Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

On Oct 6, 7:46*am, Joe wrote:
Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

That's the way our metric calipers work. I see no reason an inch set
could not be built the same way. Probably easier on the gear teeth.
Paul

"KD7HB" wrote in message
...
On Oct 6, 7:46 am, Joe wrote:
Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

That's the way our metric calipers work. I see no reason an inch set
could not be built the same way. Probably easier on the gear teeth.
Paul

I bought an electronic digital calipers this year. I do not think I have
used the verniers since. At my age, I love the big digits that do not
require interpretation. Was on sale at Orchard Supply and Hardware for $25.

On Oct 6, 7:46*am, Joe wrote:
Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

It's a cheaper way to make a dial caliper.

cheers
Bob

Joe wrote:

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

You are most welcome. Glad I could help.

--
Michael Koblic
Campbell River, BC

On Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:46:21 -0400, Joe wrote:

Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

I'm not sure I understand the replies.
A vernier caliper is definitely not the same as a dial caliper.

It seems as though it would be less simple to make the version I'm
asking about, as the gear teeth are much more closely spaced on it,
compared to the "full revolution" Mitutoyo I use at work.

I also have a couple of digital calipers, and I love the way they eat
batteries. It is nice to be able to switch between metric and
old-school with a touch of a button, though.

Since Mitutoyo offers both styles of dial (1 rev/0.1" & 1 rev/0.2"),
and the prices are similar, what would cause someone to prefer the
1/0.2 version over the other one?

Perspiring minds want to know.

Joe

Joe wrote:

(...)

Since Mitutoyo offers both styles of dial (1 rev/0.1" & 1 rev/0.2"),
and the prices are similar, what would cause someone to prefer the
1/0.2 version over the other one?

For incoming inspection, I conjecture

The 1 rev/0.2" model would get your reading in about half the time
of the 1 rev/0.1" model, on average. It's speedy if you don't need
+-0.003" precision.

--Winston

--

I'm still waiting for another sublime, transcendent flash of adequacy.

On Oct 7, 4:14*am, Joe wrote:
On Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:46:21 -0400, Joe wrote:
Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

Also, thanks to Michael Koblic for the link to Long Island Indicators.
I replaced the almost opaque crystal, and now I can fail to see the
small graduations a little easier. I ordered on Friday, they
(supposedly) shipped it US Mail on Saturday, and it was waiting in my
PO box Monday afternoon!

Joe

I'm not sure I understand the replies.
A vernier caliper is definitely not the same as a dial caliper.

It seems as though it would be less simple to make the version I'm
asking about, as the gear teeth are much more closely spaced on it,
compared to the "full revolution" Mitutoyo I use at work.

I also have a couple of digital calipers, and I love the way they eat
batteries. It is nice to be able to switch between metric and
old-school with a touch of a button, though.

Since Mitutoyo offers both styles of dial (1 rev/0.1" & 1 rev/0.2"),
and the prices are similar, what would cause someone to prefer the
1/0.2 version over the other one?

Perspiring minds want to know.

Joe

I was taught by the QC guys (when I was fresh out of school)
that 1 rev = .1" denoted a better, more expensive, more precise dial
calipers

AND

1 rev = .1" calipers were less prone to introducing measurement errors
in "the shop" when used as a shared or borrowed tool

(insert horror stories about users of .1" calipers using .2" calipers
& making a mistake.....a measurement off by .1")

Over the years I've only seen one or two 1 rev = .2" calipers in
actual use....everyone (including me) had .1" type, I assumed them to
de facto industry standard for dial calipers?

cheers
Bob

fftt wrote in news:1ad00637-7019-406d-8bee-
:

snip
I was taught by the QC guys (when I was fresh out of school)
that 1 rev = .1" denoted a better, more expensive, more precise dial
calipers

AND

1 rev = .1" calipers were less prone to introducing measurement errors
in "the shop" when used as a shared or borrowed tool

(insert horror stories about users of .1" calipers using .2" calipers
& making a mistake.....a measurement off by .1")

Over the years I've only seen one or two 1 rev = .2" calipers in
actual use....everyone (including me) had .1" type, I assumed them to
de facto industry standard for dial calipers?

I have a 0.2" per rev dial caliper. It's a Swiss made Helios, and it
served me well until I got a digital Mitutoyo. I bought it used from a
guy who reconditioned & calibrated measurement tools. I was a student,
and it was cheap. I always assumed that the 0.1" versions required
better & more expensive gears.

