Making your own calipers
samson
Cheap calipers are at least 10 bucks each. Does anyone
have plans/skills in making your own?
Thanks
S.
William Noble
nut. it will take you a couple of hours and be half as good as the hceap
$10 calipers. You can upgrade the wood to baltic plywood, spend more time
to make them nice and have them half as good as a used Starrett caliper
bought for about the same $$ on e-bay.
"samson" <sam...@samson.net> wrote in message
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Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
ebd
the best caliper for faceplate turning that I have ever used. If you
buy them from a catalog they cost $50 plus shipping. There is a guy on
Woodturning Central that has come up with something similar that goes
for $70 plus shipping. If you make my type it costs about $5 if you
use brass rod and $3 if you use steel rod. Plus you can modify the
plan to make it especially suited for very wide flatter turnings (big
plates & platters) or very deep narrow turnings with small openings
(hollow forms). You can make it as big or small as you want. Also, it
takes less than a half hour to put together.
I'm planning on taking the pictures and putting the text together
today. As soon as I get it done I'll re-post where it can be found.
I'm thinking that the easiest way for people to get it, pictures and
all, would be to post it on Woodturning Central rather than emailing
it as a Word document. I'll let you know in a few hours (or at least
by tonight).
turnerbob
7-8 years ago
just because I was doing a fairly deep project and the normal calipers
were too small and
I needed them right then.
Any scrap 1/4" plywood will work fine. Just draw out the shape on the
plywood, tape a second piece to it and
jig them both out at the same time. Drill a hole in the center of
both. (again at the same time)
Flip one and bolt them together. A nylock nut works well here.
There not starrett but they work just fine.
The beauty of this is you can make any size you want when you need
them if you have the scrap plywood.
Bob
http://www.outofcontrol-woodturning.com
samson
lmli...@nycap.rr.com says...
Much appreciated!
S.
Darrell Feltmate
I use a "D" shaped wire a la David Ellsworth. If for diameter of spindles,
the wire will work as well or a cheap set of calipers. For smaller diameters
a set of bargain store wrenches are great.
Check here about 2/3 of the way down.
http://aroundthewoods.com/hollow02.shtml
--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
"samson" <sam...@samson.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.218d0fd69...@news-server.wi.rr.com...
ebd
(6:53 EST). The intro post title is DIY - faceplate caliper - cheap &
best I've used and the next 7 posts are the step by step instructions
and pictures. I hope I put everything into logical sets of
operations. Hope this helps you out.
robo hippy
well, and are just the right price. The wire they use for the bottom
of cyclone fencing works well. Round over the cut ends of the wire,
and bend to shape. Use only the lightest of pressure, or you can bend
them wider than you want. If you want a 3/8 inch thick wall, open the
gap to 1/2 inch, and ride it down the sides of the vessel, or bowl.
robo hippy
On Oct 27, 3:20 pm, "Darrell Feltmate" <darrellfeltm...@eastlink.ca>
wrote:
> What are you using the calipers for? If it is for measuring wall thickness,
> I use a "D" shaped wire a la David Ellsworth. If for diameter of spindles,
> the wire will work as well or a cheap set of calipers. For smaller diameters
> a set of bargain store wrenches are great.
> Check here about 2/3 of the way down.http://aroundthewoods.com/hollow02.shtml
>
> --
> God bless and safe turning
> Darrell Feltmate
> Truro, NS Canadahttp://aroundthewoods.comhttp://roundopinions.blogspot.com"samson" <sam...@samson.net> wrote in message
>
> news:MPG.218d0fd69...@news-server.wi.rr.com...
>
> > In article <1193494556.149074.86...@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>,
> > lmlit...@nycap.rr.com says...
samson
lmli...@nycap.rr.com says...
Where is Woodturning Central?
Thanks,
S.
ebd
http://www.woodcentral.com/newforum/turning.shtml
Arch
think of it!
I am generally against using eponyms for tools, but this one is for one
of our own. As it becomes widely made and used, I hope it will come to
be known as the "ebd Caliper". Let's all start referring to it as such.
Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter
ebd
You crack me up!!! Actually I plagerized the idea. I saw one similar
in a catalog for $50. I said to myself "I'm not spending that, but it
DOES look good". I went to the hardware store and wandered the aisles
untill I found some parts that I thought would work. End of story. I
hardly think that it rates designating them ebd calipers...although
(see bottom of post for a never before given revelation)
I will be posting in the near future some Cole jaw extension that I
designed and had made. Maybe those should be ebd extensions (LOL).
Perhaps it's time to come clean. I work under the name Eskimo Blue Day
otherwise ebd. Why? Long ago Jefferson Airplane had a tune by that
name. Featured strongly in every course are words that I like to keep
in mind whenever I work wood. Every course of the song ends "It
doesn't mean shit to a tree". I want to remember to be humble and do
the best I can with the wood because a tree died to supply it. But no
matter how good I get, It doesn't mean shit to a tree.
Toller
"ebd" <lmli...@nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
news:1193525827....@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
sufficiently rigid to be accurate. All that thin wire; wouldn't take much
to push it an eight off.
Presumably that hasn't been your experience?
Darrell Feltmate
bend it into a loop with a straight side and open or close it slightly to
maintain the desired distance. A gentle touch and no problem. I made a set
similar to ebd's a while ago but with a wooden block instead of a cable
fitting and the block used a set screw to hold things in place. Again a
gentle hand works wonders.
--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com
"Toller" <Tol...@Yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:%S5Vi.19962$B25...@news01.roc.ny...
ebd
lot of pressure on them but in test measurements on flat stock of
metal and wood the accuracy is to the 1/32".
