Mitutoyo???
Tiki
500-196. J&L reg price is $123, sale $87. MSC is $100, General $85,
KBC $126, anyone know of where else to look???
Thanks!
--
Terry Keeley
If you always do what you always did,
you'll always get what you always got...
Albert Lee
also frequently appear on Ebay. Personally, I would just get it from J&L
for $87. That is a very good price.
I've had one for several years and simply love it.
"Tiki" <tkee(no spam)@(or trash)sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:k8av7.20113$Ve4.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Abrasha
>
> Looking for the best price on a 6" Mitutoyo Digimatic caliper, model
> 500-196. J&L reg price is $123, sale $87. MSC is $100, General $85,
> KBC $126, anyone know of where else to look???
>
Check eBay. There are always at least half a dozen up for auction at the same
time. I got one in perfect condition for $50.-
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com
Kurt Bjorn
digital mikes were the way to go, but for calipers, I like the dial types.
When you sneak it onto some diameter on the lathe, or are checking your raw
stock for the correct diameter, the dial lets your brain interpret the size
much quicker, IMO.
Kurt
--
Kurt Bjorn
http://www.5bears.com
Spehro Pefhany
> Do you guys prefer digital calipers over dial? I have always thought that
> digital mikes were the way to go, but for calipers, I like the dial types.
> When you sneak it onto some diameter on the lathe, or are checking your raw
> stock for the correct diameter, the dial lets your brain interpret the size
> much quicker, IMO.
I like digital. Just being able to go from english to metric and back is
enough. If you only ever do english, it might be a closer thing.
Best regards,
--
Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
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Tiki
I've seen usually go for almost the J&L price. Guess I'll take your
advice, just wondering if anyone else knew of a sale. Thanks!
--
Terry Keeley
Nothing improves until someone stops
and questions an accepted assumption...
Albert Lee <acl...@NOSPAM.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1tav7.58395$P8.20...@news1.elmhst1.il.home.com...
Jim Kovar
"Kurt Bjorn" <kurt...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:v_hv7.3784$3i3.4...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
For me, dial calipers are easier to read with a quick glance. But I
had a car once with digital gauges instead of analog and I never liked that
either. Probably just personal preference. I used to like my vernier
calipers until my eyes started going bad. I must have looked strange in the
shop holding my verniers out at arm's length to read them. I ended up
getting bi-focals but never went back to verniers. My B&S digicalcs are
o.k., but if you leave them on the bench with a reading on them, the display
blacks out after a short period. I like them to convert between mm and
inches however.
Jim
Iron Mountain, Mi
Mike Graham
> Do you guys prefer digital calipers over dial? I have always thought that
> digital mikes were the way to go, but for calipers, I like the dial types.
> When you sneak it onto some diameter on the lathe, or are checking your raw
> stock for the correct diameter, the dial lets your brain interpret the size
> much quicker, IMO.
I use a dial caliper, myself, primarily, but the digitals are nice for
converting metric/imperial and for setting zero at some value that is not
physically zero. Like, if you are wanting 2.000" on the lathe you can set
the calipers for 2.000" and zero them, then when you measure it just tells
you how much you need to take off. Not a big deal when you're cutting
2.000", but if you're cutting 1.785" then it makes life significantly
easier.
Plus, one digital that can do metric/imperial is cheaper than two dial
calipers of equivalent quality, one for each.
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mike Graham | Steel-fitter and CWB-certified weldor
mike at metalmangler dot com | Building big, steel tinkertoys that
<http://www.metalmangler.com> | get put together into shopping malls
Caledon, Ontario, Canada | and warehouses.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Robert Swinney
Bob Swinney
"Kurt Bjorn" <kurt...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:v_hv7.3784$3i3.4...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Robert Swinney
It is really handy for quick measurements of stock sizes. Besides, it helps
to maintain experience with reading verniers. A one hundred twenty eighth
is about 8 thou - close enough for rough stuff.
Bob Swinney
"Mike Graham" <mi...@metalmangler.com> wrote in message
news:slrn9rrea...@zippy.metalmangler.com...
