Going to buy a dial caliper, any recommendations..

[shaun]

It's time for me to buy one, i've been looking on ebay but i dont know if i should trust such a precise measurment to something i bought off ebay.
Can any of you guys recommend a good dial caliper? Should i go digital? it would be nice if it worked as both a dial caliper and a micrometer as well. Brands and where i can get them all appriciated.

[INEEDAV]

Mitutoyo or Starrett are my favorites. Grainger carries Starret for sure and I think they may have Mitutoyo. If you can not buy from Grainger let me know and I can get them for you.
Billy

[wsuwrhr]

Buy a new one. They aren't that expensive. A peice of crap will haunt you forever. I have had some of mine for 12 years.
What size are you looking for? 4-6-8-12 or bigger?
Brian

[shaun]

Well i'm just going to need one for this motor build so i assume a 6" one will work fine but if the price diffrent for a 12" isnt much more i might as well get a 12"

[shaun]

Here's a couple i was looking at...
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00940185000
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00940778000

[wsuwrhr]

Digital is the best but more money. Switching from metric to inch is a snap. Dial is the cheapest.
J&L has a sale going on until the end of this month. I can buy a set and ship it to you.
Mitutoyo 6in dial 80. digital 100.
8in 125. digital 150.
12in 187. digital 300.
American made Starret will be about 30. more across the board.
Brian
Check it out for yourself at:
J and L Industial (http://www.jlindustrial.com)

[Rexone]

Originally posted by INEEDAV
Mitutoyo or Starrett are my favorites. Grainger carries Starret for sure and I think they may have Mitutoyo. If you can not buy from Grainger let me know and I can get them for you.
Billy
I agree with those brands. You might try Reliable Tool in Irwindale too. They have a pretty big website I think.

[schiada96]

Originally posted by Rexone
I agree with those brands. You might try Reliable Tool in Irwindale too. They have a pretty big website I think.
Me too but get the 12 inch so you can measure pushrods
Fowler - helios is my fav but I'm a sheetmetal guy

[Jet City]

Here's a direct link to J&L's calipers, I agree with wsuwhr, the Mitutoyo digitals are a good value, durable too. Check out MT7-00113E for $91.50 (0-6").
http://www.jlindustrial.com/search/searchresults.jsp?_DARGS=/search/frags/SearchProducts-bs.jsp.32_A&_DAV=keyword%7C0
If you want the best, that would be the Swiss made Brown & Sharpe or Etalon dials.

[wsuwrhr]

direct link, good idea JCR, however it didnt work
I have a Mitutoyo and a Starret. I bought the Mitutoyo(Jap) brand when I started out, and when I started making money I bought the American brand. Figured I should support my fellow machinists.
Brian

[HammerDown]

Originally posted by Shaun
Here's a couple i was looking at...
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00940185000
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00940778000
Sears...for real? I could see Sears/Craftsman for a hammer, vice, or Fridge...but a Caliper!
Im sure their not making them but do you really think their that good?

[INEEDAV]

I have a Craftsman one too. It was ok for use where I wasn't too concerned about accuracy closer than a few thosandths. The dial got loose over time and now has about .005 "slop" in it. I am sure that was from riding in a service truck. Makes a nice back scratcher now. I would go with any of the better name brands. If you are doing something that requires extreme accuracy I would step away from a dial indicator and go to micrometer anyway. Just my .02.

[shaun]

i'll check out the Mitutoyo brand. Thanks for the recommendations.
I always though craftsman made good shit. I guess i was wrong.

[Jet City]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wsuwrhr
[B]direct link, good idea JCR, however it didnt work
I actually work for the parent company of J&L (Kennametal), you'd think I'd have a handle on it:confused:

[Moneypitt]

Just about any of the brands mentioned here will give you pretty good service over the years. But, as already stated, if you want the best,(IMO), Brown and Sharp is a cut above the rest. Just the way they slide, like a real precision piece.... Most major brands will suffice, but that B&S feel is different than any other....Moneypitt

[wsuwrhr]

I agree, B&S is the best in my opinion also.
Brian
Originally posted by Moneypitt
Just about any of the brands mentioned here will give you pretty good service over the years. But, as already stated, if you want the best,(IMO), Brown and Sharp is a cut above the rest. Just the way they slide, like a real precision piece.... Most major brands will suffice, but that B&S feel is different than any other....Moneypitt

[wsuwrhr]

Originally posted by Jet City Rebel
[QUOTE
I actually work for the parent company of J&L (Kennametal), you'd think I'd have a handle on it:confused:
Interesting....
Brian

