PSA: Harbor Freight Digital Caliper $16

[patrick conroy]

The Starrett Buy American thread reminded me to chime in with a personal experience on:

've had mine for two years now - it's great! Used enough to be on Battery #3. While I don't have a machinist's reference point to calibrate it to - I've measured a number of off the shelf items - drill bits, chisels, screws, etc. This unit is within a few thousands of what you'd assume it would report. As for accuracy, it again seems to put up data repeatable to a thou or so...

If all the units are as nice as mine, I think it's a great buy at $16.

[Australopithecus scobis]

The repeatability is precision. Accuracy is how close to the real value you get.

"0.900, 0.901, 0.899, 0.902, 0.898" is precision.

"1.00, 0.50, 1.50, 1.25, 0.75" is accuracy.

You want both. "1.000, 1.001, 0.999, 1.002, 0.998"

Anyway, for $16 I want one too. I'm considering a Stanley 136, because I'm looking for "neighborhood", not accuracy and precision.

[AArDvarK]

Tell me, what is wrong with using a regular mechanical vernier caliper? Alex

[Mark & Juanita]

I've been thinking about attaching one to my planer for quite some time, but haven't pried open the wallet to buy one to drill holes in. This may be the ticket if I can concoct an attachment method that doesn't look totally jury-rigged.

[patriarch]

Mark & Juanita wrote in news: [e-mail]:

While you're puzzling on that problem, see if you can add in some sort of solution flexibility for use, having inserted a bed extension. The kind one uses for thinner stock, and to reduce snipe.

Preferably something that doesn't require me to do addition including measurements in 32nds of an inch.

If you get the time. And are interested. And don't mind sharing. For free.

I don't want much, do I? ;-)

Patriarch

[Australopithecus scobis]

I want one of them too. :) Don't trust General, can't afford Starrett. Don't need it anyway. Still want one, though. But, you're right, a mechanical caliper is just fine. (I keep a slide rule in my bench drawer, and use it now and again.)

[Mark & Juanita]

Doh! Hadn't considered that possibility. Maybe making the sled a precise even thickness (1" sounds good) might work.

Haven't had any problems with snipe on my planer, but use of a sled for thinner stock is something to consider.

If you have the patience to wait for when I get a round tuit for that task, I'll be more than happy to share.

nah, not much. :-)

[AL]

I've had the 6" and 4" calipers for several years and really like them. The

4" fits nicely in my pocket.

What's wrong with a vernier? They are difficult to read at an angle or in dim light. You can't zero them out when partially open to do a comparison reading. You can't switch to metric at the push of a button. And when taking dozens of readings, they take a long time. Comparing a digital caliper to a vernier is like comparing a calculator to slide rule.

I've also been very happy with HF's dial indictors (normally around $13 but frequently on sale for around $7). Dial indicators are very useful when you have more than one. Many tools (such as the TS Aligner Jr, and numerous height gauges used to set jointer/shaper blades) use outdated designs which assume only one Starrett (or Starrett like) indicator at $100+ (ie. you only have one). But these tools could do a far better and quicker job if they were designed to use 2 or 3 indicators.

[AL]

Have you considered attaching one of these to your planer?

just received mine and will be attaching it to my Ridgid planer in a few weeks (I have a few other projects to finish first). I'll post after I install it.

[AL]

I didn't understand what you meant by bed extension until I read it again. When I get off my butt and install my DRO, I'll push the up and down arrows to accomodate the sled. Or I'll adjust the planer so that it just touches the sled, and then zero out the display.

[bridger]

I have a vernier caliper I bought about 20 years ago. it's still plenty accurate and the batteries haven't gone out on it yet....

[Jay Pique]

I'm not very well versed in the nuances of alignment and set up jigs for machinery, but I'm very intrigued by your line of thinking. Could you elaborate a little on how you would envision a multiple gauge to work, and why it would be better and quicker? Thanks.

JP

******************** Now you've got me thinking....

[AArDvarK]

Vernier's don't take batteries. They are not digital. Alex

[Mark & Juanita]

Nope. Up until you posted the above, I didn't realize these existed. Thanks -- even better.

Please do so, I would be very interested in any photos and/or descriptions of how you mounted it.

Thanks -- definitely a better solution than jury-rigging a caliper

[JohnT.]

You'd be surprised how many people find it hard to read a vernier or dial caliper! They just don't know how to read it, in most cases. As a machinist/moldmaker, my most used tool is a 12" dial calipers.

I have a cheapie 6" at home I use for everything...machining, planing, etc.

John

[Phisherman]

I prefer the dial ones too, especially the ones that have English fractions on the dial.

[patriarch]

Mark & Juanita wrote in news: [e-mail]:

[AL]

Consider the gauge used to set jointer blades. To see an example, search Woodcraft's web page for item 126979. It is essentially an iron square that holds one dial indicator above the blade. The design dates from a time when dial indicators were very expensive and so the gauge was designed to use only one indicator. You slide it back and forth repetitively, and wiggle the blade until you get the same reading at different positions.

Now consider a modern version that holds two dial indicators spaced about 4" apart. You set the square on the jointer's outfeed bed such that both indicator stems touch the bed. Move the arrows (ie. most dial indicators have 2 moveable arrows around the outside) to mark the readings (both indicators do not need to read the same). You've just zeroed out both indicators. Now slide the square so that the stems touch the blade, and adjust the blade so that the indicator needles touch the arrows (ie. the zero position that you previously established). You don't have to slide the gauge back and forth. And you only need minimal adjustment of the blade.

As for a table saw alignment tool like the TS Aligner Jr, first you slide it back and forth and adjust the bearings to take up slop in the miter gauge slot. Then you slide it back and forth along the blade (turning the blade at the same time). You have to do this because you only have one dial indicator.

Consider an improved version which has two indicators spaced about 8" apart which has been factory adjusted so that both indicators read the same. You put it in the miter gauge so that both indicators are touching the blade. Then you turn an eccentric bolt which locks the gauge in place. No more sliding back and forth. Now you turn the blade several revolutions by hand and watch both indicators as you turn. If the blade is warped, the needles are going to move a lot, and you want to stop at a point where the needles aren't moving very much (ie. you've moved the warp into the vertical axis). If the blade isn't warped, the needles won't move much and you can stop anywhere. Now get out the hammer and screwdriver and adjust the table so that both indicators read the same. If you don't want a factory adjusted gauge, you can use a machinist's square to zero out the indicators.

[Unisaw A100]

So what size cord should they have?

Would converting it to 220 give it more horsepower?

I found one that's three phase. Do I need a rotary convertor or would static be OK?

UA100

[items4sale]