Technical Anyone still using Dial Calipers?

Got a job in a sheet metal shop just out of high school. First tool I bought was a vernier caliper. Used it for years until I could afford a cheap dial. Still use the dial caliper. Have a dozen mics in my toolbox that haven't been used for decades.

 

I was a 'mike' only guy years ago, then lately I needed something for my shift knob hobby/business so I bought a few digital calipers for less than $5 each online. They are okay for what I'm doing and last a couple of years. I treat 'em like ballpoint pens and toss 'em and grab another if they give me any backtalk. I did get caught with my pants down with the dead battery deal so I bought a 20 pack blister card for a couple of bucks.
I do enjoy quality tools and will buy the best so I guess the digital calipers are an exception, maybe because they were cheap to try and worked okay for the hacking that I do.

 

some guy on line tested current draw of a bunch of digital calipers and their sensitivity to slightly low battery voltage.
I believe the end result was button batteries are not interchangeable ( SR44 vs LR 44 or someting) , and even the best digital calipers benefit immensely from battery removal. For a while I was trying to come up with a way to slide a thin plastic leaf in to without taking the caliper apart.

I am pleased with my older General digital cal., but it is a battery eater, so lately I've been using my 2 score year old Mitutoyo dial caliper.

found it -
http://www.davehylands.com/Machinist/Caliper-Batteries/

 

Still have and use my 45 year old vernier calipers, battery never goes dead!

 

I tried using just my index finger and thumb then went back to dial calipers.

 

Dial first, then my dads verniers finally the digital's. Learned on my dads verniers to " read between the lines" as he instructed me. When I first used dials, I thought I really stepped up to the modern era.....

 

To attempt to provide the same "feel" for everyone, micrometer manufacturers started putting a friction slip on the ends of better micrometers. Most people tend to apply a little two much torque when just using their own judgement. What is generally accepted practice is to take a precision ground "Jo" block from a set of "johanson" blocks and mic it. Then you could tell how your mic compared to an actual precision standard. Then it was up to the machinist to see if he wanted to use the friction thimble on the mic or try to get the same feel when checking the part that he used when checking the Jo block.
Generally when really precise machining is done, grinding machines are employed rather than milling machines or lathes. Those grinding machines often have "air" gages for checking parts. Air flow is used to measure parts.
A dial caliper is a rudimentary tool that works pretty darn well for getting "close". None of us ever really calibrate them. If it says "something" on the dial that must be right. If it doesn't say exactly what we wanted we push a little harder........
With a micrometer employing a friction thimble and micing a feeler Gage, it should read exactly what the feeler Gage size is. Both the feeler Gage and your micrometer may be at the edge of their allowable tolerance. Remember there is basically no such thing as "perfect". EVERYTHING has a manufacturing tolerance. Your .020 feeler Gage may be actually be .0201..........1/10,000th from perfect. Your micrometer may be set 1/10,000th too small. You have a nominal variation between the two of them equaling 2/10,000ths. That's enough to be the difference between a "buttery slip" and "tight". That's why I say that a dial caliper will work just fine for many things but cannot accurately provide .001 . Yes it says what you want and they are pretty good for comparing things.......but you need a micrometer if the tolerance is really important. Fortunately we usually have more than .001 on many things.

The key thing is that "nothing is ever perfect" no matter what the Gage says. Hope that helps some. Did anyone actually try what I suggested in my earlier post? Look for variation between your inner and outer readings with the caliper.

 

Have only ever used either Vernier, Dial, or for more precision, Micrometer. For 50 years. Anything electronic can lie to you and you wont know it, till too late.

 

I use my 4" Mitutoyo dial calipers often, haven't even had the 6" out of the tool box for so long I wouldn't try to guess how long it has been, the mics are probably even longer since I've used them and I still have my P&G dial valve gapper I bought in 1968 when I had my Z28 but haven't used it since 1971 when I traded off the Z28.