Arch
ferrule with thin rod. It's using a cheap, but durable metal ferrule
that makes it different.
I have used bent malleable wire and have used a pair of right angled
coat hanger wires, but I prefer to measure thickness directly instead of
by mentally subtracting a space or trying to get a fixed caliper out of
a narrow orifice.
The ebd measure can be viewed along the rod, of course, but maybe
someone could in some way add an inexpensive way to open the ebd for
easy removal from inside a vessel and close it again outside the vessel
to the measured dimension. ie. for observing or measuring a wall or
bottom thickness when the caliper is outside the vessel like the more
expensive calipers that can be sprung open for easy removal and returned
to the measurement set by a knurled nut.
Why bother, you ask. Because! :)
Prometheus
What kind of calipers?
A vernier style might not be too hard if you're good with a mill, but
a dial caliper is going to need a jeweler's lathe and a digital would
require some serious electrical skills.
In any case, calipers are a real bargin at $10. They're even a bargin
at $150- there's a lot of tiny, fussy stuff involved in making a pair-
and you need a good one to make one in the first place.
The real sticking points in making a good pair one's self are the
long, tiny rack and the gear that meshes with it, and the knob for
your thumb- in a good senario, it should be able to move the slide,
but slip when it is tight. It's also not a trivial task to etch or
otherwise mark your lines. The easiest way (which is not all that
easy) short of using a CNC engraver or etching laser would be to draw
your scale large, and then use a photoresisting chemical to print it
on the metal at the right size and etch it in an acid bath. I know
the broad outline of how that's done, but not the specifics.
No matter how you do it, it's going to cost more than $10 if you want
any kind of accuracy in one you've made.
That's not to discourage you from making some, of course- it's a great
idea if you just want to make your own calipers. But if you're doing
it as a way to get a pair for less than $10, I think you'll find it's
not going to happen unless you've already got some precision
machinery.
Prometheus
Ermm... ahem... *mumble*
It just occured to me that you might be talking about bow calipers for
turning rather than precision measurement calipers.
If you're just using them for transferring dimensions and not
measuring per se, that's not too tough, really.
Depending on what you've got, you could make a fairly nice metal set
with a bench vise and a drill press. Just clamp the metal in the vise
and bend it by hand, drill a hole through the top of each arm for a
pivot, and put a bolt or rivet through it with a washer between the
arms, and drill through the side of the arms to slide a bolt through.
A nut on that bolt would allow you to adjust the gap pretty easily,
and a spring over the bolt would keep the arms spread apart.
Apologies, if I had the wrong thing in mind- I use a dial caliper
every day, and that's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear
the word.
samson
prome...@NOSPAMcharter.net says...
calipers to copy table legs, putting the leg and a caliper for
each depth on a peg board in front of me as I work. Buying the
copper wingnuts and bolts is a lot cheaper than buying the 10
dollar metal ones.
S.
George
Tap brads into sticks, mark depths, part until reached. Talk about cheap!
Keep your story stick in front of you to remember what each groove means.
samson
geo...@home.net says...
Hey, I like this idea.
S.
George
>>> Tap brads into sticks, mark depths, part until reached. Talk about
>>> cheap!
>> Keep your story stick in front of you to remember what each groove means.
>
> Hey, I like this idea.
>
If you use sturdier stuff than soft steel nails you can clip them and use
the rough ends to cut your grooves. Drywall screws ground flat should do if
the project's not too complicated.
mac davis
>> > Thanks everyone for the input. I'm making a bunch of wood
>> > calipers to copy table legs, putting the leg and a caliper for
>> > each depth on a peg board in front of me as I work. Buying the
>> > copper wingnuts and bolts is a lot cheaper than buying the 10
>> > dollar metal ones.
Personally, I think calipers have their use, but not for what you're doing..
IMHO, you need to make hardboard or even card board templates for each of the
points/measurements along the leg...
They can be as simple as a piece of cardboard carved out with a box cutter so
that the cutout section fits over your turning... Easy to make, you can write on
them and if you screw on up all you've wanted is a piece of cardboard..
If you want to be really precise, make 2 or more templates for each depth, maybe
one too big, one too small and one that" "just right".....lol
Sort of like doing "go-no-go" with a spark plug gauge..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
William Noble
"where out where the huskies go
Do not eat the yellow snow"
> Perhaps it's time to come clean. I work under the name Eskimo Blue Day
> otherwise ebd. Why? Long ago Jefferson Airplane had a tune by that
> name. Featured strongly in every course are words that I like to keep
> in mind whenever I work wood. Every course of the song ends "It
> doesn't mean shit to a tree". I want to remember to be humble and do
> the best I can with the wood because a tree died to supply it. But no
> matter how good I get, It doesn't mean shit to a tree.
>
--
William Noble
'precision" metal machinist calipers would be just great - they are stiff so
they don't move, and they are steel so they won't wear and are easy to set
they have an 8 piece "measuring tool kit" for $8 - I have one such kit next
to my lathe - disposable tools, so to speak
"samson" <sam...@samson.net> wrote in message
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--
Arch
of spindles, coat hanger wires bent into small loops to slide snugly
along a rod fixed behind the rounded blank. Cut the wires to lengths
that will drop when the blank they are riding on is parted to specified
depths along the axis of the spindle. o__ Clear as transparent mud?
)O
ebd
> why do I keep hearing Frank Zappa, not Grace Slick
It is definitly Grace Slick. Volunteers album - RCA Victor 1969.
Eskimo BLue Day (6:31). Music Grace Slick, Words Grace Slick & Paul
Kantner.