Many planers, including my DeWalt DW735, have an on-board depth gauge. These read in 1⁄32-in. increments at best. Wanting to make much more precise thickness changes, for jobs like fitting slip tenons into mortises, I found a way to use my digital calipers to track changes. All I had to do was glue a wood block to the bottom of the thickness scale. Now, while adjusting the height of the cutterhead, I hold my digital calipers so the end of the body rests on the planer’s depth-scale indicator. Then I extend the calipers’ depth rod until it hits the wood block, zero out the calipers, and adjust up or down from there. Shape the block to better fit the surface, and attach it with hot-melt glue. Clean the parts with alcohol for a good bond, and make sure the block is level. Some folks achieve a similar result by attaching their calipers to the planer with magnets, but the plastic housing on my DeWalt planer won’t allow that.

—GABE BRISSON, Livermore, Calif.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #307

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Oneida’s Super Cell Dust Collector

30-Gal with Wall Mount

Buy at Amazon

Makita LS1219L Miter Saw

This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.

Buy at Amazon

Grizzly G0495X Industrial Helical Cutterhead 8-in. Jointer

Regardless of the board’s grain, this jointer produced excellent results. Its fence was totally flat, worked smoothly, and locked well, staying in place even after jointing multiple edges. Getting the fence to 90° was very easy, but the 90° stop was a little tricky to set and the fence did not go back to square when using it. For those who would use it, there is also a digital depth-of-cut scale.

Buy at Amazon