OWNER’S MANUALBladeGauge III ™

CAUTION: Before using your BladeGauge III™,read this manual and follow all its Safety and Operating Instructions.

SAFETYGENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

BEFORE USING THE BladeGauge III™: Safety is a combination of common sense, stay-ing alert and knowing how to use your BladeGauge III™ while adjusting your tool blade or bit.

WARNING!

For your safety, unplug your power tool before at-tempting to use the BladeGauge III™.

• Safety • Operation• Maintenance • Parts

TO AVOID SERIOUS IN-JURY, MAKE SURE YOUR POWER TOOL IS TURNED OFF AND UNPLUGGED. DO NOTPLUG THE POWER TOOL IN UNTIL YOUHAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THE FOL-LOWING:1. READ and become familiar with this entireinstruction manual. LEARN the tool’s applica-tions, limitations, and possible hazards.2. REDUCE THE RISK OF UNINTENTIONALSTARTING. Make sure the switch is in the OFF position before plugging in.3. REPLACE ALL TOOL GUARDS. Do notoperate electrical tools without having the guards properly installed.NOTE: Should your BladeGauge III™ bedropped or otherwise become misaligned, merely loosen the set screw and, while press-ing on the circuit board, retighten the screw.This is best done on a very flat surface such as a saw table. The circuit board locating tabs

are designed to insure the realignment when the board is bottomed-out while be-ing pressed.DO NOT haphazardly store your BladeGaugeIII™ in your tool box. Store your BladeGauge III™ in an upright position to prevent ac-cidentally shorting the contact points anddraining the battery.

(24553)

RTD10000349AA

ROUTER BIT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT

1. The BladeGauge III™ is designed to measure the height of a router bit above the table.2. Make sure your router is turned off and unplugged.

3. Make sure your router surface is clean and free from sawdust and other particulate matter.4. Lower the bit to a position lower than the height to be measured.5. Place the BladeGauge III™ on the router at the bit’s highest point. If the bit height is other than an even 1/8” increment, find the desired height on the printed table on the back of the BladeGauge III™. Select the correct height adjusting clip (1/32”, 1/16”, or 3/32”) located on top of the BladeGauge III™ and place it on the appropriated step as indicated on the fraction table. See Figure 1.

6. Position the step contact of the desired measurement directly over the top of the router bit. See Figure 2. The steps of the BladeGauge III™ permit accurate bit height measurements from 1/8” to 2” in 1/32” incre-ments.NOTE: The heavy magnetic base of the BladeGauge III™ will hold firmly in position while making router bit height adjustments. On non-magnetic able tops, the weight of the heavy base should be adequate to pro-vide for an accurate adjustment. The metal table surface is used to complete the circuit to permit the LED to light. On non-metallic tables, use the Magnawire™ to complete the circuit. “Magnawire” has a terminal end and a magnetic end. Insert the terminal end into the matting connector on the back of the BladeGauge III™ and allow the other end to magnetically attach itself to the router bit. Make sure the BladeGauge III™ step will

! WARNING NEVER ATTEMPT TO MEASURE WITH THE TOOL RUNNING.

make contact with the cutting surface and not another part of the router bit. See Figure 2.

7. Gently raise the router bit until it makes contact with the BladeGauge III™ and causes the LED to light. See Figure 4. Make sure the BladeGauge III™ remains flush with the table surface.8. After setting the height of the router bit, re-move the BladeGauge III™ from the table and replace all guards before plugging in the tool.

SAW BLADE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT

1. The BladeGauge III™ is designed to mea-sure the height of a table saw blade.2. Make sure your power tool is turned off and unplugged.

3. Assure your saw table surface is clean and free from sawdust and other particulate matter.4. Lower the saw blade to a position lower than the height to be measured.5. Place the BladeGauge III™ on the saw table at the blade’s highest point. If the blade height is other than an even 1/8” increment, find the desired height on the printed table on the back of the BladeGauge III™ figure 1. Select the correct height adjusting clip (1/32”, 1/16”, or 3/32) located on top of the BladeGauge III™and place it on the appropriate step.6. Position the step contact of the desired measurement directly over the top of the saw’s blade. See Figure 3. The steps of the BladeGauge III™ permit accurate blade

Figure 2. Magnawire™ shown completing the circuit to the router bit, and the bit blade in contact with the BladeGauge III™.

! WARNING NEVER ATTEMPT TO MEASURE WITH THE TOOL RUNNING.

Figure 1. Table and Height Adjusting Clips.

FIG. 2

SETTING OR CHANGING JOINTER BLADES

Warning!Disconnect machine from power source.

NOTE: The heavy magnetic base of the Blade-Gauge III™ will hold it firmly in position while making saw blade height adjustments. The metal table surface is used to complete the circuit to permit the LED to light.If the saw’s blade is insulated from the table top, use the Magnawire™.7. Rotate the blade by hand until the highest point of a saw tooth is directly under the desired BladeGauge III™ contact. See Figure 3.NOTE: It may be a good idea to rotate the blade a full 360º to check for the blade’s “high tooth.” Mark the tooth with an indelible marker to easily identify it. When the high point has been established, scribe a set of lines on the saw table with the marker to correctly place the BladeGauge III™ the next time it is used.

