I was inquiring about your gauge on NCWoodworker.net forums, where someone else
forwarded my question on to Mr Clay. The response, shown below, was then re-posted
onto the site.
I wanted to address my thoughts directly to Mr Clay, because IMO you may be missing
out on a market opportunity.
> Hello Mike,
> I think that answer is that the whole world works in a base 10 system and
If only that were true. As much as I would like to be working in decimal (for
that matter, in metric!), the world of woodworking is in fractional inches.
Show me a woodworking plan in a magazine (or for sale) in this country where the
measurements are not in fractions (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc) and I'll eat this e-mail.
> once you have the accuracy of digital verniers and dial indicators it is
> much easier to do than working with fractions. I know here in the machine
> shop I am a product of the digital age and I work better in .001's than
> anyone here works in fractions. Not that I am particularly clever, it is
> just easier.
It is not easier, for example, when setting a router bit to 3/16". Of the
many uses for the multi-guage listed here (in bullet points):
http://www.oneway.ca/workshop/multi-gauge.htm
5 of them are most likely specified in fractions, which the user must then
translate into decimal:
- Set the saw blade height and dados on your table saw
- Accurately measure the height of shaper and router bit settings
- Set depth of cut
- Measure groove depths
- Set rabbet widths
While it is not particularly difficult to make that mental computation, it is
an opportunity for making mistakes when translating from plans to machine.
As evidence, I offer that several WW'ing vendors now offer dial calipers that are
graduated in fractions:
- Starrett
http://www.amazon.com/Starrett-1202F-6-Fractional-Dial-Caliper/drillpress/B001B0TG5S
- Oshlun
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17291
- Grizzly
http://grizzly.com/products/H5711
- Wood River
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004440/8405/WoodRiver-Fractional-Dial-Caliper.aspx
I have a dial indicator already...and of course it is graduated in thousandths. The
Oneway Multi-gauge looks pretty handy, but I could build one myself in about 20 minutes.
Now, if you offered it with a dial indicator graduated in fractions (which I can find no
other source for)...then I'd be thinking about it more seriously!
Thanks for listening!
Chris Merrill
> Kevin Clay
> Tech Support
> Oneway Mfg.
