In the early spring, I was up in Oregon straightening out my fly line—sometimes that takes a week or more, if you know what I mean. While I was up there, Brandon Vaughn from SawGear invited me to his office for a peek at their new automatic length measuring tool.

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I’d heard about the SawGear, and played with it a little at the JLC Live show in Providence last March. Mike Sloggatt had dragged me over to the saw he was using, with my heels smoking. I kept saying: “Who needs a computer for measuring at a miter saw? All you need is a tape and a #2 1/2 pencil.”

But Mike was serious and convincing: “You have got to see this. It’s the future. You know how younger guys are more and more into computers? And the guys we’re getting on the jobs know less and less about carpentry? This thing’s the answer.”

I spent the better part of a day with Brandon, getting a private tutorial on how the tool was developed. I met some of the engineers and received one-on-one training. Ever the skeptic, my last words were: “Send me one and let me work with it. I’ll let you know what I think.” Brandon showed me how it cut casing, but I wanted to get it in my shop, make a cut list for baseboard and crown, and really see if it worked.

Here’s what I learned in my shop.

Setting up the SawGear

Setup on my saw stand was a snap. In fact, it took a lot longer to unpack the new tool than to set it up. All I did was screw the two mounting brackets down to my wooden extension wing.

The fence snaps into the brackets.

Two knobs lock it down.
A long spindle on the bottom of the Controller—the brains of the tool—mounts to a matching gear in the top of the fence.

The Controller is locked to the fence with two pivoting cam locks. Rotate the levers parallel with the fence to engage the locks in the channel, then rotate the levers perpendicular to the fence and lock down the cams (below). It’s that easy to set up the Controller.

Once plugged in, you simply push the on-off button and the screen lights up with questions, like “Which side of the saw is your fence on?” You can use the SawGear on either side. After picking your language and units (metric or inch), the Controller prompts you to push the START button.

Honestly, when the flip stop suddenly came alive and hummed out to the end of the fence, I was thrilled. That’s the first step when you start up the saw—it measures the length of your fence and enters that measurement in the Controller. You’re asked to confirm the length, which is also included by the manufacturer on a tag at the back of the fence.

Calibrating the Controller

There’s only one more step to go: calibrating the saw so it knows the distance from the stop to the blade. And that’s easy. Just make a cut and measure it precisely. Then press the CALIBRATION button. I like to call it the Distance button, maybe because there’s a D on it? (see photo, left) Enter the length of the piece you cut, then press the START button. Now the SawGear is ready to cut—at least ready to cut any butt-cuts.

The more precise you are about measuring and entering the distance to the blade, the more precise the SawGear will be. I never learned to count thirty-seconds—I just called them a “hair” strong or a “hair” weak. And sixty-forths? Right.

One easy way to set the saw precisely is by using the INCREMENT button. Here’s how I do it:

Make a mark at an easily identifiable measurement—like 12 in.

Enter 12 in. into the SawGear and press START.

Put the piece of wood against the fence, and then push the INCREMENT button until the saw blade is lined up perfectly with the measurement mark.

For some carpenters, it might be easier to make a small kerf and align the blade with the kerf by pressing the INCREMENT button. On my Kapex, I calibrate the distance to the laser, which is adjusted to cut right in the center of my pencil lines.

Cutting casing is like cutting cake

Cutting casing with the SawGear is different than the technique most carpenters use. Since the SawGear is really a computer-controlled flip stop fence, instead of measuring to the short point, you have to measure to the long point. But you don’t have to do the math. The SawGear does that for you.

Start by pressing the WIDTH button, then enter the width of the molding (see photo, right). Once again, the precision of the tool is dependent upon the precision with which you measure the molding. Enter the width of the molding then press the START button.

To use the SawGear while cutting casing legs, either the long point of the casing will be against the flip stop, or the butt end of the casing will be against the flip stop. Be sure to press the correct X or Z button prior to pressing the START button, so that the stop will be positioned in the right location.

When you cut casing legs with the SawGear, you'll be using both the X and the Z angle buttons for right-hand and left-hand legs.

