The new Johnson Level 40-6064 Digital Angle Locator takes all the guesswork out of finding odd angles in the field, thanks to a working range of 0 to 222 degrees and a built-in miter calculator. In theย past, we would have relied on some fancy guesswork or trial and errorย to get angled cuts to match up, which usually resulted in wastedย material or time. With an easy-to-read digital display, three-button control, and accuracy to within .5 of a degree, it should be a cinch to calculate the trim pieces needed for that bay window or octagon-shaped ceiling cove. As my old boss used to tell me, โMeasure twice,ย cut once. Well, thatโs a whole lot easier now with angles and mitersย calculated more precisely and quickly with the Johnson Digital Angleย Locator.
Johnson Level 40-6064 Digital Angle Locator Features
Theย Johnson Level 40-6064 Digital Angle Locator has a padded soft slip sleeve pouch with a hook & loop closure to protect the level when not in use. For the most part, the body is made of extruded aluminum, with the exception of the hinge mechanism, which is made of plastic. There are two bubble level vials built in, one toย measure plumb and the other to measure plane. In the front center ofย the level is the LCD display with three rubber-covered buttons belowย it.
The first button is the ON/OFF, the second is labeled MITRE, which essentially takes the actual angle measurement on the display and divides it by two to give you your miter angle. The last button isย the HOLD button, which saves the last measurement when pressed. Whatย is interesting is that there is no lock on the pivot point. Thisย means that you canโt lock it physically in place once you find an angle. Your choices are to use the HOLD button feature or gentlyย handle the angle finder without moving the two halves so that you canย transfer the angle to your board. Should you forget to shut the angleย finder off, it will automatically turn off after a few minutes. Theย single 9V battery provides up to 50 hours of continuous use.
Testing and Use
Weย used the Johnson Level 40-6064 Digital Angle Locator around our shopย to test out its angle-finding abilities and even compared it to aย conventional non-powered angle finder. In every instance, the digitalย was dead on with our conventional tool. The miter function proved toย be a real asset because it eliminated the possibility of badย arithmetic.
Oneย day, when I was visiting a doctor friend, he was telling me about aย project he was working on with his knee replacement rehabilitation patients. He was describing a tool he needed, and immediately Iย thought of a few Johnson tools that I had in for review. Here is hisย story in his own words:
โIโmย sure Johnson tools never intended their Digital Angle Locator,ย 40-6064, for this particular job. You mentioned this tool during ourย casual conversation when I related how I was going to use theirย smaller laser torpedo level to help measure an angle of the leg for aย research project called the Q-angle. The spots I need to calculateย the angle are: 1) a specific bony bump on the lower leg; 2) theย center of the knee cap (patella); and 3) a bony point on the front ofย the pelvis bone. The Digital Angle Locator will get the job doneย perfectly. It will give an exact angle readout, hold the number andย will be โexaminer reproducibleโ, minimizing any differencesย between examinations.
We will easily be able to train assistants howย to use this tool. As this tool was never designed for thisย application, the pivot point is in the center of the patella and theย longer distance is from the patella to the pelvis. I clamped a shortย length of 3/4โณ x 3/4โณ aluminum angle stock to the insideย of the toolsโ swing arm to increase its length. Thank you for sharingย this tool with me and for the opportunity to share my use in thisย unique application. I bet this would be a great tool in the tradesย also!โ
โ Bestย Regards, Dr. Alan Thompson
Conclusion
The Johnson Levelย 40-6064 Digital Angle Locator is a sure-fire way to get accurateย miter cuts, especially when working in odd situations with oldย buildings. With a simple user interface that is very intuitive, itย will only take most carpenters just a few seconds to recognize theย benefits of this tool. For our Performance rating, we gave the level a 7/10 because it offered easy-to-use features that really worked.ย Given a reasonable price that isย quickly negated by its usefulness, we gave the Digital Angle Finder aย 6/10 Value rating. A few more points could have been earned if it hadย a locking pivot arm to make transferring angles easier.
