Fractional Dial Caliper at Woodcraft

[KomaToast]

This is kind of neat, beats going to the calculator to figure the nearest fraction. It's also on sale right now.

http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4440

I'm trying to resist the temptation but I feel a little weak at this point.

Keith

[Boomer_01]

Koma,
For what its worth I bought one of these a couple of months ago after reading an article on the merits of fractional calipers. I use it constantly. I have an Incra Guage http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4216 and I use the caliper to preset it for depth of cut for router bits and the table saw and to layout mortises.

I also use it to verify dimensional lumber for consistency when planing to thickness.

I paid $49.00 for mine and feel it was worth it. So at $29 I think it is a great value.

Boomer

[tg3]

I already have a 6" electronic caliper. What would this do for me?

TIA.

[Boomer_01]

I am not the best at doing conversions of decimal to fractions....I remember the basic increments but can never remember the 16ths 32nds and 64ths. This caliper speeds up crtical measurments for me...and my accuracy has improved as well.....especially when needing to repeat measurements.

But if youre comfortable with a digital decimal caliper....then by all means stay with it....

Boomer

[vaking]

Costco sells a kit with 6" dial caliper, micrometer and a 6" steel rule in a case for about $25 - that is what I use.

[liqdfire]

Hrmm I might have to get one of these.

[bigsteel15]

I am not the best at doing conversions of decimal to fractions....I remember the basic increments but can never remember the 16ths 32nds and 64ths. This caliper speeds up crtical measurments for me...and my accuracy has improved as well.....especially when needing to repeat measurements.

But if youre comfortable with a digital decimal caliper....then by all means stay with it....

Boomer

I also have a digital, but would seriously consider buying one of those.
I am pretty good at quickly getting the decimal-fraction becasue I use ACAD all day long BUT I still seem to get them wrong quite a bit, especially getting into 1/64"... That would be why I haven't posted any pictures yet.

I am confused though. The add says" One turn of the dial equals an inch, a feature that no other dial caliper has."
Every dial caliper I've ever seen, 1 turn = 1"

[just4funsies]

Woodcraft's ad takes credit where none is due. They make it sound like they invented the fractionally-incremented dial caliper. I have one from General Tool that I have had for many years. It measures one inch per dial turn in BOTH 64ths and thousanths, so no conversion is necessary, regardless of which way you want it. Shame on you, Woodcraft. Thou braggeth too much!

[Stan]

My conversion consistency lacks accuracy also -- thus the full page printouts of Decimal to Fraction conversions down to 1/32's. Have three of them in the shop so I can see one from just about any location in the shop.

[Cain]

What's the difference between the calipers mentioned and this one on closeout at Avenger for $10?

http://www.avengertoolsonline.com/pr...imal_0100.html

[DaveW]

I'm still waiting for the digital calipers that give a fractional readout - I can't remember which magazine, but I know that at least one ww magazine recently referenced it as coming-soon. IIRC, it was either Avenger or Grizzly.

[bigsteel15]

What's the difference between the calipers mentioned and this one on closeout at Avenger for $10?

http://www.avengertoolsonline.com/pr...imal_0100.html

Probably the quality. There are good gauges and cheap gauges. Especially when it comes to digital readout. My 6" has a habit of jumping to 40"+ if I move it too fast. Good quality ones are very pricey.

That said, we buy the cheap dial ones for the guys in our shop because they get lost and damaged. Even the cheap ones can be zeroed by turning the dial.