Cutting head casing is just as easy. Simply cut a miter on one end, then press the Y button and enter the short point length (see photo, left) . The SawGear will calculate the length of both miters and set the stop accordingly.

One word of advice: be sure to check the calibration of the saw before you start making repetitive cuts! Right—measure twice. If the length of a miter cut isn’t precise, it’s easy to re-calibrate the saw for each of the X, Y, and Z angles.

Start by pressing the CALIBRATE button, then choose the X, Y, or Z buttons (whichever angle you’re working on). Make a cut, measure it precisely, and then press the START button to enter the length of the cut in the Controller. Now you’ve calibrated the Controller precisely for that angle/cut.

Laser etched digital precision

I couldn’t help but ask how the thing worked. I was surprised by the answer, even more surprised at how computers and technology have changed the way we work and the way we will work in the future.

The motor on the SawGear is etched with 3,000 laser marks every inch . An encoder reads those marks as the motor turns, and the flip stop races along the fence. That’s how the Controller always knows precisely where the stop is located.

Cutting Baseboard and Crown

Cutting baseboard and crown using the SawGear is much different than cutting casing. For one thing, it’s easier—you only have to push an angle button when you’re cutting with the long point of an outside corner against the fence.

But cutting baseboard and crown molding also reveals a minor hiccup with the SawGear.

Ironically, the kink in this system isn’t related exclusively to the SawGear, but also involves the saw you use. I’ll get to that below. First, I’ll explain how to cut baseboard and crown using the SawGear.

Most miter saws are designed to pivot around a single point, and that point is flush with the line of the miter saw fence.

Therefore, when measuring for cuts on the left-hand end of material that is standing up (cutting baseboard and crown in-position), or when cutting bevels in material that is lying down flat (cutting baseboard on-the-flat), you don’t have to enter any angle information—you don’t have to press the X,Y, or Z buttons—if the right-hand end is a butt cut or an inside corner. If the right-hand end isn’t an outside corner, all cuts on the left-hand end of the molding are measured as if they’re butt cuts.

Let me say that again: When using the SawGear, you push an angle button only when there is an outside corner on the RIGHT end. Here’s why:

For pieces that have an inside corner on the right end, you measure to the long point of the miter, which is the same as measuring for a butt cut.

But for pieces that have an outside corner on the right end, you measure to the short point of the miter, so the Controller must be programmed to add the thickness of the molding.

Therefore, when cutting pieces that have an outside corner on the right end, you have to press the Z button and then enter the measurement before cutting the left hand end. Of course, before you do that, you must first calibrate the SawGear for the molding you’re cutting: Press the WIDTH button then enter the thickness of the baseboard.

If you’re cutting crown molding, press the WIDTH button and then enter the projection of the crown molding.

The Hiccup

You might have already guessed that the functionality of the SawGear is dependent on the miter saw’s engineering: If the saw isn’t designed to cut at a single pivot point—and not all saws are!—then cutting crown and baseboard with the SawGear isn’t as simple. Here are a few examples.

I made test cuts on my Kapex in the miter position first. The measurement for the inside corner and butt cut was dead on, but the measurement for the outside corner was off by 1/16 in. After adjusting the saw fence and moving it back just a hair, the measurements were within 1/32 in. (see photo, left). When I tested the bevel cuts, all the measurements where within 1/32 in.

I tested my Milwaukee chop saw, too (model #6950-20). Cutting miters, the measurements were dead on, but cutting bevels, the butt cut measured 8 3/16 in., the inside corner measured 8 in., and the outside corner measured 8 1/4 in. Definitely not within an acceptable tolerance range (see photo, right).

I also tested my old DeWalt 706. The miter cuts were within 1/32 in., but the bevel cuts weren’t. The butt cut measured 9 3/16 in., the inside corner cut measured 9 3/32 in., and the outside corner cut measured 9 1/8 in.

Finally, I tested my Bosch 4410. Both the miter and the bevel cuts were within 1/32 in., which really surprised me. I’ve adjusted and calibrated the miter angles on all my saws. To adjust the miter angles on Bosch saws, the fence must be moved incrementally (see “Miter Saw Tuneup.”)

