Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 02, 2006 07:08am | #1

   Eric, if I may be so bold, I think you need a more complete description and better pictures.  [I know, it's hard, I've paid my dues selling on eBay.]  Some info on how it works/displays, how easy it is to return to "zero"; what your return policy is (especially important).  While I hate really wordy used-car-salesmen type eBay ads, yours is a bit sparse for selling something that's new to all.  Good luck with it!

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

1. 
   EricAnderson | Sep 02, 2006 05:24pm | #2

   I guess you are right.  I didn't take a lot of time to put this together.  I guess I am expecting someone that has wanted one of these to say:  Ah ha!  Just what I was looking for. 

   If they aren't looking for one, the ad isn't going to sell it.  Good thing it did not cost me much to put it on Ebay (although, it sure seems to be a lot more than it used to cost).

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 02, 2006 06:07pm | #4

   Hi Eric.  Ya gotta remember, eBay is populated by a wide, wide range of sellers vis a vis their ethics.  You may have a great product and be quite the honest person.  But buyers who've been around for awhile can develop a high level of wariness.  Your ad needs to address their concerns. 

   I haven't read your new description yet, but a big drawback I saw yesterday is the lack of a stated return policy.  Given that this is a shop-made and new-idea piece of equipment, if it were me I'd offer a 5-day satisfaction-guaranteed return, as long as the item isn't damaged.  They would have to notify me in 5 days if they weren't satisfied, and they pay the return shipping.

   OK, I'll run over there now.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   EricAnderson | Sep 02, 2006 05:39pm | #3

   Oh, I guess I should try to tell you about how it works. 

   There is a sheet metal cylinder  with a scale on the circumference of it.  The cylinder is in the sheetmetal housing mounted to the planer (spring loaded to return to 0).  A portion of the circumference of the cylinder protrudes from the bottom and touches the surface of the wood being pushed into the planer.  The wood rotates the cylinder.   The thickness of the wood determines how far the cylinder rotates and therefore what thickness the scale indicates.  It is a pretty simple and reliable concept.  A diagram of how it works would be better, I know.

   I added this to the description.  It seems like a pretty good description.  What do you think?

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 02, 2006 06:32pm | #5

   UhOh, now I'm confused.  Not surprising, I guess -- it's early still.

   When I read "The thickness of the wood determines how far the cylinder rotates and therefore what thickness the scale indicates" it seems as though the cylinder is simply telling me how thick the wood is.  But what I think you mean is that the cylinder is telling me the difference between the actual thickness of the wood now and what it will be when it comes out the other side.

   Assuming the preceeding is correct, I'd rephrase your description as follows:

   This instrument consists of a rotating, indexed metal cylinder which will reference off of the incoming piece of wood and give you a read-out of the amount of wood you're removing as you adjust the planer.  The reference point of zero is easily set by (describe how it's done with a new piece of wood).

   I developed this gauge and have used it in my shop for (some time).  It is very accurate and easy to use.  If you are not satisfied with it's performance, notify me within 5 days and ship it back to me.  Your money will be refunded as long as the gauge is undamaged.

   One question that I'm having is whether the zero-point remains the original thickness of the wood, or if it changes with each pass.

   At first blush, it looks like a cool little gizmo.  How long does it take you to make one?  I'm trying to figure out how you can make a go with it.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   EricAnderson | Sep 02, 2006 09:35pm | #6

   I see you have a bid on it. 

   Actually I took parts from a gauge that already existed, assembled it, added the mounting components, devised a spacer needed for the Delta machines and wrote an installation guide (I promise it will be better than what you see so far).  I will put something on the site relative to guaranteeing that it works as advertised and a 5 day return policy.  Maybe I will use your exact words.  Hey, what is better than writing your own warrantee?

   In case you are wondering why I am bothing for something with so little return--just for a lark, I guess.  It is highly unlikely that I will produce these in quantity unless the availability is much better than exists now and I find that the market for this is much larger than I suspect.