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Growing up in the '50s I remember drapers' shops having a similar thing - non digital, of course, all clock work - to run cloth out on the counter.
Just remembered the pneumatic accounts system, too. The money went off to an office somewhere on a pressure/vacuum system. That wasn't novel, either. Brunel built a railway on the same principle in Devon.
 
it looks an interesting gadget. my only real comments are that due to the way that it measures the surface distance, it very accurately measures something that you dont care that much about rather than something you do. For some (most?) applications, it probably doesn't matter but I wouldn't want to be using it for something where mm accuracy is required, and if you can't rely on it for that then why bother.

It is at £93, plus shipping which is unknown. I had to pay £20 for 2 coffee grinders to be shipped on kickstarter so it can be a bit steep. then you have VAT and import duty, although they talk about an EU warehouse so I dont know what that means if it is coming out of the USA in the first instance.

Shipping in Nov/Dec I think will be optimistic but that is part of the risk with these startup projects. dont back them if you are in a hurry.
 
I wouldn't put any trust in it at all, it cannot be that accurate. Hell, I barely trust my tape measure.
 
I'm trying to think of a situation where it would speed things up.

- If you're making more than a few cuts of the same length, a stop block would be much quicker and more accurate.
- If you're only making a few cuts of the same length, does it take longer to setup and configure than just using a pencil and tape measure? in this case it might be more accurate, but even with only a few cuts I tend to set up a stop block.
- If you're making lots of unique length cuts, then I think this is where it would shine. But how often does that happen? you're usually rough cutting and fine tuning as opposed to knowing the exact length a cut needs to be.

In regards to the accuracy, that would only really apply to perfectly flat pieces of timber. If your board has a slight bow in it, it's going to give you an inaccurate measurement. Yes I am being pedantic here, but if you're going to claim super precision, it needs to be in most practical cases. On the other hand, you could argue the opposite, and say it will give you the correct length when the board is pushed flat, secured with screws (the bow removed).

I think it would be convenient on a work site.
 
I actually like it,
The entry price of almost £100 is IMHO too steep.
When you think you can buy tape measures for a couple of quid is it worth 50 of them ........ Nah

Won't be long before the Chinese imports come in and selling a copy for a crisp £10 note, I will then get one :whistle:
 
I actually like it,
The entry price of almost £100 is IMHO too steep.
When you think you can buy tape measures for a couple of quid is it worth 50 of them ........ Nah

Won't be long before the Chinese imports come in and selling a copy for a crisp £10 note, I will then get one :whistle:

I bet it will be nearer 150 landed in the UK.
 
I can't see a need for it. Stop block or tape measure suits me.

Be all right if you like to have gadgets. I do but not in the workshop.

If you decide you want one they come up on facebook regularly for a lot less money.

If one pops up later I'll come back with a link.
 
Not my sort of thing, just saw the advert for the first time this morning and wondered if others had seen it and what they thought
 
Won't be long before the Chinese imports come in and selling a copy for a crisp £10 note, I will then get one :whistle:

Agreed.

The application combined with a few specifics on the technology might be patentable, but I suspect not. Therefore some will be looking to make it as cheap as possible very quickly. I think that the hardware can be made in bulk for ~5 and we will be able to buy direct from China for £15-£20 in 6 to 12 months.
 
The technology isn't new, although it's a neat package.

In the late 1970s my father designed a commercially successful controller for a cardboard box cutting machine - bespoke cutting, notching and folding. It had an accuracy of 0.1mm over about 2m, which was considerably better than the cardboard sheets supplied as raw material. That used an optical shaft encoder of his own design, and it probably worked a lot faster than that prototype has to. It was innovative for its time.

I'm sure existing manufacturers, such as Bosch and Makita, who have a lot of complementary tech in other divisions, could make something similar as an add-on to their saws. The fact they don't suggests there is no demand.
 
Oh look... a Trav-A-Dial.

I've got a 60s one on my 50s lathe. Its good for 1/2 a thou which this digital one isn't.

I agree with other posters, the entry price is too high.

You'll be able to get knock offs on Aliexpress for £15 quite shortly.
 
The Omga positioners seem like the better solution to the problem but with a much heftier price tag
 
It seems this is just pandering to our fixation on LCD's. What if you want to trim a rail to length that's got one or more notches in it, for example, halving joints?
I can think of so many instances where it would be either impractical or impossible to use. I think I'll leave that one on the shelf thanks!
 
My goodness! 10 days to go from £93 to £23. Even Garno didn't think it would be that quick
 
Very limited market. I think it would be in the way for me on a chop saw. And I am fine with my speed and ability to measure with a tape and mark with a pencil.

Edit: I am even more negative having watched the video. It's a solution looking for a problem. They have demonstrated it on the Bosch sliding mitre saw that I have, but they assume that the user feeds planks in from the left. Most of the time I do not do that. The wood goes in from the front and is moved to where I want it. There is often some fiddling about to make sure the wood is dead square against the fences. This gadget will be completely in the way for someone who is used to working quickly and flexibly with a chop saw.

It so happens that I am using this saw all day today. Cladding all around some strengthen trusses, and cutting infill decorative boards between them, every aperture slightly different and with roof having a 22.5 degree slope, lots of angled cuts as well. About 60 lengths of wood to cut size and angle. Tool would be useless for all of it.
 
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It popped up on my feed today.

So if anyone wants to chance 20 odd quid.

https://www.peciliacat.com/products...4hMuAlDP2ER1ZIK0oHwxd-APbjpDnYCkzUZioADm03M2s

BEWARE OF PECILIACAT AKA PECILIADOG!

Please don’t buy from this website. I’ve just been conned as they sent me a cheap calliper and still charged the full price for the measuring instrument mentioned in this post. They won’t refund more than half of the payment unless I return the cheap calliper first, at a cost of 20 US$! I don’t think they’ll then refund me in full if at all either!

Have a look on the internet and you’ll see how many others have been conned too. They sell through a firm called XShoppy.com who seem to have many very dodgy sites. They are hosted by Alibaba, I believe and I’m considering what actions to take against peciliacat , also known as peciliadog!
 
BEWARE OF PECILIACAT AKA PECILIADOG!

They won’t refund more than half of the payment unless I return the cheap calliper first, at a cost of 20 US$!
It's up to them to pay the postage if they want it back.
 
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