# Wixey Table Saw Fence DRO



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

So, as im sure ive mentioned before, im the proud owner of a Delta 36-725 table saw. Its a great saw, and its nearly perfect. Ive had it for nearly a year now, and i have just one complaint; The fence, or rather, the measurements on the fence. The scale is useless at best, given that the sight window on the fence itself is way, way too far away from the scale itself. Parallax distortion caused by the distance makes it near impossible to set the fence accuratly. Sure, i could find a way to make a new sight window to sit directly on top of the scale, or i could wait till christmas. Enter the Wixey!









To be clear, the Wixey is the green bar running under the fence rail. Installation couldnt have been simpler or more painless, just a few bolts. On my saw, i didnt even need to drill and mounting holes in the fence rail, as i was able to attach the mounting brackets to the pre-existing mounting holes. So, "enough about installation" you say, "how does it work?". To which i respond, lets see. First cut after calibration, the fence is set to 1 inch:









Quick test cut in some scrap is made, and:









Off by 2 thousandths of an inch, according to my (Wixey brand) calipers. Given that the fence DRO is only supposed to be accurate to within 5 thou, ill take it and run. This thing is awesome, i cant wait to actually use it on a project. If the Wixey DRO i put on my planer a while back is any indication, this is going to be a game changer for me!


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

I have used the Wixley for about a year now...dead on and I have had zero issues with it.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Great review. I've been wanting to put their gauge on my planer and TS for a while now, but just haven't dropped the $$ yet. I may have to reconsider this upgrade.

Maybe I'll "sell" the idea to my wife as "required" for my next 2 builds....which are both for her


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## 4DThinker (Mar 13, 2013)

We put one on our sawstop table saw and within a week someone had cracked the screen. This was in a university furniture design shop.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I have never used a built in scale on a table saw. Never even thought about using one. I check each and every measurement with a known, accurate scale.

George


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I have one on my planer, and the table saw units sitting in the shop waiting to be installed.


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## zezzanth (Oct 30, 2007)

I have had this o my table saw for over 5 years now with no issues, outside of changing batteries occasionally. The accuracy and repeatability of cut dimensions is just amazing. I still do a quick check with a scale, but have never found a discrepancy. Prior to having this, if I had to make duplicate cut sizes, I would always try to make them with the same saw set-up to make them exactly the same. The problem with a scale, or ruler is parallax, reading at a slightly different angle, also the possibility of a mis-reading of the scale. This does not happen with the Wixey, what the read-out displays is the cut size you get. I really can not say enough about how much I think of this measuring device, try it, you will not be disappointed with it, well worth the cost and you can often get them on sale.

I also have one on my planer, and with the installation on my planer it can be a challenge to set-up. Again it is accurate once you get it set-up, but it can be a pain at times.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

So after a couple weeks I'm loving this thing more and more. Not very many true woodworking projects, but I have been using my table saw to dimension stock for knife handle scales, and the wixey makes it awesome. The pieces I'm cutting are way, way to small to send through a planer to drop them down to my preferred 1/4 thickness. My previous method was set the table saw fence to a little over 1/4 and hope the thickness was close enough. Now, set the readout to 1/4 and boom. Loving this thing


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

GeorgeC said:


> I have never used a built in scale on a table saw. Never even thought about using one. I check each and every measurement with a known, accurate scale.
> 
> George


Scale for my Biesemeyer fence is dead on, set it to 1", and it cuts 1". Saves an unbelievable amount of time. For odd cuts I will still double check, but 90% of the time I use the scale.

Back to the OP, I like Wixley's stuff, don't have the DRO, but have the angle gauge, makes checking the blade angle so easy, and essentially anything else you want to check. Will have to look into the DRO...


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

The Wixley is good for people with vision problems. It is so much easier to look at the digital readout than a scale where the lines tend to blur.


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

I'm still thinking of getting this upgrade, especially since I could put it on another TS if I upgrade. With my eyes, I'm all for DROs.

Mark


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Dunno how it slipped my mind to mention, but the DRO serves dual purpose for me. I've got a router table serving as one of my saws extension wings, so the same readout will work for that too, just zero the fence to the router bit. Haven't used that just yet, but hey, features


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Good to know. I've been considering the DRO for the planer and the table saw. My eyes aren't what they used to be and for some of my builds, this sort of accuracy would really be a plus. Thanks for the review.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Finally got this installed......one of the best things I've ever bought!!!!


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I had used the Wixey for 2 years on my Delta Contractors saw with the 52" fence. It installed very easily and worked flawlessly right up until I sold the shop. I would highly recommend this.


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## copythat (Oct 6, 2016)

Thanks for the review and follow up comments. I have ordered the Wixey for my table saw and planer.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

copythat said:


> Thanks for the review and follow up comments. I have ordered the Wixey for my table saw and planer.


Youll be more than satisfied. Ive had the planer readout for about a year and a half, and the saw dro for about a year now. Both have worked perfectly, not a single issue with either. The only thing ive had to do is change the batteries on the saw readout, and calibrate both whenever i change blades or whatnot. Fortunately, calibration is completely painless


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## bandman1 (Aug 7, 2015)

I love my Wixey stuff. I have a Powermatic 66 (last one still made in America) and the scale is dead on. However, I got the Wixey for my saw and I've had it for three years....still haven't got it on the saw. Thought the installation was undoable by me (don't like working with metal AT ALL). Will have to give it another try after all the people telling me how easy it is to install. Might have to do the same thing with my One Way Wolverine tool grinding attachment for my grinder that is still sitting in the box because it it METAL and I just can't seem to grasp it's installation. Maybe I'll get a retired mechanic in my shop to install those things and while he's there I can have him adjust my Powermatic 15" Plane/moulder that I've had for 10 years and only used it once to make all the moulding for my new house I was building. After I made the moulding I set it back to plane and just can't get it to feed right. Luckily I can still use my Makita 2030 15" planer. Any mechanic in Eastern NE that wants to make some money?
I just hate wrenches and metal, would much more prefer to use wood lathe tools. Also, anyone know why my Wixey Digital Protractor quite working..no display of any kind even with a new battery?

Thanks,
Bandman


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