So I was watching This Old House....

[scab]

They were using a miter saw with a five or six foot fence attachment and they had a computer attached to it where they would input the length of the cut. It would then adjust itself to the proper size for cutting, no tape measure necessary. Anyone have one of these? Are they cost effective for the DIYer? Also, do they fit on any saw or do you have to buy the saw with it? This one looked like a Dewalt. I'm interested but something tells me they're probably pretty expensive.

 

[metaleltr]

I recall seeing that episode a few years ago, but I can not remember who made the computerized cutting guide, It was not Dewalt, the system was simply being used on a Dewalt saw.

 

[SMKS]

I've seen that several times on the show. They use a lot of tools that are super pricey, so I would assume it's out of the DIY'er price range.

 

[Ric in Richmond]

That was VERY cool....Not $3000 cool....


http://stores.sawgearstore.com/-strse-2/SawGear-System-12-Foot/Detail.bok

 

[Givl Reggin]

It's called a TigerStop and is made by SawGear.

 

[scab]

Holy ****! Three grand....I was thinking 400-500 bucks, tops. Oh well..... It's still really cool, though.

 

[JASTECH]

Back to the tape measure for me, lol...$3k is a lot of tape measures, digital even and money left to buy more tools.

 

[Higgins]

Used a system similar to that a number of yrs ago at a house blitz.

It was a great tool, but very, very expensive. I believe it was made in Germany, and was around $5,000 including a few accessories............ Too rich for my blood!

 

[oldmerc]

Not for me but I do know how to use a tape measure.

 

[CAOS]

If it is for daily use, and its accurate it will pay for itself. We run an automatic measuring system on one of our larger saws at work. Keeps human error out of the equation, assuming you punch the right measurement into the machine. Keeps everything consistent when the tool is used for 10 hours a day.

 

[Bull]

If you are going to paint your trim, miter cuts aren't too bad. Careful caulking makes you look like a master.

If you are staining, then you'd better be read good with those calculations!

 

[Stuart in MN]

I don't think Tommy owns any cheap tools. I've noticed he has pretty much every Festool power tool made.

As mentioned above, for professional or production use that computerized stop will pay for itself over time - for a homeowner, probably not.

 

[Givl Reggin]

I don't think Tommy owns any cheap tools.

I think a lot of it is provided to him at no cost - but I don't think he'll use a tool just because it was free if it didn't work as advertized . I had a manufacturers representative tell me one time that they had a product that was used on the show and demand for it went up over 300%. I don't know where else you can buy that kind of exposure.

 

[gte718p]

If your savvy with computers, electronics, and have a machine shop handy you can make a similar system very cheaply. The parts to make it add up to about $50-$100 for the straight digital measuring system. For a full CNC type cutter your looking at maybe $500 dollars for the servos and power supplies.
The problem is that is just the parts. If your not a programmer or don't have experience with micro controllers you have to pay someone to do that. Even if you do your probably going to have 60 hours in manufacturing, assembly, and debugging. Your system will probable not be as clean and have the polish and features of the OEM. $5000 starts to look reasonable pretty quickly.

 

[babylou]

I'm trying to choose between the sawgear and the tigerstop. I wonder how easy they are to adapt to a saw and how painful is initial setup. Plan to use it for cold sawing of aluminum and steel. Anyone have input?

 

[930dreamer]