Surprisingly, even though I’ve tapped my fence around a few times, the saw still cuts almost dead-on using the SawGear.

Is there a workaround?

For most carpenters, 1/32 in. isn’t a deal-breaker. And from what I’ve found, that small error occurs only during one cut—usually the outside corner cut. It wouldn’t be tough to learn that you have to push the INCREMENT button once to adjust the flip stop for outside corner cuts. The default measurement for the increment button is 1/32 in. (that can be calibrated, too!). So each time you push the increment button, the flip stop moves 1/32 in. to the left or to the right.

However, if your saw doesn’t pivot almost perfectly around a single point, the workaround isn’t easy or full-proof. While you might be able to program the X and Y buttons for making butt cuts (you can’t re-program the Z button because you use that one for cuts with outside corners on the right end), inside corners, or outside corners on the left-hand end of moldings, those “special” programs would make it impossible to cut casing simultaneously, or even crown and base simultaneously. Those special programs would also have to be figured out and entered each time you cut that particular molding, slowing down productivity. Understanding and entering these ‘special’ programs might also be beyond the ability of some crew members.

The manufacturer claims the SawGear will cut labor costs by 30%. I haven’t tested that. I’m not sure how I could. But I do know that once the tool is set up, it’s MUCH faster than using a tape measure! The 8-foot system will run you $2,200, and the 12-foot system goes for $2,500, making the SawGear a pretty expensive tape measure; but I suspect we’re seeing an early preview of what the future holds for carpentry: laser measures, automatic digital mitersaw fences, bluetooth, iPads….

Some days I hate my job.

Have you ever walked on a job and faced a pile of 150 solid core 3/0 x 8/0 doors? And they’re on the first floor? And there’s four floors? And no elevator? I have. All the time.

Man, there are days when all I do is install hinges on doors.
There are days when all I do is wheel doors down hallways.
There are days when all I do is carry doors upstairs—a lot of stairs.

Nothing is much harder than working day in and day out with doors that weigh as much or more than you do. Which is why I’m always on the lookout for tools that make the job easier, like door dollies. Look for a story on those soon (if I can get my uncle Gary to take the pictures!).

Not long ago, I found a really cool tool—the DoorJack. It’s smaller than the prybar everyone on my crew used to carry. Look at Larry Rose (Mr. Clean, we call him), stepping on his two-foot prybar! Try and get THAT in your tool belt!

For hanging Timely Jambs (look for a story on that soon, too), or for lifting a door just enough so the hinges drop clean into the mortises, nothing works better than a DoorJack.

Here’s how it works:

The way I learned from Mr. Clean, you always stand the doors against the hinge jamb, with the hinges just past the door stop. Then you tilt the door up toward the top hinge. The door usually hits the top of the jamb before the hinge is high enough, so kick the bottom of the door a little until the door clears the top of the jamb, then tilt it up a little more, until the top hole in the hinge lines up with the top hole in the jamb. Then run in a hinge screw. But don’t torque the screw down. Just snug it up a little.

Next, move over behind the door and push the bottom of your shoe against the door until the door stands up plumb. Since it’s hanging on just one screw, the door drops down a little, but that’s okay. You can fix that later, after you’ve put a screw in each of the lower hinges. Don’t torque those screws down; just snug them up.

Then put the DoorJack under the door and lift it up just enough so the hinges fall into the mortises. That’s when you drive in the rest of the screws and tighten them all down.

What I really like about the DoorJack is that it weighs next to nothing. It’s made from recycled plastic, but it’s tougher than getting a raise out of my dad. Plus, it can lift a door about 1 1/2 in., which is more than I ever need, so I don’t have to carry a block of wood, too.

You can get the DoorJack online at www.doorjack.com. And they’re only 20 bucks!

