Heath's Woodworking Projects

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun May 02, 2010 2:31 pm

heathicus wrote:That one was 1/10th the price!

Must be plastic!:rolleyes:

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Sun May 02, 2010 2:48 pm

JPG40504 wrote:Must be plastic!:rolleyes:

And made in China...

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun May 02, 2010 2:57 pm

HEY, it looks like it works and I'd bet the user can relax in the shop a lot easier than I do when I dig out my Brown and Sharpe. Now if you are trying to repeatedly make measurements accurate to within thousandths of an inch...maybe you should plan to spend a little bit more than that one cost. But, you does wood working to the thousandths anyhow.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun May 02, 2010 4:35 pm

dusty wrote:HEY, it looks like it works and I'd bet the user can relax in the shop a lot easier than I do when I dig out my Brown and Sharpe. Now if you are trying to repeatedly make measurements accurate to within thousandths of an inch...maybe you should plan to spend a little bit more than that one cost. But, who does wood working to the thousandths anyhow.

I do, I do!!

Well, truthfully, I don't shoot for .001" accuracy so much as wanting to know how far away I am from the target I am in .001". My brain deals with with decimals much better than fractions. Actually, Heath's 1/128" increment vernier caliper is pretty cool. It would just take me a while to get used to working in 1/128".

JPG thinks wonders if it's plastic. Manufacturer calls it 'composite'. Has a more techy sound to it.

paulrussell · Post by **paulrussell** » Sun May 02, 2010 4:43 pm

mickyd wrote:Heath.....Harbor Freight......6" digital caliper......$9.99........

Is that equipped with CaliperStop (TM) technology to keep you from inadvertently pinching your fingers between the jaws?

I'm hoping that RediculousLawsuitsStop technology will make all this moot.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun May 02, 2010 6:30 pm

mickyd wrote:Heath.....Harbor Freight......6" digital caliper......$9.99........

I had a great deal of difficulty using a vernier caliper until I found this site.

This uTube presentation was helpful as well.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Mon May 03, 2010 9:28 pm

Originally Posted by mickyd
Heath.....Harbor Freight......6" digital caliper......$9.99........

I received an Harbor Freight catalog the other day and on the back cover was their stainless steel 6" digital caliper for $9.99. Item number 98563-1MWB. They say the regular price is 29.95. I got one a few years back for about 14.99, and I've seen them regularly for about 15.99 lately. The catalog said to see page 116, so when I went there, it showed the composite / plastic version for 9.99 as well. The stainless steel version reads to 1/1000 inch, while the composite reads to 1/100 inch. The stainless steel one is really a nice caliper for the money, and comes in handy around the shop.

On page 117, there is a digital moisture meter for $11.99. It says it reads from 6 to 42 percent moisture. Item 67143-1AGH. I'll have to see if they carry it at the local store next time I get there.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:10 pm

pennview wrote:....
On page 117, there is a digital moisture meter for $11.99. It says it reads from 6 to 42 percent moisture. Item 67143-1AGH. I'll have to see if they carry it at the local store next time I get there.

What you really want is good accuracy around 4% to 14%. No real need for the higher percentages when dealing with kiln dried lumber.

42% Wow! Is that log is still floating in the pond! No! probably taken out a few weeks ago. When that log (or board) is run through a circle saw, water droplets will come out.

FACT: When all the "free water" in wood (the water trapped in the center of the cell) is removed - all the moisture remaining is called the 'fiber saturation point'. They say the average 'Fiber Saturation Point' of wood is around 30%.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Tue May 04, 2010 8:35 am

Hi Chuck,

I guess for $11.99 we can't expect a lot in a moisture meter. But, you can spend 30 times that amount and get one that reads to 50 percent moisture content and then use it on concrete, drywall, plaster, etc. I don't know if the Harbor Freight model will do all that, but at 11.99 it might be worth a try. And, if you're dealing with air-dried wood or drying your own wood, you might want a meter with a range beyond 4 to 14 percent.

shipwright · Post by **shipwright** » Tue May 04, 2010 12:45 pm

Ok, I have to say it. This is woodworking ! You're not building a diesel engine here. If you can achieve accuracy to 1/16", a little sanding on the finished project will render excellent results. If you can efficiently achieve 1/32 accuracy you are doing very well indeed. The place you need accuracy is not in rough cuts on the saw but in the final fits between pieces and this comes from careful "fitting" piece to piece not from measurements. On a finished piece no one will ever notice, nor does it matter, that the table, drawer, or jewelry box is .001 or even 1/16th longer, wider, or thicker than some presumed "perfect size" as long as the fits are tight. I just don't understand all this obcession with dimensional accuracy where wood is involved. Maybe it comes from a need to follow plans accurately, I don't know. If that is the case, stop using plans and work from your imagination.

Sorry, my rant is now over.

Paul M