 

Yes, quick way to get accurate measurements when you need to know more than a tape measure will tell you.

 

All the time.

 

Almost every time I use my calipers.... but then, I don’t use them much anymore! Lol
One of the ways I double check things is to use more than one caliper to measure something that needs to be accurate. Not to the point of a crank main or throw, but something that needs to be closer than a yardstick. Hence the multiple calipers!









Bones

 

Several of small ones are dial, but my 44 inchers are vernier. NO digital.

 

I have both in hand . Digital on my reloading bench , dial in the garage , they are great at keeping my mind active and seem to me to be build a bit tougher for working on mechanical repairs .

 

The only time I get my electronic one out is to do a quick imperial to metric conversion or backwards. Set it to the readout you want then switch between the units of measure - faster than using a calculator (and more accurate not relying on my math abilities)


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Guilty of using both 6" and 12". Gets me close enough to use something better.
Pete

 

I use my old dial most of the time.

 

Well that explains the battery issue, thanks. Guess I'll buy some batteries for doing metric but also going to buy a new dial caliper (mine has gone missing).

 

I used a regular 6" vernier for years until my eyesight warranted a new dial
vernier (8"), use it whenever needed.
When my son started showing an interest I taught him on my 6" vernier
and my Moore and Wright 0-1 micrometer.
I told him to measure everything from coins in his pocket to the his breakfast spoon.
He did good, and ultimately became a house painter, oh well...

 

for what its worth i bought a 50 pack of button cell batteries at tractor supply the other day for 5.50 has 20 to fit calipers and 30 that fit most car remotes

 

Absolutely. Never fails due to dead batteries. Screen doesn’t get jacked up from sweat drops either.


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Use dial calipers every day and have one on every machine . The digital ones got tossed out after the battery ran down.. They are great tools and will get you close but nothing beats a Micrometer or indicator

 

Digital is a "tolerance developed design"..unless your needing tolerances for super high RPM indy engine..or turbo...I like the dial.

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Only kind I own

 

I have four Brown & Sharpe 6" dial calipers that I bought from the '70s through the '90s. The B&S suit me better than Starrett or Mitutoyo and a few others, just a personal "feel" thing. I have an ancient B&S 6" vernier caliper that's always been the most accurate of any calipers I ever used (also a B&S 24" vernier), but as was mentioned above, these days (with old eyes) it's really tough to make out the graduations at times. Also as mentioned previously, I have a couple of digitals, an SPI, and a Tesa/Brown & Sharpe that I like just fine and are accurate but seem to always have dead batteries, LOL. My main objection to the digitals is that the zero-reset button is often in a place where it's just way too easy to accidentally reset them while in use. Don't know how many times I've been bitten by that. I have some really cheap import 12" and 24" dial calipers that do a plenty good enough job on large stuff.

 

As a Metrology Engineer..... everything ekimneirbo and Bones posts is saying is spot on. Go-NoGo gauges are a great way to take the human factor out of determining whether or not you're where you need to be .....when properly used. Take time to get an idea of what a good "feel" is. It takes practice and checking results with alternative methods.

If you find that your digital gauge does not have enough resolution step up to better a gauge. The loose rule of thumb is that your gauge should be 10X better than the total tolerance of the feature your measuring. Example....if your part is 2" +/- 0.002" you should use a gauge that is accurate to 0.0002".

Bigchief

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I have 2 dial calipers at home & use a digital one at work because I have to switch back & forth between American & Communist constantly. It is faster than having to refer to a chart to convert. I should get one at home now that I'm thinkn bout it.

 

All this go no go talk. It's like this, if your depth gage slides right on in it's go time. If not you'll be looking at this instead.

 

I may not use my dial indicator every day, but sometimes it is several times a day and I don't do any precision work, I bought mine 15? years ago and it was money well spent. I've got a cousin that uses a Stanley 25 foot when he works on cars

 

That's one big caliper! Is that from the B.C. era?