I seem to recall screwing up a measurement by 0.1" at least once or
twice.

Doug White

On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:14:16 -0400, Joe wrote:

On Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:46:21 -0400, Joe wrote:

Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

[snip]

I'm not sure I understand the replies.
A vernier caliper is definitely not the same as a dial caliper.

It seems as though it would be less simple to make the version I'm
asking about, as the gear teeth are much more closely spaced on it,
compared to the "full revolution" Mitutoyo I use at work.

I also have a couple of digital calipers, and I love the way they eat
batteries. It is nice to be able to switch between metric and
old-school with a touch of a button, though.

Since Mitutoyo offers both styles of dial (1 rev/0.1" & 1 rev/0.2"),
and the prices are similar, what would cause someone to prefer the
1/0.2 version over the other one?

Perspiring minds want to know.

Joe


OK, thanks for the replies, but I'm not sure I'm going to get an
answer to my question - possibly because there is no real answer.

The 1 rev/0.2" model would get your reading in about half the time
of the 1 rev/0.1" model, on average. It's speedy if you don't need
+-0.003" precision.

I don't see "speedy", as the slide has to travel the same distance,
regardless of the dial graduations, etc. The graduations are .001", in
any case.

I was taught by the QC guys (when I was fresh out of school)
that 1 rev = .1" denoted a better, more expensive, more precise dial
calipers

AND

1 rev = .1" calipers were less prone to introducing measurement errors
in "the shop" when used as a shared or borrowed tool

(insert horror stories about users of .1" calipers using .2" calipers
& making a mistake.....a measurement off by .1")

Over the years I've only seen one or two 1 rev = .2" calipers in
actual use....everyone (including me) had .1" type, I assumed them to
de facto industry standard for dial calipers?

The graduations on this caliper are still in increments of .001", but
since the dial makes half the revolutions as "standard", the
graduations are just a lot closer together (twice as close, in fact).
You can check out Mitutoyo's page he
http://www.mitutoyo.com/TerminalMerc...spx?group=1387
and look for their model 505-717 (the 4th page, I think); click on the
"image" link. That is basically what I have, just an older version.
Even the accuracy is the same as my other, single rev, unit.

It works, and reads, identically to the 1 rev/.1". I just don't
understand why a maker would find it advantageous to make (or a user
to buy) the 1 rev/.2" style. (Why not 1 rev/.05", etc?) There has to
be a market for them, but what is it?

I know, it's prolly irrelevant, but still...

Again, I appreciate you guys' replies. I'm just being a tad pedantic,
I guess.

Joe

On 2009-10-08, Joe wrote:
On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:14:16 -0400, Joe wrote:

On Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:46:21 -0400, Joe wrote:

Recently I bought a dial caliper at the flea market. It's a Mitutoyo,
and the dial is graduated in .001" increments, but it will make a
complete revolution once every 0.2", instead of the usual 0.1". What
is the purpose of a dial graduated this way (Zero is at both 12 and 6
o'clock)? It's a bit of a test of my vision to read it, but it was
worth the 5 bucks the kid wanted.

[ ... ]

Over the years I've only seen one or two 1 rev = .2" calipers in
actual use....everyone (including me) had .1" type, I assumed them to
de facto industry standard for dial calipers?

[ ... ]

It works, and reads, identically to the 1 rev/.1".

Not entirely so.

1) You need better eyesight to note the movement of 0.001" on the
0.200" per revolution dials. And it is more difficult to
interpolate between two markings since they are closer together.

2) I've had examples of both styles apart, and in my limited
experience, the 0.200"/rev ones have a single gear on the shaft
of the pointer.

The 0.100"/rev ones have an extra gear, so the pointer moves
faster. (You can't make the same pitch gear enough smaller to
get 0.100"/rev with a single pickoff gear without going to a
much finer gear pitch, which again is more expensive to make.

This extra gear probably costs more to make, so the 0.200"/rev
ones can sell for less.

I just don't
understand why a maker would find it advantageous to make (or a user
to buy) the 1 rev/.2" style.

Cheaper -- for both. The maker can sell more calipers -- to
those who can't afford the 0.100"/rev version. At some point in their
working life (especially as apprentices) the extra cost makes a big
difference.

(Why not 1 rev/.05", etc?) There has to
be a market for them, but what is it?

That one would require a bit more thinking to use -- just as a
micrometer does with 0.025"/rev -- even ignoring the use of the vernier
scale. This is why I prefer leadscrew dials with 0.100" per revolution,
too.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
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