[shaun]

Your work for the parrent company? does that mean you can get me a good deal :wink:
I actually work for the parent company of J&L (Kennametal), you'd think I'd have a handle on it:confused: [/B] :wink:

[powerplay230]

INEEDAV,
If you didn't get ticked and pitch it in the circular file, take it back to Sears. Free lifetime replacement- even if I was never going to use it again I might feel better having cut into their profit for selling an inferior part. As usual just my .02
Rick

[INEEDAV]

But it makes such a good back scratcher Rick, you can even scratch two places at once that are up to 6 inches apart:D.
Really hadn't thought of returning it, might as well.
Billy

[shaun]

I though craftsman only had lifetime warrentys on tools that dont have moving parts?

[wsuwrhr]

HAND tools.
Works for me, I would take them back.
Brian
(Put a Mitutoyo 12in to death when they skipped and I scrapped a part)

[powerplay230]

It used to be anything "Craftsman" that wasn't powered. Heck I took a 10 yr old garden hose back because when I was in looking at new ones and told the guy I had an old that kicked it, he told me to bring it back. Did the next week and they immediately took me over and helped pick out my new one for Free. INEEDAV- And as far as the back scratcher, in it's present condition how sure are you that those two spots are 6" apart.:p

[INEEDAV]

Good point powerplay. My god I could be scratching anywhere from 5.997-6.003. Now I'm pissed:D. Its going back.

[78Eliminator]

Shaun,
While a dial caliper is good for ROUGH measurements, it is not so great for assembling an engine. I have no idea why anyone else has not stood up and said this. You need some micrometers and snap-t gauges. That would be the cheapest way to go with the highest level of accuracy. OR, you can come up and when you are ready to measure, I can help you out.
I just don't want to see you waste your money. A dial caliper is, however, a great tool for rough measurements and to take to the swap meet so you can really tell what you are looking at (it's hard to eyeball the difference of .001), right Fiat??? :D
J

[INEEDAV]

78-I had mentioned that earlier. I really don't like snap gauges either, a dial bore gauge is the only way to go for accuracy on bores. Seems like snap gauges could be affected by bore tapers fairly easily as well as the fact it is hard to see how square you are to the bore while holding them. Same goes for inside micrometers, after using inside mics for several years I trust what I get with them now, but it took awhile before the measurements I was getting were extremely repeatable and what I considered to be accurate. Granted the bores I was working on had a larger tolerance for error without causing a catastrophe (mining equipment), but repeatablility and accuracy was something I wanted. A decent quality bore gauge can be had for a reasonable amount of money. It won't be the long handled jobber, but it will get you buy for bores and mains.

[78Eliminator]

INEEDAV-I didn't see that post :D Yeah, I agree, I have tried all the methods you have mentioned and by FAR, the best wayt to go is with a dial bore. I just wanted to let Shaun know that I would be happy to lend him a hand, as I have yet to find a dial bore that is less than several hundred duckets......

[schiada96]

This guy wants a caliper not a tenth reading bore gauge. Get some plasti gauge and trust your machinist, right

[superdave013]

I have a nice set of mic's but for most things I use a dial caliper. I buy the cheep O's because one good drop and it's done anyway.

[78Eliminator]

Originally posted by schiada96
This guy wants a caliper not a tenth reading bore gauge. Get some plasti gauge and trust your machinist, right
Right. But there might be a difference between what he wants and what he needs. We are just trying to help here....

[OkieDave]

J.C. Whitney has a 12" dial caliper for $49. I use it to measure impellor diameters and it is fine for that.

[shaun]

78Eliminator, Thanks for the advise, you have always been a big help. I do have a micrometer, it was my dads when he worked for a printing shop, they used it to measure paper thickness.
I dont think i need a bore guage, i dont plan on doing this enough to have one and when i do this kind of work i have to have a machinest work on the block anyway so why not have them measure it. I still want a caliper because they are nice to measure things but at the moment i'm looking for the correct tools i'm going to need to assemble the bottom end.

[powerplay230]

Shaun,
If you are able to take the block back to the machine shop and speak to the machinist, that might be better than spending motor money on a tool right now. I would just tell him that I had been given different info' on the block and was "confused" (may make him more helpful) about the differences and if he could show you how he measured and do so. He shouldn't mind helping you out to make sure you are on the same page, and he should want to make sure you buy the right size piston. As usual just my .02..
Good Luck,
Rick