Dial Caliper?

[WayneShaw]

I learned how to read/use a vernier transit from an old school surveyor. A vernier caliper is always right, check zero and go. I have dials and a couple digitals. I have accidentally dropped a dial caliper and it jumped time on the dial. A digital, well you assume it's reading proper.

 

[papajoe222]

.3335. Guilty as charged.

You're reading the shadow. LOL

 

[miningshawn]

I have 3 of the digital calipers scattered around, the dial caliper is collecting dust. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

2 weeks ago I had to go to no less than 5 different stores before I found 357 batteries. If you are going digital, consider stocking 4 or so batteries before they disappear.

I wish there was a dial caliper of useable reloading size with a wheel twice as large.

 

[Clark]

I used dial calipers for a long time until my cousin designed some digital calipers.

So I bought those. I learned that I like digital if they turn themselves off..... so I don't have to replace batteries.

But this product for the mill does not turn itself off and takes months to run down the battery.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SPW1M47

I wish they made cheap digital calipers like that.

 

[Fast14riot]

I have dial calipers, but I find i use my vernier more than not. I read a tape measure all day, every day for work, when I have new employees I'm training on the table saws, they always ask how to operate the DRO. I tell them the scale doesn't move and its batteries don't die. I guess I'm just used to reading a scale more than a dial.

Although, I do find a dial is handy when checking lots of parts quickly as its easier to see the indicator in a different place, rather than exactly what place its in.

 

[hoz53]

I have 3 of the digital calipers scattered around, the dial caliper is collecting dust. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

2 weeks ago I had to go to no less than 5 different stores before I found 357 batteries. If you are going digital, consider stocking 4 or so batteries before they disappear.

I wish there was a dial caliper of useable reloading size with a wheel twice as large.

I used starrett 120 dial calipers for a lot of years. Still have my 1st set which i believe i got new in 1975. I never trusted any digitals but i knew many profesional machinists did. I finally got tired of the starretts tendency for the gear train to jump a tooth and the needle would be at 25 with the jaws closed so i sprang for a pair of Mitutoyo digital ISO coolant proof models. I havent looked back. They have been at least as accurate as the starretts with never any adding mistakes ect — i find ordering batteries online mabie 8 or10 to a card works out cheaper and then i have them.— i now have to use cheap reader glasses to read with after my cataract surgery and i can see the dials okay with them- mabie they would work for you.
.

 

[Tokay444]

The "3." Was a typo.
However, look at the angle of the dial teeth in the photo. That's not truly 0.334, more like 0.3343 because of the angle of view, a.k.a. parallax.
@papajoe222, when you close the jaws, make sure the needle is on zero.

Since a caliper is good for +/-.002”, trying to add a 4th decimal is completely moot.

 

[SeabeeKen]

I'm still using vernier mics from the 70's

 

[1951]

A vernier caliper wont quit when the battery dies and the needle sticks. I spent some time adjusting and readjusting my die while setting shoulder bump just to find the digital caliper wasn't holding zero. New battery didn't help so I broke my piggy bank and bought a set of Mitutoyo ASO calipers, BUT I check the first few measurements of the day with vernier and a few more during a loading session. Not s easy as setting zero on a digital caliper but I have my slide rule to help with the math.

 

[DiffEQ]

Since a caliper is good for +/-.002”, trying to add a 4th decimal is completely moot.

LOL. Limits of accuracy. (or, in this case the quality of the gearing mechanisms)
I used to be able to *see* 4 mils difference. My wife still can.
My calibrations expired long ago, and not arguing thermal coefficients, but if a caliper didn't read the shop gauge blocks correctly, it was retired. Hence, for intents and purposes, on a quality instrument, you can read and assign 0.000x because it's indicative of which side of the mark and how much. Built many, many machines that way.
Sure, when it really mattered, we would pull out the micrometers.

 

[Tokay444]

LOL. Limits of accuracy. (or, in this case the quality of the gearing mechanisms)
I used to be able to *see* 4 mils difference. My wife still can.
My calibrations expired long ago, and not arguing thermal coefficients, but if a caliper didn't read the shop gauge blocks correctly, it was retired. Hence, for intents and purposes, on a quality instrument, you can read and assign 0.000x because it's indicative of which side of the mark and how much. Built many, many machines that way.
Sure, when it really mattered, we would pull out the micrometers.

“Mils” as in millionths? .000004”

 

[DiffEQ]

“Mils” as in millionths? .000004”

Uh, no. If I say to an old machinist, "take it down 1 mil," he would know that I mean one thousandth.
Younger ones would look at me funny.
IIRC, the roots are based in the Latin "milli", as in 1/1000th - i.e. millimeter, millisecond, etc.

 

[Tokay444]

I call a thousandth a thou, a ten thousandth a tenth, and one hundred thousandths ten millionths. My machines only resolve to the 10 millionths, so I don’t really worry about anything past that.
I can also speak metric, but I don’t mix the languages.

 

[DiffEQ]

I call a thousandth a thou, a ten thousandth a tenth, and one hundred thousandths ten millionths. My machines only resolve to the 10 millionths, so I don’t really worry about anything past that.
I can also speak metric, but I don’t mix the languages.

Not really mixing the languages or terminology, more "old skool" vs "new school". When casually discussing, old habits come through, hence "mils".
There are two orders of magnitude between my "tenths" and yours, though I never heard deci [E 10(-2)] being used.

 

[Tokay444]

Not really mixing the languages or terminology, more "old skool" vs "new school". When casually discussing, old habits come through, hence "mils".
There are two orders of magnitude between my "tenths" and yours, though I never heard deci [E 10(-2)] being used.

I would call your tenths 100 thou, which is 3 orders of magnitude from what I refer to as a tenth. .0001 vs .100

 

[DiffEQ]

I would call your tenths 100 thou, which is 3 orders of magnitude from what I refer to as a tenth. .0001 vs .100

Thanks, my math was off....

 

[Tokay444]

Happens to all of us.

 

[Clark]

Practice on pin gauges with calipers until you can get a consistent measurement.

Interpolate between the 0.001" marks on the dial.

 

[rwj]

An easy way to avoid confusion is to not use descriptors (mils, tenths, etc). State the value using the decimals…

 

[Rsadams]

I just buy digital and keep spare batteries...lol...But because we owned a machine shop I can read the dial also...