——-

AUTHOR BIO

Nick Katz is a carpenter by genetic and financial default. Almost every male in his family is a contractor, a carpenter, or works somehow in construction (including a few women!). There are a lot of things he’d rather be doing, like riding dirt bikes in the desert near the Colorado River, or racing motocross, or lying on the beach with a beer and a…but everyone has to make a living, right? He makes a pretty good one as an accomplished carpenter, working on high-end residential and challenging commercial jobs through the Los Angeles area.

www.dewalt.com :: List price $499

About 18 months ago I bought the Festool TS 55 track saw. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about all the buzz this tool was getting, but very interested to see how this saw performed. After doing everything from accurately ripping and crosscutting full sheets of plywood, to trimming new doors to fit old openings, to mitering maple butcher block countertops, ripping 45° bevels on cabinet face frames and end panels, and ripping long tapered extension jams, I have to say this saw met and exceeded my expectations.

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A saw and guide rail system may not replace your table saw, and it certainly won’t replace your regular circular saw for free-hand cuts, but for tricky demanding work, such as remodeling cabinets, cutting compound angles, or taking just this much off a sheet of plywood, nothing beats a guide rail system. In fact, there are a lot of times when I leave my table saw at home and just bring my saw and guide rail system, especially on jobs where I’m working in tight quarters, or when dust is a huge problem.

Given my experience with the Festool saw, the guys at TIC asked me to review DeWalt’s new version of the track saw, the DWS520 (see photo, above left). The saw came with two lengths of track, one 59 in. and the other 46-in. (different lengths of track, including a 102-in. version come with different kits, and are also available separately from DeWalt), a connecting bar, two track clamps, a T-square and an angle cutting attachment.

Out of the box

After opening up all the boxes and checking out all the parts, it was time to assemble the track sections. A connecting rail with four set screws (two for each piece of track) joins the sections together (see photo, right). The rail is positioned with its length split between the tracks, and as the set screws tighten, chamfered edges on the rail align with chamfered edges on the track.

I thought this set up might be a little flimsy with only one connecting rail, but the tracks aligned well. Now, I have to say that even with the connecting rail tightened securely, I noticed some slight play in the tracks along their length, but this very small movement did not cause any issues with the cuts I made. By the way, I noticed this same movement with the Festool tracks.

DeWalt provides a step-by-step photographic guide with the saw, which describes in clear detail how to place the saw on the track and adjust it so there is no side-to-side play. The saw has two adjustable cams, one at the front of the saw shoe and another at the rear. Two adjusters (thumb screws) rotate the cams. The idea here is to remove side-to-side play of the saw on the track, yet still have the saw move freely down the track.

The next step in the set up process was to place the track on some scrap material and cut through the anti-splinter strip. The zero-clearance cutting ability of this system depends on the anti-splinter strip, so it’s important to make the first cut through this material correctly.

Unfortunately, even though DeWalt provided very clear instructions for making this cut, in my haste I didn’t set the depth of the cut to 3/16 in., which is required so that the riving knife doesn’t spoil the start of the cut. It’s a good thing DeWalt’s track is usable from both sides (a nice feature that I discuss later), so I had another opportunity to get it right. By the way, the anti-splinter strip, friction strips and guild strips on top of the DeWalt track are all replaceable, just like the Festool.

Riving Knife, “straight plunge” and kick back

Like the Festool, the DeWalt saw has a spring-loaded riving knife that drops down into the cut once there’s clearance for it. To help prevent kickback, this knife needs to be thicker than the body of the blade but narrower than the teeth, and has to be aligned perfectly with the blade. The instructions included an adjustment procedure, but it wasn’t necessary with the saw I had.

Probably the only complaint I’ve heard about the Festool track saw is the fact that kickback can be a problem. These plunge cutting track saws can climb out of the cut for a number of reasons, nearly all of which can be remedied. On one of my first cuts with the Festool saw, the tool kicked back and gouged a nice saw kerf in the aluminum track. And I know I’m not the only one who had done that!

One of the biggest things to note with this or any plunge saw is that they rely on a spring to lower the motor and blade into and out of the cut smoothly. Plunging usually is not a problem if you have good control of the saw, but often you find yourself reaching as you finish a cut, which is where that strong spring can lift the blade out of the cut and cause problems. Along with supporting the material on both sides near the cut, it is important to maintain control with your weight over the saw as it travels through the cut, which means walking the saw through the cut while keeping both the cord and dust collection hose from catching on the track (see photo, right).

