Dial indicator

Got a bit of birthday money and one thing I'd like is a dial indicator. Lee Valley has one for $32 for indicator AND magnetic base. They say it's accurate to 0.0005". Is this really a good deal, or is $32 bucks US just too cheap for reasonable quality? Maybe I should just buy more clamps from LV and look elsewhere for a better dial indicator.

Reply to
Hitch
Loading thread data ...

formatting link
's the first place i would go for dial indicators and accessories.

--- dz

Hitch wrote:

Reply to
david zaret

$30 bucks is about right for a dial indicator. It isn't too "cheap". It's typical unless you look at Starrett.

Dave

Hitch wrote:

Reply to
David

For $32 it is almost certainly made in India, Pakistan, China, or Taiwan, and almost certainly more than adequate for typical woodworking use, and priced about 100% more than comparable units from other vendors. Try Grizzly or HFT, you should be able to find a similar base & gauge for $15-$20. When you get up in the $100 range you may be looking at a US or Japanese made indicator.

Reply to
Lawrence Wasserman

Hitch wrote in news:Xns966E4A21F16D5Hitch@216.196.97.136:

I dunno - my Harbor Frieght one was about five bux USD... :)

I haven't used these folks - but

formatting link
is often mentioned / recommended as a place to get an inexpensive dial/base/tip combination.

Reply to
Patrick Conroy

mentioned / recommended as a place to get an inexpensive dial/base/tip combination.

Theirs is just fine for the wood shop, especially the one with the "tip collection".

Reply to
Rumpty

Try Mcmaster Carr,

formatting link
search on "dial indicator". They have them ranging from $15-$150. You might be interested in the $30 indicator+magnetic base kit. Mcmaster sells only quality stuff, nothing like the sh_t that HF sells. Don't be fooled by their "economy" designation. These should be fine for anything other than a hi-capacity production machine shop.

Reply to
woodworker88

Cheap is OK on dial indicators. Make sure the magnetic base works though - they tend to suffer worse from cheapness than the indicators do. Poor clamping or lack of rigidity in the arm is a pain to work with. I've never seen a "snake" arm that was convincing for rigidity either.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Your kidding, right?

Reply to
CW

Or Mititoyo, Teclock, Brown and Sharp, ect, ect.

Reply to
CW

You are also looking at WAY more indicator than you need. It is enough to get a .001 resolution and estimate any fraction needed. I have .0005 and .0001 indicators and they are just a joke when trying to line up the table saw trunions because I don't have anything that smooth to measure against or from.

Bill

Reply to
Bill

I just bought that exact model for LV. Magnetic base definitely works. Seems to be good quality (I new to dial indicators). I don't think I've bought anything at LV that wasn't good quality and value.

David

Reply to
David Bridgeman

Worst case scenario, if it doesn't work out within reasonable time use LV will take it back.

Reply to
Upscale

I believe there's a factory in China that turns out shiploads of these indicators. I've seen basically the same one sold by several vendors. I don't have the Lee Valley version, but I've seen it in their store, and it's better than or equal to any of the other no-name Chinese indicators you'll find.

I've had one for years, and while I doubt it would last day-in and day-out in a production machine shop, it's worked just fine for all the machine alignment and testing I've done.

Have fun,

Tim

Reply to
tim124c41

Got mine from somewhere like Highland Hardware. It displays both decimal and fractions of an inch. Ya gotta like that.

Reply to
Jim Weisgram

Mine's from an old physics lab I used to work in. It measures in microns. I could use the binocular microscope I borrow now and then, with a bit of interpolation for even more accuracy, but decided enuf is enuf.

Reply to
Guess who

If you only need accuracy to 0.001", try

formatting link
Half the accuracy for half the price.

Reply to
Bruce T

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.