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Measuring Hollow forms

T

treedoctor

Joined
Feb 16, 2008
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Location
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One of our club members owns the Kelton calipers, and he says he never uses them - I've tried them and they don't appear to be something I'd use either.

My favorite calipers are the Veritas-style bowl calipers like THESE and the Gage'T thickness gauge made by Keith Tompkins shown HERE.

I've bought the materials to make a shoulder thickness gauge like J. Paul Fennell uses, but haven't gotten around to building it yet.

I never got used to the Ellsworth-style "bent wire" calipers - much prefer the Veritas deep calipers for most of my wall thickness checking, particularly in hollow forms. The Gage't works really well on bowls - very quick and accurate.

Rob Wallace
 
Last edited:
I use the Jamieson system with the laser guide on hollow forms and don't use calipers very often. I have to reset the laser as I work through the curves in each piece but have been pleased with the results. I don't try to cut really thin walls, mine are usually 3/16" to 1/4" but the thickness is consistent though the piece.
Tim Carter
 
I prefer the laser as well, just a lot easier. When I didn't use a laser, I used a D shaped bent wire that I learned about from a Dave Ellsworth video. Just the right price, maybe 10 cents worth of stiff wire. I use it on my bowls all the time.
robo hippy
 
You can make your own out of plexiglass or aluminum sheet or perhaps plywood. I have mine made from some old plexiglass machine doors, they do the job just fine and well priced 🙂
 
I am blind and use the Kelton calipers all the time

[
I use the Kelton small calipers. I’ve purchased them about 6 months ago. I use them all the time for any hollowed form that is deeper than 6 inches. I usually have a hole around 3/4 to 1 inch on my forms. The traditional figure eight calipers usually do not go into the form very well. I also get an accurate reading on the bottom thickness. I am blind and have made a video of hollowing a form. I show how I use the calipers in the video. Check my website out at www.blindwoodturner.com and go to the articles and events page to find a lind to the videos.
QUOTE=treedoctor;51860]Has anyone used the Kelton calipers? The claim is that they measure
both bottom and sidewall thickness with minimal tangential error.

In my limited experience with hollow forms, I've used the standard double-ended caliper as well as the Veritas thickness calipers, but don't own either.
Any other ideas or favorites?

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Measuring___Calipers___Kelton_Caliper___kelton_caliper?Args=

Thanks[/QUOTE]
 
Thanks Dennis. Nice work. Really impressive.
Its good to hear some first hand feedback
on the calipers. It sounds like your experience
fits the claim of the manufacturer. Keep posting
and showing your work.
 
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