Another technique that helps prevents initial kickback when making a plunge cut, is letting the saw motor’s rpms get up to speed before starting the plunge. Never drop the blade into the work until the motor is turning at maximum speed.

When designing their track saw, DeWalt took steps to help prevent kickback. One added feature is the anti-kickback knob located on the rear of the saw’s shoe. Unlocking this knob releases a pin that prevents the saw from moving backward on the track (see photo, left). I didn’t intentionally try to create kickback with this feature engaged, but it did stop the saw from moving backward on the track. We tried to force the saw backwards with the pin engaged and couldn’t budge it.

Another thoughtful feature and major difference from the Festool saw is the way that the DeWalt saw plunges into the work. The Festool saw pivots from a hinge point at the rear of the shoe, which momentarily increases the hook angle on the saw teeth, making the blade grab more aggressively at the start of a cut. The DeWalt saw is also hinged at the rear of the shoe, but the motor and blade are held off the base of the saw by two arms that allow the motor to stay parallel to the base of the saw as it is plunges down. This plunging motion took a little getting used to, but it provides good control at the start of the cut.

Making sawdust

After the quick set up, I was ready to make some cuts. I had some cabinets to build for a current project, so I started by ripping several full sheets of pre-finished maple plywood to width.

The saw cut through the plywood fine, but it made a loud vibrating noise that I first thought was the blade wobbling. I expected to see a wavy cut, but was surprised to find that the cut was pretty clean. I heard this vibration noise on every cut. It lessened a little bit when I replaced the 48-tooth blade (that came with the saw) with a 28-tooth blade (DeWalt has never been known for their blades!).

Ripping the plywood stock really showed off the biggest advantage of the DeWalt saw.

After a cutting along one edge,
I simply slid the track down and aligned the splinter strip on the opposite side of the track with my next set of marks.
Then I was able to flip the saw in the opposite direction and cut using the other side of the track.

This maneuver with the Festool involves either flipping the track, which can be a pain especially in tight spaces, or adding the width of the saw blade to the measurement, which is never an exact science.

Plastic pointer

After a few straight rips with the blade at 90°, I ripped a length of scrap plywood at a 45° bevel (see photo, left). The saw locks at the desired angle at both the front and the back of the shoe, with a degree scale that goes from 0° to 47°. This scale was tough to read accurately because of the chunky plastic pointer. The vibration noise was even louder while beveling, but again it didn’t affect the cut.

The edges left by both the straight cuts and the miters were pretty good in the pre-finished maple. I also made some straight rips and beveled rips in 5/4 poplar, which came out fine as well. As a final test, I crosscut a 1 3/4-in. Douglas-fir door to see how the saw handled thicker stock that was prone to splintering. The results were very good even at the cross grain of the stiles.

I recommend connecting this saw to a dust collector, preferably one that is tool activated, unless you want piles of sawdust filling up your pockets. The dust port on the tool in the rear of the saw swivels 360°, so the hose can be held off to either side as you cut. Hooking up to a vacuum easily took care of 90% of the sawdust.

There were a few minor things about the tool that I thought could have been better, the biggest of which was the vibration noise during cutting. Again it was more of an annoyance than anything, and didn’t seem to affect the quality of the cuts. I can certainly think of plenty of tools I own that are louder, but after twenty years of cutting you get sensitive to these things.

Another issue was the length of the tracks when ripping full 4 x 8 sheet stock. DeWalt recommends resting the full base of the saw in the track before beginning the cut, and a few more inches of track would have made this part a bit easier. The same is true for running the saw past the end of the sheet comfortably when finishing the cut at the other end of the track. The combined length of 105 in. just wasn’t enough to do both ends properly.

I also thought that the blade change lock knob and spindle lock could have been a little easier to operate. The T-square and miter gauge accessories didn’t seem very useful. I tried the T-square, which slides into the track after the clamp and checked the set up with a framing square. It was off without any apparent way to adjust it. The miter gauge that attaches to the track in the same manner as the T-square, has a scale that is hard to read because of its position under the track. And the thick pointer on the gauge seemed as if it wouldn’t be accurate enough to dial in a specific angle. If I had to make a precise angled cut across a piece of wide stock, I would probably use a Bosch miter finder to set the angle and then clamp the track. By the way, the track clamps, which are modified Quick-Grip style clamps that slip into the track, work very well (see photo, right).

