MasterGage MP-1 MasterPlate

 (14 customer reviews)

[Updated Jan 2, 2007: see end of review]

I found this tool nearly essential, but not cheap. You can get by on a shop-made alternative, such as metal that is thick enough not to flex, or masonite supported with glued strips of oak to keep it flat. Depending on your purposes, these may be sufficient. My goals were to improve the alignment of my Delta Contractor saw, which I have had for five years, and the MasterPlate (with MasterGage) really helped.

For checking that the blade is square with the table, it's much easier to use a machinist's square (or combination square) with a MasterPlate instead of the blade itself. I had adjusted the blade to 90 degrees using the blade and a machinist's square, but using MasterPlate, I found I was off by about a degree, and it was much faster to get it right.

For checking that the blade is parallel to the miter slot to avoid heeling, you may want better accuracy than is possible with the usual "pencil clamped to...Read more

I bought the MasterPlate simply to have a more accurate reference than a blade, or other "flat" material could provide, particularly in measuring and adjusting the tabletop to the blade using a miter slot. A quality saw blade can be assumed flat, however the effective horizontal measuring area of a 10" blade is maybe 7" at best, so you immediately gain about 45% more area and potential precision with the MasterPlate. Other non-machined materials simply have question marks regarding the precision of flatness, so unless you can prove that precision before you start, you're better off to go with a material that has a known precision with a stated tolerance. Speaking of tolerance, I found that the plate I received was within .002", with a very slight bow over its length. Certainly acceptable, but a bit more than I expected from the advertising. I spoke with MasterPlate and was informed that the flatness tolerance is within .003", and that the mention of precision of (1/1000) will likely...Read more

I bought this tool with its companion, the MasterGage. While I can't recommend the MasterGage the MasterPlate is pretty basic and seems to be a high quality piece. It is simply a rectangular piece of steel plate that is machined flat, anodized and drilled for the arbor of a table saw.