# Review of MasterGage SuperBar and MasterPlate



## abie (Jan 28, 2008)

We use a wixy in our shop
much less money..


----------



## KettleWorkshop (May 20, 2019)

> We use a wixy in our shop
> much less money..
> 
> - abie


Which Wixey?
And how does it compare feature wise to the MasterGage stuff?
Thanks!


----------



## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I use a HF dial indicator, a tight miter slider and a tooth on a saw blade. What you are reviewing is very nice, is it that much more accurate. And is the degree of difference meaningful in terms of woodworking.

In this day of digital equipment in woodworking, I think we are a little overboard. What does 0.002" mean in terms of the length of a board.


----------



## BobHinden (May 13, 2019)

> I use a HF dial indicator, a tight miter slider and a tooth on a saw blade. What you are reviewing is very nice, is it that much more accurate. And is the degree of difference meaningful in terms of woodworking.
> 
> In this day of digital equipment in woodworking, I think we are a little overboard. What does 0.002" mean in terms of the length of a board.
> 
> - Redoak49


My experience was that I first tried (using the Woodpecker gauge) measuring with the blade that came with the saw. What I was seeing was a lot of variance that I now know was mostly the blade. Up to 7 thousands in some places, but different in each quadrant. I continued to get inconsistent results.

I wanted to make sure the saw was aligned. With the MasterGage bar and plate I have been able to get consistent results. I made a large (for me) investment in a new table saw, and I wanted to start out with good alignment. It was well worth it to me.

Hope this is helpful.


----------



## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I have the Sawstop PCS and set mine up as I mentioned above. I marked and used the same tooth on the blade. Maybe,I had a better blade but worked well for me. My Sawstop PCS was almost perfect out of the box.


----------



## LittleBlackDuck (Feb 26, 2016)

I'm always interested in new and revolutionary machines, guides, jigs and such.

This looks very impressive and seems to have one helluva lot of potential/uses. However, at first glance of the manual, it looks like I'd need a PHD to operate the gizmo!

Nevertheless once mastered, I could appreciate the benefits you could get from the one set-up tool.


----------



## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I have a couple Shopsmiths and use the Master plate to align the tables, saw blades and, to check fence settings. As long as I have it installed, I usually double check my miter gauges, too.


----------



## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I can do without the gauge and slider but, that Master Plate is a handy doo-dad to be sure! Thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## Peteybadboy (Jan 23, 2013)

I think I will get the master plate. Thanks for posting


----------



## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

i have been using the Master Gauge an Master Plate for a few years. I highly recommend them!


----------



## gotnonickname (Feb 4, 2014)

i use a Freud CD010 calibration disk that you can find for around $30-$35 online. I also use the "A-line-it basis dial indicator for my measuring tool. Works great


----------



## jaxelrad (Dec 7, 2020)

I had an extremely positive experience with MasterGage that is worth relating. 
I purchased a MasterPlate through a dealer (Forrest Saw Blades). When it arrived, I put it on my granite surface and was surprised to see that it was 0.005" off at one corner. That's outside the promised specs of 0.003" so I reached out to MasterGage directly to see what they'd say. I ended up speaking with Paul Reilly who is the president, founder, etc. of MasterGage. He was extraordinarily nice and spent a fair amount of time with me, going over the possible issues. In the end, he told me to send the plate directly to him, rather than going through Forrest. I did, and he confirmed that the plate was indeed out of spec. He sent me a new plate and a refund for my shipping cost. The new plate is flat to well under 0.001", quite beautiful and a pleasure to use on my SawStop ICS (it certainly beats the pants off using a saw blade for alignment). I wish I'd bought one at the same time as my saw. It would have made initial set-up and calibration a lot easier.
Bottom line: A high quality, very useful product, with outstanding customer service. At $73 on the MasterGage website, I'd say it's also a bargain.


----------

