About 5 years ago I bought a Jet JJP-12HH Jointer / Planer with a helical cutter head. I’ve been extremely happy with my purchase and wouldn’t change anything. This machine is a real workhorse and is one of the most used tools that I own. Shortly after getting it set up in my shop, I added a Wixey remote digital readout.

Why you should add a planer digital readout

Regardless of what planer you have, this add-on really comes in handy when you need both speed and precision. If you’ve been considering one of these but still don’t have one on your planer, pick one up. After five years of use, I can tell you that the Wixey is accurate, reliable, and simple to set-up. It is easy to calibrate and measures in both absolute and incremental measurements.

Before installing my Wixey, I did some searching online to see how others set their’s up. Some put the sensor on the infeed. Others had it on the outfeed. For me, it made sense to keep all of the “controls” on one side of the planer so I installed mine on the infeed. I also wanted to avoid adding extra parts on the outfeed that might hook my clothing or get in the way while I was using this machine as a jointer.

Installing the Wixey on the Planer

To complete the install I needed a few extra pieces of hardware: A length of aluminum bar stock, some aluminum square channel, a metric bolt to attach to the planer table, and some assorted bolts, nuts, and washers.

The pre-drilled and tapped holes in the planer table made for a simple way to connect the digital readout sensor to the motion of the table. Add enough washers so the assembly moves the sensor straight up and down over its full length of travel. Too many or too few washers or will cause the sensor to bind and disconnect.

As the aluminum bar stock rises and falls with the table, it carries a bracket with a magnet on it. The magnet pushes and pulls the readout sensor with it. This allows the upper and lower legs to “float” alongside each other without having to be precisely installed. It’s a clever approach that works well.

The lower leg is attached with 3 self-tapping screws that came with the Wixey. Use a punch to set the location of one screw and drill a small pilot hole. Align the leg and repeat for the 2 remaining screws. They go in very easily. Just make sure not to overtighten them or else you’ll strip the holes.

Mounting the Digital Readout

I wanted the flexibility to move the digital readout around, so I attached a large neodymium magnet to the display bracket. The magnet is wrapped in white duct tape. It doesn’t mark up the planer when I attach & detach it.

Despite all of this flexibility, the display spends most of it’s time in the lower right hand corner underneath the height adjustment wheel. It’s a fairly convenient location is out of the way of the other controls, but still easy to read – even from a distance.

My recommendations

If you are looking to add a digital readout to your planer, the Wixey WR550 is something that I use all the time and have had lasting success with. Consider the Wixey WR510 for smaller “portable planers” such as the Dewalt DW735 (which I also have). I liked my WR550 so much that I bought the WR510 for my Dewalt planer. Both have been running great for 5 years strong.

And if you are looking for a planer, I am a big fan of both the Jet JJP-12HH and the Dewalt DW735. I own them both and they work well for me.