wouldn't waste them on a bandsaw either. If the bandsaw was made well enough to hold the blade perfectly then I'm sure they would have made the mitre to suit.
 
Lots of ideas and opinions, thanks. The cheap plastic knob of the included miter gauge broke soon after I got it. While making a fence from a piece of wood and using the two screws as mentioned is easy, to me it leaves a bit to be desired. I would like to be able to make some repeatable cuts at various angles, and yes the Incra family would help with that.

At present I have a cheap, lousy table saw that gets very little use. When I upgrade, the miter gauge would be used on the table saw as well.

Again, thanks for the ideas.
 
Cav
Best miter gauge I have found for the money is the kreg along with there bandsaw fence unless you can get a drift master that being said trying to get accuret cross cuts or miter cuts out of a bandsaw is like trying to hunt ducks with a .22 you might get one once in awhile if you have to use the bandsaw make yourself a cross cut sled with a variable fence not hard to do and works great
 
HI, i am a little late on this but a sliding fence improves the ability for the BS to cut very accurately. I built my sliding fence with some 1/2" MDF for base and some Baltic Birch for the fence. I use the BS a lot, and i have a Sears 12". Carl
 
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