On 3/18/2013 10:42 PM, WW wrote:


"Tom Dacon" wrote in message ...

I used to have a nice little 4-inch plastic caliper, with both decimal and
fractional rings on the dial. It lived in the breast pocket of my shop
apron, and was a really convenient size for woodworking. I'm sure that it
didn't have the absolute accuracy that my metal calipers do, but it was
always at hand and accurate enough for woodworking. Then one day, somewhere
along the line, it went missing and no matter how I searched for it I never
found it. And NOBODY sells anything like it nowadays, at least with a
fractional dial. I've spent hours on the web trying to find someone who
still sells it. No dice.

So I decided to finally step up into the 21st century, and bought a 4-inch
fractional digital caliper from Rockler.

And it's just about useless to me. I've tried to use it, but when the thing
tells me that what I'm measuring is say 55/128ths, there's no way that my
mind can turn that into "just a skosh under 7/16ths". With a dial caliper,
of course, it's obvious. So I go for a 6-inch metal caliper nowadays, even
though I can't carry it around in my pocket like the little one.

But then yesterday I had reason to measure a router bit shank which I
couldn't tell visually was 3/8th or 8mm, and I got out the digital caliper.
And you guessed it.

The damned battery was dead.

So to hell with it.

Tom

Tom... I ordered a digital depth gauge from Rockler. Would not turn on.
Battery checked OK. I returned it and they sent another one. Same
problem. One more time and I asked if they would test it before sending.
I guess not, it was dead. They did cover all shipping both ways and
returned credit to my card. But I no longer purchase any thing from them
except HARD items, (metal tools etc.) WW


So goto HF and get the dial metal fractional. its worth the $19.99 I got
it on sale for. It used to be $29, and is now regularly selling for
21.99 still worht it.

I might get another. Damn nice.

As far as plastic, I have never seen a plastic dial caliper, only
vernier in plastic.

Yes I have a blindmans fractional digital from Lee Valley.. but I don't
use it anymore. I have 3 other digitals.. having a dial fractional is
easy to read and calculate. and no batteries.

--
Jeff