Mike Graham
> I keep a vernier that reads to 1/128 inch on the toolboard over my bench.
> It is really handy for quick measurements of stock sizes. Besides, it helps
> to maintain experience with reading verniers. A one hundred twenty eighth
> is about 8 thou - close enough for rough stuff.
I've got one of them, too, and it's much more convenient for fractional
work (mine reads to 1/128ths as well, rather than thous) and it reads to
.02mm as well, which is quite nice. However, it can suck to be doing the
converting from fractional on the vernier to decimal on the tool scales.
Robin S.
you get dirt in them. In some instances, you won't even know that it missed
a beat and your measurement will be off... It's a dangerous game.
Mitutoyo now has a coolant proof digital. I've held on but never had the
chance to submerge it in liquid. Personally, my Chinese digital is working
very well after over two years of almost daily use. Covered it in coolant
one time. It stopped working until I removed the cover and let it dry.
Currently, it is accurate to +/-0.0005" over 3".
Regards,
Robin
"Kurt Bjorn" <kurt...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:v_hv7.3784$3i3.4...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> Do you guys prefer digital calipers over dial?
<snip>
Robin S.
"Tiki" <tkee(no spam)@(or trash)sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:k8av7.20113$Ve4.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> 500-196. J&L reg price is $123, sale $87. MSC is $100, General $85,
> KBC $126, anyone know of where else to look???
>
If you're in Canada, you may want to look at Atlas Machinery in Toronto.
Mitutoyo 6" Digimatic is $154 Cnd, IIRC.
If you do decide to buy from the states, remember that you'll pay more
because of the brokerage (about $20Cnd for UPS) plus shipping....
Regards,
Robin
DoN. Nichols
Kurt Bjorn <kurt...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>Do you guys prefer digital calipers over dial? I have always thought that
>digital mikes were the way to go, but for calipers, I like the dial types.
>When you sneak it onto some diameter on the lathe, or are checking your raw
>stock for the correct diameter, the dial lets your brain interpret the size
>much quicker, IMO.
With the possibility of being 0.100" (or 0.200" for some styles)
off. If you don't have a chance for that magnitude of uncertainty, the
dial is quicker to judge as "just about".
My personal experience (excluding the General stamped scale
fractional calipers) is in the following order:
1) Dial calipers at work -- 0-4.000"
2) Identical set bought from Edumund Scientfic for home.
3) Dial calipers bought for home -- Starrett metric 0-150mm.
4) Fowler digital at work. One of the early inexpensive ones, but
very convenient to use. Mechanism had an encoder wheel turned
by the same rack and pinion design which normally turns the dial
version's pointer. First experience with the mm/inch switching.
Very much like that feature.
5) B&S digital at work -- older design -- uses mercury batteries
which are hard to get now. Linear optical encoder in the slot
where the rack normally lives on a dial caliper. Probably the
highest repeatability of all -- but doesn't like coolant or oil
in the optical encoder. Resolution 0.0005"
6) Identical to (4) above -- obtained at a hamfest in the fitted
wooden box. Hungry for batteries, especially if you don't use
the "off" button often enough. I need to make an adaptor for
batteries which are easier to find. When batteries are low, it
tends to lose position and flash "error" easily with fast moves.
7) Mitutoyo 12" -- obtained at another hamfest. Capacitive encoder
under plastic/cloth strip on top of handle. Battery life about
one year or better. Jaws are big and clumsy enough so I don't
use it except when the smaller ones won't reach.
8) Starrett Digital calipers -- obtained from eBay auction.
Resolution 0.0005" -- same encoder mechanism as the above
Mitutoyo. Eats batteries even if turned off. Slide the battery
holder on the back about 1/8" and the batteries are
disconnected, so you get much more battery life.
9) Phase-II 6" dial calipers. Rougher feel than the Starrett, but
still useful in rough conditions, or when the batteries are all
gone. :-) Cheap, came at a discount price with something else
which I bought.
10) A couple of pairs of vernier calipers which read to 0.001".
