calipers

[browntown]

Mitutoyo Digital and Starrett Dial (older, made in usa)are my go-to's. Vernier's never can really go out of zero. Takes a while to get the hang of reading them quickly, but they're often found cheap on ebay. Even the Swiss ones like Tesa Etalon.

Pawn shops often have pretty red Starrett boxes in the glass cases but no one ever buys them, so you can get micrometers and calipers for cheap (relative).

[Kilroy08]

I'm a big fan of anything Swiss, German, or Japanese made.

Most of my tools at work are either Brown and Sharpe or Mitutoyo.

If you know what to look for, ebay can yield some good deals. I've only been hosed once on buying machinist's tools on there. All of my precision measuring tools were ebay finds. Where else can you find a $1000 Schultes precision level that measures a .0005 drop over 1 foot for $150?

Do a search on your local craigslist for "machinist" or "machinest" in the tools for sale section. You'd be surprised at how cheap or expensive a packed 7 drawer Kennedy machinist's box can go for.

[gwpercle]

So how much do you have to spend to get an accurate caliper, my Harbor Freight Pittsburgh caliper is OFF by quite a bit, can I find an accurate one (hf) there or do I need to step up, and how far money wise?

I spent $25.00 on a Cabela's dial caliper , works just fine. I'm sure it's not great...but I'm satisfied with it. When it get's "off " you can re-zero it back in...just follow the instructions that come with it.
Gary

[smokeywolf]

I spent 30+ years as an engineer and prototype machinist.

As many good, used, American, German, Swiss and Japanese mikes and calipers as there are out there, it seems un-American to send your money to China.

I've found really good deals on Starrett, Brown & Sharpe and Tesa mikes, calipers, gage blocks, etc. on the auction sites.

[country gent]

A good set of Michrometers with friction thimble, standard ( when appropiate) and caride faces will out last several tool makers, Gage makers, or machinists carreers. Used tools can be a big savings. Calipers are a little diffrent story as the newer ones have knife edges that wear faster than the old spherical inside jaws that forced you to add .200 from dimension for size. I do like my mititoyo digital calipers ( I have added points for setting trammels or dividers) and My set of Brown and Sharpe michrometers ( 0-6") are as accurate as they were new after 35 years of use as a tool and die maker. I have a set of mititoyo 0-1 digitals also that read to .00005 accuratly if used in controlled temps and conditions. There are some great tools out there both new and used.

[victorfox]

Sorry for being inoportune but since you all here are familiar with the use of these tools and am just a newcomer hobbist. Would you mind giving me little help in this reading?



This is a metric and to me it reads 11.86mm or .466" . The tool was zeroed just fine...
Or should I ignore the 0.5mm mark as it's not completely visible, giving the 11.36mm or about .447? (Edited to clarify my question)

Thanks and sorry for hijacking...

[smokeywolf]

country gent and I share very similar tastes and opinions on measuring instruments.
I have about 7 or 8 different micrometers up to 4 inches and at least 6 or 7 calipers up to 20 inches. All are either German, Swiss, American or Japanese.