This is also for anyone who just feels s/he can’t have too many precision measuring instruments:
Harbor Freight Tools’ latest catalog has a Cen-Tech 6" steel dial calipers for $7.49. I have one of those that I paid double that for. They’re really nice, and very accurate.
http://www.harborfreight.com
Click on “Order from Printed Catalog”
Enter quantity, then item 05647 3 MJB in the boxes.
Browse around and check out the other sale items. Who knows - you just might find exactly what you need! (I usually do!) If your order comes to $50 or more, shipping is free, too.
Enjoy!
Bill Whedon
I bought a Skill Tech 6" nylon dial caliper at Sears, which cost 4X what the Cen-Tech lists for in the Harbor Freight catalog.
I took the Skill Tech back for a refund after only one week… the damned thing would give wildly different readings of the exact same workpiece!
By my estimation it was only accurate to within 1mm, which might as well be a mile in the context of the precision operations for which it was intended!
I ended up ordering a Starrett, which cost $118 plus shipping… haven’t had a moment’s trouble out of it yet!
Maybe Cen-Tech makes a decent dial caliper, and surely steel would be better than nylon in any case… but experience has taught me to be very distrustful of budget priced tools.
I don’t even buy the cheaper imported end mills after comparing them to American made brands… the difference in quality far exceeds the difference in price!
And while I’m on the subject of end mills, the extra few dollars for solid carbide or cobalt is also money well spent… they last considerably longer than HSS.
I have that same caliper and paid the full normal price of $15, but it’s still a bargain. Very nicely made, smooth operating. When I get close to finished dimensions, I use a micrometer but the caliper is fine for 90% of what I do.
Harbor Freight is terrific all around. Order their paper catalog, and once you are on the list you will get sale fliers frequently.
I have had 4 catalogs since I received one that said, “final notice if you do not buy from this catalog we will drop you from our mailing list”.
I have bought many things from them. If I was a professional working with the tools everyday I might go for the better quality. For the average hobbyist they are better than nothing. I have a table saw that I bought for 49.95 that I have been using for at least 7 years. It works well. I use it for woodworking as well as cutting PVC to length. My father-in-law owned a contracting business. He was the one that gave me my first catalog.
I have a “made in China” vernier calipers I bought for six dollars and change on eBay. I’m very happy with it.
For small thicknesses (I often measure things .004" to .030" thick, for example) it’s spot on. I know this because I have materials (e.g., brass shim stock) that are manufactured to very close tolerances.
I don’t know how accurate it is for larger measurements, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it is precise, which means it will give the same number every time you measure the same thickness (it’s in tune with itself). As long as I don’t swap calipers in the middle of a job, a more expensive one wouldn’t make any difference at all. For some things, I work to less than .001" tolerance.
I bought one of those just before the holidays. It was marked down but I can’t remember what it was priced at then. I also bought on of their little 4" digitial calipers. The first one had to to back because the zero button did not function correctly. After close to a month I finally received the replacement, it works fine.
Regarding carbide, cobalt, etc. I just use ordinary HSS for most applications except two area. Boring and Drilling 3/64" diameter holes. On boring, I uses those TiN coated bits. On the tiny 3/64th" holes, I use cobalt - it last a lot longer, the regular one snap if you breath on them the wrong way. I use the 3/64" holes to tap with #0-80tpi screws for adding keys to my instruments.
My experience with Cen-Tech has been all good, which is why I recommended their dial calipers. I have 3 sets of them - one in each work area and one on the wall as a backup, should I damage one. All 3 read identically all the way up the scale. For low whistles, I also got the 12" digital, and it’s spot on, as well. (Mine came in perfect condition, zero button worked fine). I even have a Cen-Tech glass-filled polymer-frame dial caliper set that got dropped off the bench and landed on its head. I had to move the zero mark on the dial a bit (jumped a few teeth), but it is still right on.
I recommended the calipers because I know them well and trust them. I don’t recommend anything that doesn’t work well and consistently, because if I accidentally get a tool like that, it goes in the trash and I don’t buy that brand again.
I guess I don’t get the “nag” catalogs from Harbor Freight because I do buy quite a lot from them - supplies, too. Like silicon carbide sandpaper - made in India, very rugged backing, good bonding wet or dry.
For most of my air tools, I buy IR, but Harbor has a 50,000 rpm mini die grinder that is just flat wonderful, and you can often get it on sale for about 20 bucks.
Finally, I don’t care what brand you have - if it’s a mechanical measuring tool, you should check accuracy on at least an annual basis, and more frequently if the tool is heavily used. It’s easy to make or obtain a set of step blocks, and that, along with a feeler gauge for things like micrometers and calipers, will let you know if things get uncalibrated.
Thanks for the heads up, Bill. Somehow I’ve avoided getting on Harbor Freights list, but I really need to. (Mainly because I love to look at tool catelogs).
This past summer I found an incredible deal on a 24" Mitutoyo. Awesome! Daniel, I need to get one of the little 4" calipers, though. Neither my 6" nor (obviously) the 24" fit under the machine head when I do certain operations.
Today’s work has been a small pressure fit pipe expander. I hope that I can finish it this afternoon. Wish me luck,
Good luck! And now that you’ve so foolishly mentioned the project, we want to see pictures when it’s done Will you be using the expander to fit tuning slides?
If your order comes to $50 or more, shipping is free, too.
Will you be using the expander to fit tuning slides?