As a former Calibration Technician, I used to work on the vernier and
micrometer bench. I found that the Mitutoyo equipment I worked on
withstood the test of time. Most of the equipment was from a Navy
base where it got practically constant use, and it the equipment
frequently came in well within manufacturer specs. Some equipment
mostly in the digital side would stay good even up to the 1/10000
inch, but would require frequent battery changes 6-9 months. All
these mics and verniers will eventually need adjustment, but some will
stay in alignment for up to a decade depending on use.

Some of the other companies's calipers just could not stand up to the
workload and would be back every 13 weeks for re-calibration.

Note, I do not even have any mics or verniers, and my advice is just
that, advice. Not legally binding, and your mileage may vary.







On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 19:14:18 -0500, Prometheus
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 21:02:24 -0700, "AArDvarK"
wrote:


...just thought I'd share this product link:

http://www.tool-solutions.com/product/102153

As a newbie, anyone think I should have one?

Yes, but you could get yourself a 12" Vernier caliper graduated in
.001" increments (1/64 is approximately .032") for about the same
price, and you don't need to worry about sawdust working it's way into
any mechanical parts. Also, I saw someone else suggest a digital
caliper, and in my experience, they are junk unless you want to pay
for a Miyoto, Brown & Sharpe or something of equal quality. If you
get one of those "import" ones, they have a tendancy to give wild
readings after a relatively short period of time. The vernier takes a
little getting used to compared to a simple dial caliper, but it's
worth the minimal effort involved to get a tool that will last
forever, rather than one that will likely fall apart after a year or
two- especially if you drop it or get it wet at all.

All differences in caliper types aside, they are truly excellent tools
for a lot of different applications, especially for measuring depths
in holes or mortices that are too small to allow you to slide a rule
into them.

When sending me an email, erase the .removethis from my email address or the email will get bounced back to you.