8. Gently raise the saw blade until it makes contact with the BladeGauge III™ and causes the LED to light. See figure 4.9. Lower the saw blade enough to extinguish the LED. Gently rock the saw blade back and forth to insure no other point on the tooth was higher than the point measured. Reconfirm the height adjustment by gently raising the blade to light the LED.

Figure 3. Saw blade shown in contact with the height step on the BladeGauge III™.

BladeGauge III™

Excess movement of the saw blade can wear through the BladeGaugeIII™ contact surface!

10. After setting the height of the saw blade, remove the BladeGauge III™ from the saw table and replace all guards before plugging in the tool.

SCRIBED LINES

SAW BLADE

Figure 4. LED is lighted when the router bit or saw blade makes contact with the height step.

III™

Using the Zero Clip with BladeGauge III™

Each manufacturer of jointer machinery has their own unique way of changing the blades. Refer to their instructions for this procedure.In order to do accurate work, the knife blades must be exactly level with the out feed table Fig. 5. Zero Clip has been designed to precisely measure this action by lighting the LED.

CAUTION

FIG. 5

Zero Clip set up

1. Position the Zero Clip in the nest on the 1/4” side of BladeGauge III™. Hold Blade-Gauge III™ firmly while sliding the clip down to the surface of the jointer table, lighting the LED, using moderate pressure tighten the allen screws to the unit. You have now established zero reference point.

CARE MUST BE TAKEN WHEN HANDLING THE KNIVES, AS THE CUTTING EDGES ARE VERY SHARP. WEAR PROTECTIVE GLOVES WHEN HANDLING THE KNIVES.

2. A-Make a small wooden wedge for locking the cutter head to the out feed table Fig. 6.

3-Place a piece of masking tape on the fence approximately over the center of the cutting head. This will be used to mark the high point of the cutter blade Fig. 6.

4-Place BladeGauge III™ zero clip over the cutter head assuring that the zero clip is not in contact with the out feed table. Adjust the blades so they make contact with the zero clip lighting the LED, this is a rough adjustment.

5 - By rocking the cutter head back and forth you will find the blades high point. (Warning) for safety reasons only use the belt and pulley system for this rocking action Fig. 7. Do not attempt to rock the cutter head with your fingers on the blades. If you don’t have access to the belt and pulley system use a small block of wood to engage the cutter blades.

! WARNING

Shown with a cutter head. Guard removed

FIG. 6

Measuring the height of the cutter knivesFIG. 6

FIG. 7

Masking Tape

6- When the high point is reached, lock the cutter head in position with the woodwedge.

7 - Mark the tape on the fence to coincidewith the peak of the cutter blade Fig. 8. Pro-ceed with the installation of all blades usingBladeGauge III™ zero clip as a reference in

g consistent adjustments.

If the knives are set to low, the result will be as shown in Fig.

If the knives are set too high, the work will be gouged, curved, or bowed at the end of the cut, as shown in Fig. 11.

SETTING THE DEPTHOF CUT SCALE

Assure the zero clip set up is complete asshown in Fig. 6.1 - Lower the in feed table to a level belowthe out feed table.2 - Place BladeGauge III™ on the out feed table with the zero clip extending beyondthe cutter blade Fig. 13.3 - Raise the end feed table until contact ismade with the zero clip, lighting the LED.4 - Adjust the depth of cut scale to zeroand lock it down.

Note: Using the same method you canadjust your router table scale by zeroing

and loand lo

FIG. 10

FIG. 11

FIG. 8

NEVER USE SOLVENTSto clean the circuit board or parts of yourBladeGauge III™. Only soap and water

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should be used to clean the unit.

NOTES: The bottom of your BladeGaugeIII™ has magnets to firmly attach itself to your saw table top. Make sure there arenot magnetically attracted metal particlesattached to the magnet.

Should your BladeGauge III™ be droppedor otherwise become misaligned, merelyloosen the set screws and, while pressingon the circuit board, retighten the screws.This is best done on a very flat surface such

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as a saw table. The circuit board locatingtabs are designed to insure the realignmentwhen the board is bottomed-out while be-ing pressed.

DO NOT haphazardly store your Blade-Gauge III™ in your tool box. Store your

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BladeGauge III™ in an upright position to prevent accidentally shorting the base withother tools, therefore draining the battery.

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CAUTION

FIG. 12

REPAIR SERVICE

Accidents happen. If you damage your BladeGauge III™, you may return it tothe manufacturer for repair. Pacific Rack & Machine will repair your BladeGaugeIII™ for $19.95 including return shippingand handling. Just ship your BladeGaugeIII™ to:

2508 David LaneMedford, OR 97504

541•773•2412Fax 541•535•1234

PARTS

Your BladeGauge III™ has only one userserviceable part, the lithium battery. Be-cause of the low current drain of the LED, the battery can be expected to easily last a year or more, depending on usage.To replace the battery, gently pull the bat-tery spring clip to remove the exhausted battery. Slide a new lithium battery into place. You can test the BladeGauge III™by shorting the Magnawire™ to any of the stepped contacts.

Any of the following lithium batteries will directly replace the battery in your Blade-Gauge III™.

Rayovac ----------------------------------- BR2032

Energizer--------------------------------EL2032

DuraCell ---------------------------------DL2032

Panasonic------------------------------ BR2032

Sony------------------------------------- CR2032

User replacable lithium battery.

III™