Replies

1. 
   Napie | May 24, 2007 06:19am | #1

   I just make fixed angle jigs from Baltic birch and scrap hardwood.  You can make a lot of them for the cost of those fancy aftermarket gages.

1. 
   EricT | May 25, 2007 01:39am | #2

   But don't you need a mitre gage to make the jigs?

1. 
   Napie | May 25, 2007 02:15am | #3

   For some of it.  The standard one that came with the saw will do just fine.  While I think a good aftermarket fence is a reasonable investment, I think the miter gages are less of a necessity.  It is just to easy to build your own jigs that do a better job.

2. 
   Buster2000 | May 25, 2007 02:15am | #4

   The guage is now sold by General International.  I purchase one last year at a wood show for about $100.  I think for the money it was a great deal.

   Some of the other mitre guages I've seen are a little easier to set to the exact angle, but this guage does fine.  It has stops at the major angles.

   In use it has a nice solid feel.

3. 
   MikeN | May 25, 2007 05:12pm | #5

   I have had and used this jig for several years.  I like it a lot.  When calibrated to my saw, it is very accurate.  Just for fun, I have made a twelve sided figure, dodecagon, I think,  that was perfect, using screen moulding.  It is easy to move the jig from one side of the blade to the other.  The miter slot adjustment is a no brainer.  I highly reccomend the EB-3.

   Sincerely,

    

   Mike N

    

1. 
   yellowtail | May 25, 2007 07:30pm | #6

   Thanks for thye info. I'll be looking very seriously at buying one.

4. 
   Knotscott | May 25, 2007 11:24pm | #7

   I've had one for a couple of years. It had a problem when new, which they replaced with two more that were comparably defective. It took some effort to get them to make it right, but once I figured out what was wrong and ordered the specific replacement part, they sent it and it now works fine. My understanding is that it's now made in Asia.

   http://www.epinions.com/content_213366771332

5. 
   MikeHoncho | May 31, 2007 01:59am | #8

   I received my Osborne Eb-3 last week. This was after trying to find one locally and being unable to locate a vendor that actually stocked them. I had purchased an Incra Miter Express combo that included the sliding table portion and the incra 1000se all for nearly $300.00 with tax. I sat on it for a week and never even opened the box because I wasn't feeling good about the purchase overall. It was more than I wanted to spend and I feel that the sliding table part of the set-up was a bit cheesy. I also wasn't interested in paying alot for a shiny, anodized, "pretty looking" guage.

   I think we woodworkers are very heavily marketed to and that one of the main "Needs" or "Fears" that are worked are the NEED for SUPER accuracy and the FEAR of not having it. My actual need for a miter guage is more for certain "standard" angles than having every conceivable angle available within 10ths of a degree. My guess is that many of you have the same actual NEEDS but are marketed into believeing you need more.

   The Osborne received good reviews awhile back and now seems to go unmentioned compared to it's heavily marketed and "shinier" counterparts as far as what's in the magazines. I often wonder how much reviews are really affected by the marketing dollars given to the magazines by certain vendors.

   The review linked earlier in this thread should really be reordered in my opinion. I had to read through several paragraphs of what was wrong with it before I finally got to the part where the reviewer received a new one that now works great. I almost stopped reading before I got to the happy ending. Needless to say, my experience was nothing like the one depicted in that review.

   I am thrilled to have made the decision I did as the Osborne works well and is a great value to boot at $109.00.

   It's rock solid, came out of the box dead-on, and is robust enough that I can crosscut large pieces of 10/4 cherry with confidence. The fence extension works well and the whole thing feels solid and stable. Adjusting the different angles is pretty simple though I would concede that other models might be a bit easier if you're cutting a new and unique angle every cut. If I needed to cut oddball angles ALL THE TIME to exact specifications then I might have gone with another product.

   Overall I'd say the Osborne EB-3 is certainly worth your consideration when looking for an aftermarket guage.

1. 
   Hendo | May 31, 2007 02:33am | #9

   By all means do report back and let us know how you like it once you have put it to use.

   I like the basic design premise and appears to be well constructed.

   -Tom H. Ventura, CA

1. 
   RonInOttawa | May 31, 2007 04:54am | #10

   I changed to an EB-1 several years ago and put it to heavy use until last year. I then picked up an EB-3 and love it. The Osborne may not be dead nuts accurate to 1/100th of a degree, and it's not shiny but it works. If your work (like mine) can still be done with only 1/10th degree accuracy it's a no-brainer. I think for ease of use and general utility it's hard to beat. The only other gauge that comes close (in my mind) is the JDS Accu-miter, and I would choose the EB-3 simply due to the weight difference between the two.Go for it! For the money, it's a great deal!

   Edited 5/30/2007 9:55 pm ET by RonInOttawa