To sum it up, I think DeWalt came up with a saw and track that works very well. I especially like the fact that you can cut from both sides of the track and the “straight plunge” feature is a nice safety benefit that reduces kickback. If I was back in the market for a track saw, I’d definitely give this one strong consideration.

By Cregg Sweeney, owner of Cregg Sweeney Artisan Builders, www.creggsweeney.com, in Orleans, MA.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 2!

FastCap is a company renowned for its innovative tools and gadgets designed by the folks that actually use them—there’s a concept!!! They have come up with a hood that mounts to any chopsaw or sliding compound miter saw. Mounting brackets are available if you have trouble with yours.

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The hood is a dust containment system, not a dust collection system. The saw dust still flies out of the saw as it always did, but instead of it spewing and covering everything in a 10-ft. diameter of the saw, the dust hits the hood and slides down to the funnel shaped bottom where it trickles into a collection bucket or box (not included).

Ever have one of those little trim pieces shoot out the back of your saw and imbed in the newly painted wall behind the saw? The saw hood successfully corals all those errant pieces before they can do any damage.

Made from water resistant material, the folks at the show were touting the ChopShop hood as a way to protect the saw in inclement weather. But I wouldn’t expect the hood to offer anything but the most scant protection in inclement weather. In fact, using the saw outside on a windy day could transform the hood into an effective spinnaker, great if you use your boat as a saw
stand.

One group that will welcome this product is tilers. Working in reverse of a raincoat, the FastCap hood can contain and collect the spray from a wet saw. You just have to remember to empty the bucket.

The ChopShop Saw hood retails on the street for $129.

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I never considered having a second tape measure on hand until I checked out the new Tajima G-Plus® tapes. The two I have are the GP30 and the GP16. Both of these tapes sport 1-in. wide blades with a non-glare white background. If you use a tape all day long your eyes will be thankful for both these features.

The 1-in. blade doesn’t extend as far as the ‘fat’ 1 1/4-in. blades, but I was able to stretch the GP tapes 7 ft. (plus the length of my extended arm), which is plenty for most of my measuring tasks. The retraction mechanism for both of these tapes is smooth as butter. No convulsing springs in the casing if the tape retracts at top speed.

One of the things that disappoints me about most tapes it not being able to pull the blade out to the full advertised length. Most 30 footers start to strain at about 29 ft., but the GP30 extends past 30 ft. so effortlessly that they wrote “STOP” on the blade to keep you from pulling any more. And the blade retracts just as quickly and smoothly after full extension.

Most tape companies will warn you to feather the tape to slow it down during retraction. Retracting the typical tape at full speed, lets the tip slam into the casing. A few of these impacts and suddenly the tape isn’t taking the accurate measurement it did when it came from the factory. Tajima’s GP tapes have a built-in shock absorber, that cushions the tip as it returns.

Like most premium tape measures, the tips are triple riveted. But Tajima adds a stationary backing plate for the rivets that anchors to the tape with an extra rivet beyond the sliding tip. The extra attachment supposedly adds to the life of the tip.

The cool thing about both of these tape is that they are very light-weight and compact for their lengths. If you’re used to wide uncomfortable grip of the fat tapes, even the GP30 will be easier to hold and use. The GP16 is almost too small in my hand. Both have a thick rubbery covering on the case for positive grip. But best of all the slimmer tapes slips in and out of the tape holder in my tool belt more easily.

A lot of tape companies sacrifice quality on their shorter tapes, but Tajima uses the all of the same professional engineering on the GP 16 as on their longer length tapes. For my finish work from now on, I’ll gladly swap out tapes at the same time I shift to my trust lightweight hammer. My back won’t complain when I start adding the weight of my other finish work hand tools.

The Tajima GP-30 goes for around $28 on the street, and the GP-16 sells for $17.

Read this article in its original format (with more images) at TiC Issue 1!