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Fractional Calipers Help

Andy Goldman

Andy Goldman

Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
16
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1,543
Location
Placentia, CA
I have been using the same brand of Digital/Fractional Caliper for a few years, but it seems as if the the accuracy of the caliper goes away just after the guarantee expires. Some of the woodturning suppliers have started to carry other brands that I am not familiar with. I am open to any suggestions as a unit to try. Thank you
 
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A good quality caliper that doesn't rely on any gears, dials, etc can last a lifetime and maintain accuracy for all that time - I still have my grandfather's (when he was an aircraft mechanic in WWII) caliper , measures, and is accurate to within .0001 (one ten-thousandth) (Which I've checked against a precision micrometer standard that I use to check my micrometers) I still use it from time to time for small items, and they can be found on ebay and the like for pretty cheap.

These days a decent digital caliper that reads in both imperial and metric can be had for under a hundred bucks (if not less), and can last many years, and unless you're working with precision machining, I doubt a .001 variation would be a huge difference considering how wood moves.
 
I've found the $19.95 digital calipers that do metric, imperial and fractions to be quite useful in my shop, they're plenty good to woodworking tolerances and quick and easy to use, as well as pushbutton conversions in the cases where that seems like a good idea (seldom-- I hate converting things). Readouts in 128ths of an inch are too hard to think about though so I seldom use fractions.
My problem is that every third time I pick one up the battery is dead. I know this doesn't have to be the case, my Mitutoyo digital dial indicator hasn't needed a new battery in a decade. Is there something short of a $125 caliper that will work for my uses and have a decent battery life?
 
Roger Wiegand said:
I've found the $19.95 digital calipers that do metric, imperial and fractions to be quite useful in my shop, they're plenty good to woodworking tolerances and quick and easy to use, as well as pushbutton conversions in the cases where that seems like a good idea (seldom-- I hate converting things). Readouts in 128ths of an inch are too hard to think about though so I seldom use fractions.
My problem is that every third time I pick one up the battery is dead. I know this doesn't have to be the case, my Mitutoyo digital dial indicator hasn't needed a new battery in a decade. Is there something short of a $125 caliper that will work for my uses and have a decent battery life?
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Yup, been using something very similar for many years
 
Andy Goldman said:
I left out digital display that shows the fraction in inches.
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Probably a decent rockler one for 40 bucks: https://www.rockler.com/igaging-6-d...tm_term=4584757336472596&utm_content=Margin A replaceable battery, and ability to set zero , so not much concern about keeping it accurate... I'd buy it if I had to replace my Blue Point one.

The one I mentioned as mine is a Blue Point from snap-on exactly like this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/3641420161...5338905005&toolid=20006&customid=255_255_255& - I paid $120 new for mine, in about 2014 or so.. Basic watch battery (CR2032) replacement , which I have only had to replace twice (and that was in daily use in my small engine shop.. not as much use now)
 
Brian Gustin said:
Probably a decent rockler one for 40 bucks: https://www.rockler.com/igaging-6-digital-fractional-caliper?country=US&sid=V91041&promo=shopping&tid=pla&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=(NX)_Shopping_-_Margin_A&msclkid=985aa67b9d8f1b591649c5878fe362f3&utm_term=4584757336472596&utm_content=Margin A replaceable battery, and ability to set zero , so not much concern about keeping it accurate... I'd buy it if I had to replace my Blue Point one.

The one I mentioned as mine is a Blue Point from snap-on exactly like this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/3641420161...5338905005&toolid=20006&customid=255_255_255& - I paid $120 new for mine, in about 2014 or so.. Basic watch battery (CR2032) replacement , which I have only had to replace twice (and that was in daily use in my small engine shop.. not as much use now)
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Thank you. I had been told the i gaging units are pretty good, I will look into it.
 
As several others, I'd be interested in hearing actual user reports on specific brands/models.

I have 3 battery operated digital calipers and none work. The first one I got soon after starting to turn, caught it on some spinning wood and it went flying to its demise. The other 2 just stopped working, and in spite of replacing the batteries, didn't come back to life. All of them were the $20-30 models. I got a Shop Fox dial caliper in the same price range and it always works, though my eyesight isn't good enough to get closer than +/- 0.05.
 