Kind of late in life to have them, since I now need glasses to
read them. They came in a machinists' toolbox obtained with
tools from eBay.
Note that a particular weakness of the dial calipers is that a
small bit of swarf can get in the rack and cause the dial to jump so it
no longer zeros at a reasonable position. If you don't notice this
while working on a job, it is a possible source of error. (Most dial
calipers come with a tiny hook to help get the dial pointed right after
this happens.) (The same thing could happen to the early Fowler ones
which I described near the top -- but when you hit the zero button, you
are fine again -- assuming that you've cleared that swarf out of the
rack first. Check whether the caliper, if zeroed will open to full
range and then close back to zero again.
Not much to go wrong with the vernier ones -- except your
eyesight. :-)
The digitals are the best for comparing readings (say between a
master part and the one in the lathe). You can measure the master, hit
the zero button while it is there, then move it to the workpiece in the
lathe, and it will tell you how much you still need to remove. (Note
that you'll still need to divide by 2 if the cross-feed dial on the
lathe is calibrated in radius instead of diameter. There are enough of
each so the only real advice here is to verify which you have *before*
you remove enough material to be close to taking off too much. :-)
The digitals are also good for measuring the center distance
between two holes of the same size. Measure the ID of one hole and zero
the caliper while doing that, then shift to measure the two points most
distant from each other on the ID of the two holes, and you will have
the center distance with no math needed. (If you're dealing with two
holes of different diameters, you're stuck with the need for the math. :-)
Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: <dnic...@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
Tiki
--
Terry Keeley
If you always do what you always did,
you'll always get what you always got...
Robin S. <lase...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bcsv7.29195$Uf2.3...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Albert Lee
> because of the brokerage (about $20Cnd for UPS) plus shipping....
You can avoid the brokerage fee by making sure the seller ships by regular
mail.
Mike Graham
> If you're in Canada, you may want to look at Atlas Machinery in Toronto.
> Mitutoyo 6" Digimatic is $154 Cnd, IIRC.
That's the coolant-proof digimatic? If so, that's a *fabulous* price.
Normally they go for $200-ish.
DoN. Nichols
DoN. Nichols <dnic...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
Sorry to post a followup to my own article, but it seems that an
error crept in, possibly giving a false impression.
> My personal experience (excluding the General stamped scale
>fractional calipers) is in the following order:
[ ... ]
>4) Fowler digital at work. One of the early inexpensive ones, but
> very convenient to use. Mechanism had an encoder wheel turned
> by the same rack and pinion design which normally turns the dial
> version's pointer. First experience with the mm/inch switching.
> Very much like that feature.
>
>5) B&S digital at work -- older design -- uses mercury batteries
> which are hard to get now. Linear optical encoder in the slot
> where the rack normally lives on a dial caliper. Probably the
> highest repeatability of all -- but doesn't like coolant or oil
> in the optical encoder. Resolution 0.0005"
>
>6) Identical to (4) above -- obtained at a hamfest in the fitted
> wooden box. Hungry for batteries, especially if you don't use
> the "off" button often enough. I need to make an adaptor for
> batteries which are easier to find. When batteries are low, it
> tends to lose position and flash "error" easily with fast moves.
The error is in (6) above, where it refers to (4). It was
intended to refer to what is now (5) (The B&S with linear encoders), but
adding something earlier resulted in renumbering the paragraphs, and I
forgot to correct the pointer.
The battery life of the Fowlers was about a year, IIRC. I no
longer have access to that one, because it belongs to my employer at the
time (The US Government), and I am now retired, so it may be assigned to
someone else, or it may be somewhere in the surplus chain, or in some
individual's hands by now. It was still an excellent tool.
I found out about my error when Fred contacted me, offering to
make up for what appeared to be a problem in his company's products.
Since I did not purchase it with my own money at the time, I did
not know how it compared with others of the period. I have been
informed that it was not an inexpensive one. You (may) know how it is
working for the Government, sometimes you wind up with low budget items,
other times with cubic zirconium plated fingernail files. And when they
come through the supply system, you simply get them. :-)
Sorry for the misconception.
