Dial gauge

Uilleann Pipes
1

I’m shopping around for a suitable dial gauge to be able to measure the gouged ‘dip’ in cane slips. Can anyone recommend a particular make or model?

2

Hey PJ,

Nick Whitmer used to sell a good one for a very reasonable price, check with him to see if he still sells it.

Best,
Dan

3

Hi,

If you already have a dial gauge, its easy to make a “C” type frame to use it as a thickness gauge.
I made one with a 12" throat to measure the thickness of violin backs and bellies.

I just saw a couple of ready made “C” frames at the local wood show, some were molded resin and not a lot of money.

Tim

4

Teclock makes excellent dial thickness gauges. Get spherical anvils.

5

Starrett #1010RZ

6

Don’t fork out a fortune for an expensive one, have a look here http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_category.php?category=1310310429&First=D&Last=D

A dial indicator will set you back about $15. Starrett is better quality (and ten times the price) but you will never see the difference in what you are trying to do. They also have a number of different holders you will be able to adapt…

7

Thanks for the advice. I managed to pick up a nice dial gauge from Nick Whitmer.

8

Note that for measuring the “dip” (as BK refers to it), you don’t really want a thickness gauge per se. What you want is a gauge for measuring the depth of the trough.

In the video link below (source.pipers.ie) you can see the form of a “keel” that a standard dial indicator fits into, turning it into the right kind of gauge. With modest woodworking skills one can make such an adapter. Note also that, as a result, one reads the dial on the gauge “backwards”, as Benedict notes in the video.


Benedict Koehler - Discussion on the Gouge
http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?mediaId=9692&categoryId=135

The modified dial indicator appears at about 2:29.

Bill

9

Oh, yeah. Right you are. I suppose you could also just use the tail of a regular dial caliper, which can sometimes be used as a depth gauge, depending on the width of the slip.

10

The gauge Nick sent me is set up to measure depth. Here’s a photo of it:

11

Too late, but…

Busy Bee Tools in CA has them. You don’t have to spend a lot:

http://www.busybeetools.com/search.php?search_query=Dial+Indicator

In the US:
Grizzly Tools:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=260040

I got this one that does inches and metric for about $30.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/0-1-Digital-Fractional-Indicator/T21561

Harbor Freight has them too.

12

I wonder is BK such a good reedmaker because of the methods he uses or because he has been doing it for thirty years ?

RORY

13

You get a feel for it right quick. Dial indicators have a lot of other uses though. I can’t remember if BK uses one in his video tutorial or not. I remember he talks a lot about “feel”. He was not using one when I saw him making reeds a few years back.