rec.crafts.metalworking
Mini-mag protractor

Harbor Freight has a "Digital angle guage" that displays it's angle
relative to gravity in increments of .05 degrees. Unfortunantly, if placed on
a table and tilted 10 degrees to the right the reading is 10.0 and if tilted
10 degrees to the left the reading is 10.0 again.
I'm looking for a digital device of that size, roughly 2.5x2x1 inches,
that would show a negative sign for the left tilting previously described or
in some other way display the difference.
Enco is selling a Fowler "Mini-mag" protractor that appears to be from the
same maker with a different dressing on the front panel. Has anyone used the
Fowler tool or any other device that knows left from right, so to speak?

Hul

On 10/10/2014 6:17 PM, Hul Tytus wrote:
Digital angle guage
Here is one. You have to read it as it is.
The arrow up is positive arrow down is neg.

http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-re...DateDescending

You can look at many versions if you put in your digital angle guage
in amazon and can select and view and go back and select again.....

Martin

On 2014-10-11, Martin Eastburn wrote:
On 10/10/2014 6:17 PM, Hul Tytus wrote:
Digital angle guage
Here is one. You have to read it as it is.
The arrow up is positive arrow down is neg.

My SPI "Mini Protractor" is similar. (I got it from MSC a while
back). It has two arrows -- one pointing up on the side that is higher,
and one pointing down on the side that is lower. The arrows are very
short when it is nearly level (at a minimum, just the arrowhead), and
reach full length around 2 degrees.

Mine has four buttons, instead of the two shown in the photo ov
the "CMT DAG-001". They are, in order left to right:

"On/Off" "0%" "Calibrate" "Hold"

"On/Off" is obvious

The "0%" is grade in percent.

"Calibrate" lets you define a point as zero degrees.

"Hold" is obvious.

Beware that the magnets like to slip loose and stick to whatever
you put it on. I used some Weldwood rubber cement (Or was it Pliobond?)
to make them a bit more permanent (after I recovered them from what they
had decided to stick to. :-)

http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-re...DateDescending

Enjoy,
DoN.

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Thanks Martin. I'll take a look.

Hul

Martin Eastburn wrote:
On 10/10/2014 6:17 PM, Hul Tytus wrote:
Digital angle guage
Here is one. You have to read it as it is.
The arrow up is positive arrow down is neg.

http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-re...DateDescending

You can look at many versions if you put in your digital angle guage
in amazon and can select and view and go back and select again.....

Martin

Don - that sounds identicle to Harbor Freight's, which has the switches
and "arrows" you mention but their manual shows a device indicating 45
degrees with both arrows high. Probably didn't want to pay for the two
sensors neccessary to show the difference.
One question on the SPI device you have: how is the display mode, ie
degrees/percentage, indicated?

Hul

DoN. Nichols wrote:
On 2014-10-11, Martin Eastburn wrote:
On 10/10/2014 6:17 PM, Hul Tytus wrote:
Digital angle guage
Here is one. You have to read it as it is.
The arrow up is positive arrow down is neg.

My SPI "Mini Protractor" is similar. (I got it from MSC a while
back). It has two arrows -- one pointing up on the side that is higher,
and one pointing down on the side that is lower. The arrows are very
short when it is nearly level (at a minimum, just the arrowhead), and
reach full length around 2 degrees.

Mine has four buttons, instead of the two shown in the photo ov
the "CMT DAG-001". They are, in order left to right:

"On/Off" "0%" "Calibrate" "Hold"

"On/Off" is obvious

The "0%" is grade in percent.

"Calibrate" lets you define a point as zero degrees.

"Hold" is obvious.

Beware that the magnets like to slip loose and stick to whatever
you put it on. I used some Weldwood rubber cement (Or was it Pliobond?)
to make them a bit more permanent (after I recovered them from what they
had decided to stick to. :-)

http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-re...DateDescending

Enjoy,
DoN.

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On 10/11/2014 12:18 AM, DoN. Nichols wrote:
....
The "0%" is grade in percent.
....

Oh, sure! I looked at the HF one and its "manual". The manual says
that the "0%" button displays the "percentage of angle change" !?!! WTF!

Bob

On 2014-10-11, Hul Tytus wrote:
Don - that sounds identicle to Harbor Freight's, which has the switches
and "arrows" you mention but their manual shows a device indicating 45
degrees with both arrows high. Probably didn't want to pay for the two
sensors neccessary to show the difference.

The arrowheads move from one end to the other of the full-length
arrows as you pass through 45 degrees, presumably moving from measuring
a horizontal surface to a vertical one.

Sitting here in a Lay-Z-Boy style chair, I can't tilt it
precisely enough to get exactly 45 degrees, but it could well be that at
that precise angle, both arrowheads are on top -- or both could be on
the bottom -- or perhaps it is an artist's conception. :-)

This switches over at 100% (45 degrees) to start counting
back down -- using a different edge as the reference I guess. :-)

One question on the SPI device you have: how is the display mode, ie
degrees/percentage, indicated?

There is a small circle to the right of the last digit which
serves as the degrees symbol, -- or as the upper-left part of the '%'
sign if in percent mode. It is clear enough which it is in.

Of course -- it is not as sensitive as the Starrett Master
Precision level, but rather convenient for a lot of things.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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On 2014-10-11, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
On 10/11/2014 12:18 AM, DoN. Nichols wrote:
...
The "0%" is grade in percent.
...

Oh, sure! I looked at the HF one and its "manual". The manual says
that the "0%" button displays the "percentage of angle change" !?!! WTF!

So -- they couldn't say that a 100% grade was when it changed
height by the same amount as the horizontal motion (e.g. 45 degrees. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

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