Thing I learned with my Blue Point - If new batteries seem to not do the trick, get a magnifying glass and be sure the contacts (anode and cathodes both) are clean and make full metal to metal contact - even a bit of grease, dust or tiny bit of debris (like a tiny chip of dried grass in mine from lawnmower detritus) can prevent the battery from making full contact. also from experience with other devices, sometimes those little metal contacts can take a "set" and no longer offer any "springiness" to press into the battery, so they can sometimes work and sometimes not, in which case a delicate prying with a dental pick to bend them back out a tiny bit can solve the problem as well. As long as they are treated like the precision instrument they are (Read: not dropped on the bench or tossed into a tool box drawer, or used to whack something, or have something whack it - just like any other precision tools), they'll generally last a good long time.
 
I have a cheap dial caliper like this one dial caliper which being made of plastic has survived more than one trip to the floor, and a 35 y/o digital Mitutoyo that reads in Imperial or metric. The dial unit has a rack that occasionally needs cleaning but it is about as accurate as the other. Unlike the Mitutoyo, all the cheap digital calipers I have seen go through batteries like toilet paper. I have most common fractions in my head by now so I can do the conversions if needed, but my dial caliper is a good value if you need that feature and has been in daily service for at least 10 years.
 
I have the HF one that I got with a coupon a good few years ago. It still works but I treat it good. About $10.00 then and now a plastic one for $10.00 and others for more.
 
I have the General dial caliper that Kevin references above and used it for years. It was more that adequate for my flatwork (verifying planer output, tenon sizing, etc.). It was not quite enough for segment work that I have embarked upon. A few thousandths matters when working with the error stackup that results with large segment quantity rings. I bought an inexpensive caliper from Grizzly that was used for a couple years on flat work that still is accurate but started being flaky on power up (jumps to metric and self zeros for no reason). So I moved to a similar $30 iGaging device that shows metric, decimal inch, and fractional inch readouts. No battery issues thus far but in fairness is less than one year old. It turns itself off after a couple minutes whereas the Grizzly device would turn itself on with the slightest provocation. I am not convinced that Mitutoyo devices are needed for woodwork but YMMV.
 
I also use an iGaging Fastener digital caliper ... had it a little over 1 yr ... very happy with it. Readout started going wonky (blinking non stop like crazy) after a couple months using the original battery. replaced the battery and has been working spot on ever since. I use most every day.
This is the one I have

Also bought a different digital caliper and cannibalized it to build a digital stop block for cutting segments for segmented turnings. it's Joe Giannina's design and video as described in this link.
I really like how the jig turned out and love using it but wish I had bought another iGaging caliper and hacked it up for the stop block build instead of buying/using this one.

​

 
Rusty Nesmith said:
Never cared for digital, always used a dial.
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Same here.....When I worked in a machine shop, I was issued a Mitutoyo dial caliper. The tool room converted to digital calipers about 20 years ago, and I didn't give up mine....continued to use it. When I retired, the tool room didn't want it back, and I took it home. I still frequently use it in my shop today, and have a couple other lesser known brand dial calipers on hand for the shop and reloading.

I've never had a fractional Vernier caliper, but have a conversion chart tacked to the wall in a couple places to convert 1000ths to fractional dimensions......it's a very simple thing to do.

-----odie-----

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I have some better-quality calipers that i use for metal machining and some cheap harbor freight digital calipers that I use around the house, shop and work for non-critical applications. The batteries that go into these are fairly common for other devices I have so I keep batteries on hand most of the time.
 
I have both dial and digital calipers. I have found uses for both, but much prefer the former. However, I have discovered that removing the battery from the digital unit (or simply opening the battery compartment) prolongs the life of the battery. I've been told, but can't confirm, that many LCD electronics continue to draw power even when they are switched off.
 
I was gifted a fractional Starrett dial caliper years ago. It is my go to measuring device for anything precise. My problem with it is that I am worried about wearing it out because I use it so much. The new replacement cost is horrendous, compared to what it was 15 years ago.
 
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