Wixey Digital Planer Gauge

I'm a bit of a gadget/mod nut, so I was attracted to the idea of a DRO on my new DW735 planer. Also, like many I know, I don't use the planer every day, so I have it on the bottom of a rolling cart with another tool on top (in general, I see a lot of people with this planer set up considerably below eye level). With the planer low to the ground, it is sometimes difficult to get the first setup correct as the built in depth gauge isn't very accurate and is difficult to read unless you view it head-on. This changes everything. The display faces up and I can very easily get a very accurate setup without having to crouch way down to the ground. Frankly, I'd be happy if this got me in the ballpark but the thing seems really pretty accurate. Checking against a caliper I'm within .005" (usually even better) to the DRO reading on typical thickness boards (i.e. 3/4", 1", etc). I haven't planed any super thick stock but see no reason why this wouldn't be accurate across the entire range of the planer. Only a couple of downsides. The manual sucks. Keep it handy for reference, but when you are ready to install, search YouTube for this DRO and watch a couple of the several videos there on setup. None are great cinema, but there is some really useful info there. Once you see it, it all makes sense. The only other criticism I'd have is the way the controls work. Honestly, once you set it up you really don't have to touch anything unless you want to change units but a couple of times I've hit the wrong button as they aren't clearly marked as to whether the text refers to the button above or below the text at first glance (I just realized looking at the picture on the Amazon listing that my text is printed differently than in the picture - mine has the text below the button, no "hold to cal" lettering and no "brackets" indicating which button the text belongs to). A couple of times I've held the On/Off button to turn it off (just muscle memory from other devices) and it goes into calibrate mode (I'm glad they seem to have added "hold to cal"). Regardless the DRO works great and is a great timesaver and just makes it easier to get the result you are after. If they have updated the display buttons like in the listing picture since I bought mine (December, 2021) even better.

Easy to install and works well

If you follow the instructions, then it is highly likely that this measuring device will be unreliable at being inacurate. If you fiddle with it properly before making a reading, it is highly possible that the new readout will provide the correct answer. This unit gets FIVE STARS because I decided to throw the instructions away! This is a very simple device. I have no complete idea of how it works, but it contains no gears and accepts quick as well as slow input. It remembers it's current state and seems to recognizes physical change which happens during power off. The accuracy if installed properly, seems phenominal. And this came to me at a cost multiples lower than any other digital length measureing device I have found which can replace it. Step 1: Thow away all but two pieces. Keep the cheap plastic box containing the electroncs and the straight stick that goes through it. Dispose of everything else. Forget the spring. Loose the bent bar. Add the nuts and the bolts and the other stuff to your supply of what-nots. These are all unnecessary locations for play which create measurement error. These are also places for sawdust to get stuck which creates friction which results in more error. Take this complex contraption that a bunch of suits multiplied and reduce it to its two simple components. This is a stick and a box. The stick goes through the track in the box and that's how it works. Play with it. Get to know it. Learn how to use it before you attach it to anything. Realize that a negative number is just as useful as a positive number. Step 2: Decide where the piecs are to be firmly attached. One of the pieces is to be attached to the stationary part of the planer. The other piece is to be attached to the mobile part of the planer. It doesn't matter which is which. The device will operate either way. Step 3: Drill top (or bottom) of stick as needed to firmly attach. Do not attach both sides of the stick as this could create unnecessary binding. Try to put the stick in a place where it won't get hit with large pieces of wood The plastic box should be ready to be attached before stick attachment. Also, the attached end of the stick and the box shold be as close together as possible before stick attachment. This should keep misalignment to a minimum. Step 4: Open the back of plastic box using a small phillips screwdriver. Peer inside and note where screws can be placed through box and maximal length of screw. The back of the box is the only side which is flat. No other side of the box will attach to anything without play which creates meassurement error. There is space for wood screws to be put straight thorugh the back of box. Use a big L bracket. Directly attach it. Whatever. You are a craftsman after all. Dont install the box up side down. It's completely unnessary. Step 5: Enjoy. Encloed is a picture of what you don't want and a picture of what you do want. The simpleton is the clear winner.

I would have rated this product 5 stars except for the problems I had during installation. First of all, the use of metric nuts and screws makes this project tougher than it needs to be. I have some metric sockets but not a 7mm. I had to wrap paper around the nut so it would fit with a 9mm socket I had. I ultimately had to use vise grips to ensure the screws were firmly in place. Next the drill bit is metric, broke drilling the first hole! It seemed close to a 1/8" size so I used that. If it was provided in English units instead of metric, the job would have been done faster. Despite these problems, the unit is excellent and provides very accurate measurements. I am not sure why this is not an option when buying the planer! After spending all the money on the planer, this is a no brainer! The existing red indicator for thickness is useless. I would highly recommend purchasing this. Also, check out You Tube videos for a simplified explanation and sequence to install, recommend Dirt Farmer Jay - best one out there. Enjoy!

I have the Dewalt 735 and the Wixey Digital Planer Guage really made a huge improvement on matching board thickness. Easy to install. I highly recommend!

Easy to install on my dewalt 735

Very good 👍

Relatively easy to install and calibrate. Adds a lot of accuracy and repeatability to planing. Instructions are a bit cryptic but there are plenty of good YouTube instructional videos out there to guide your installation.

取付にはタッピングなどの技術が必要ですが、自分でつけれる人にはオプションパーツとして手頃な価格で入手できることは嬉しく思う。

Love this little unit so far. I've installed it on a DeWalt DW735 planer and it has performed flawlessly since I installed it. I love the ability to know how much further I have to go until I reach my desired thickness as well as knowing how much I am taking off per pass and exactly how thick the board is when done. I've been procrastinating on buying this for a while but if I knew then what I know now, I would have purchased it ages ago. One thing to note is that the thickness scale on my DW735 had an offset to it which made the supplied hardware unusable for mounting the new scale to the planer. (it was too short) Nothing to worry about because a 1/2"X#8 self tapping screw corrected that problem quickly. Love this little product.

Excellent device, easy to fit and calibrate, the many youtube videos help but the written instructions are adequate. It certainly beats a tape measure for measuring board thickness.

It was very easy to install and calibrate. The instructions are easy to follow. After use it shows to be very accurate when comparing to the results using a calliper. Would recommend.