Dial Calipers

What calipers would you say are on the good side? I'm not looking for a $300 one, I'm not full of money. But what would be a good brand to look for? I can't remember if Cen-Tech was good or bad, I was told Brown and Sharp was good. I would appreciate your input, I would prefer a dial caliper like one of these but don't know if they are accurate.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/Part-Type/Calipers/Caliper-Type/Dial/?Ns=Rank|Asc

My machinist loaned me a magazine for these guys but don't have it now.

http://www.pts-tools.com/cgi/CGPTHOME

What are you going to do with them? Calipers are not the most accurate type of precision measuring instrument IMO for measuring engine parts or any maching of components. It is a good tool for getting a reference dimension.


Tore

get a cheap set of digitals...from harbor freight. like tore said its just a ball park tool anyway. spend the big $$$ on a good set of .0001 mics

Fowler is a good low budget item.ebay is a good place to buy that type of thing.i've got some high end stuff at a real good deal.

138 wrote:get a cheap set of digitals...from harbor freight. like tore said its just a ball park tool anyway. spend the big $$$ on a good set of .0001 mics

Yep, I know. Just to get in the ball park, but I like to use them and it speeds things up. I'm not looking to spend big $$$ right now anyway.

I looked at what you referenced with the SUmmit site. I feel any of those would be fine for useage. I carry a set of calipers in my race car trailer, and I have 2 pair in the garage. One 6" and one 12" and they are a good reference tool.

Tore

If you want to start buying tooling check out the MSC website. OUr employees buy alot of mics and indicators from there. Sometimes they have a 35% off coupon you can print off the internet or reference on your order.


Tore

What makes a caliper "shock proof"? I like the top one better, the bottom one is shock proof.

http://www.pts-tools.com/cgi/CGPTSRIM?PMITEM=NA5552008007&PARTPG=CGPTLMXI&PAMENU=&PMLFNO=03_01_002_002

http://www.pts-tools.com/cgi/CGPTSRIM?PMITEM=NA5552008706&PARTPG=CGPTLMXI&PAMENU=&PMLFNO=03_01_002_002

Tore wrote:If you want to start buying tooling check out the MSC website. OUr employees buy alot of mics and indicators from there. Sometimes they have a 35% off coupon you can print off the internet or reference on your order.


Tore

Okay, thanks I'll look in to that.

Im gonna guess the dial is resistant to "shock"

138 wrote:Im gonna guess the dial is resistant to "shock"

I beleive the dial is resistant to shock also but if you drop them on the floor or set a large chunk of steel on them you might want to check them,

Tore

these are the ones I have, I know a very talented, and picky machinist and he uses these day in and day out... its like a tape measurer to him and nothing more...
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html

138 wrote:Im gonna guess the dial is resistant to "shock"

Well Production Tool Supply isn't too far from my place, Maybe I'll take a trip out there so I don't pay shipping, get it right then and there, and I get to see it in person and make sure its the right one. There is a place my teacher know about that has some old tools that you can buy, American made ones from back in the day. I don't know if its the same place.

138, I went to harbor freight the other day. That was the only one I would buy from there. There were Cen-Tech ones but I would rather get a different one, I don't like the way they are set up.

the ones you are looking at are only .001 at least the harbor freight goes to .0005

138 wrote:the ones you are looking at are only .001 at least the harbor freight goes to .0005

That's because its digital, I can look at a dial and tell if its between two .001 marks and know its another .0005. I measured a prostock cam today, puts our cams to shame .950 w/ 1.73 rocker ratio and .988 w/ 1.8 rocker ratio I like using calipers.

Justin I use Mitutoyo digital calipers at work and at home.
Spend a few more $$ and use for a lifetime.
Here's what I have. Shop around and you can find one for around $100.
http://www.buyscheaper.com/buy-cheap-mitutoyo-500-196-20-digimatic-digital-caliper-0-6150mm-00050-01mm-non-output-for-129-47/

just get a good wooden ruler. you know the ones with a metal edge.

I prefer the dial over the digital any day. Even though they are a reference tool only. Starrett all the way here, I don't waste money on junk anymore.

go to kitts in farmington at 8mile and inkster. i got mine for 7 bucks and they are pretty accurate within .0005

Finally a post where I'm the expert! I work in a metrology lab for Ford Mo Co. Metrology is the art of measuring so I know I can answer this one for you J. It's all the same when it comes to hand held measuring tools like that. They are all good. We use Brown and Sharp, Mitutoyo, Starrett and a few other ones.

This is what you should do, whatever caliper you buy just get yourself a few gauge blocks. That way you can check your caliper before you use it. Then you will know if it's off a little and if it is just set it to the gauge block. The gauge blocks is how you find out how accurate your calipers are!!!


http://cgi.ebay.com/81-GRADE-B-GAGE-GAUGE-BLOCK-USA-CERT-NIST-TRACEABLE-NEW-/270414256090?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ef5f217da

one more thing J...
I use a digital caliper at least 20 times a day and I'm measuring in microns on a daily bases (VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE CALIPER). One micron is 0.001 mm (That's a human hair split 3 times)

We use digital stuff that reads damn near into the Molecular Structure of the part (NOT WITH A CALIPER). The digital stuff is great! and it's easy on the eyes :-)

Hope this helps

nice find on the blocks...

For fabrication work, the dirt cheap Harbor freight dial calipers are perfectly fine to use. And like Travis I also prefer the dial over the digital. It's just something about being able to see how much the needle wavers/moves as your measuring tubing wall thickness in different spots that is a benefit to me.

In fact for fabrication work the cheap calipers are preferred in my opinion since you can buy 2, or 3, or 5 (or 100 ) of them and if you happen to drop one, or bash one by mistake with a piece of tubing, it's no big deal since they don't cost much. And for some reason they will always get abused when it comes to fab work.

I do the same thing with angle finders. I use the dirt cheap bob-weight pointer angle finders 90% of the time when rough fitting tubing to get the angle close. Then switch to the digital angle finder only for the final bar angle fine-tuning.

I went to Kitts on the way home from the machine shop, spent $40 on a nice Fowler dial caliper. Thanks you for your input guys, I narrowed it down to this one and another Fowler that was the same except it had a black face and was "shock proof" for the same price. But the dial would have to have been set upside down for it to be correct. What does shock proof mean anyway? And wow D I never knew you used them that much, so what type of things do you measure? Just check everything out and make sure it will work? I wanted to take a set of feeler guages in and check it but it might not be a good representation. And yes I agree Dave, a lot of times you need to watch the needle and find the largest or smallest point to make sure its getting the proper measurement.