Shopsmith Forums

There are better but this is what I use and would not hesitate to recommend for use on any wood working related project that requires precise measurement.

http://wixey.com/calipers/index.html

I like mine too but batteries don't last very long. I have to keep them in our house in the winter because the garage shop is cold in Spokane until I crank up the heaters.

I have a question re the fractional inch indication(digital).

How close to the fractional dimension must it be before it indicates it?

I am hesitatnt to interpret the accuracy spec as the answer.

JPG wrote:I have a question re the fractional inch indication(digital).

How close to the fractional dimension must it be before it indicates it?

I am hesitatnt to interpret the accuracy spec as the answer.

This may not answer your question but my Wixey Digital Caliper display 3 1/64" from 3.014" to 3.018".

dusty wrote:

JPG wrote:I have a question re the fractional inch indication(digital).

How close to the fractional dimension must it be before it indicates it?

I am hesitatnt to interpret the accuracy spec as the answer.

This may not answer your question but my Wixey Digital Caliper display 3 1/64" from 3.014" to 3.018".

It does. Fraction ± 0.002(approximately) For grosser 'deviations' look at the body scale.

Just had to use mine this morning and sure enough. Dead battery. Yes i made sure to turn it off before storage. My old dial harbor freight always comes to the rescue.

putttn wrote:Just had to use mine this morning and sure enough. Dead battery. Yes i made sure to turn it off before storage. My old dial harbor freight always comes to the rescue.

I have a General and had the same problem. It seemed like every time I picked it up the battery was dead. Then one day I droped something on it and cracked the glass. I have not used it since.

My go to one has always been my Woodcraft analog fractional caliper which I had before the General. It only has a fractional scale. It is graduated in 1/64 and easy to read to 1/128. Then I have a single scale decimal one from Lee Valley.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/143963 ... liper.aspx

Yes I know, why not a dual scale one? Then you only have one instrument. I have a cheap nylon one with dual scales and I find it annoying to read. Every time I use it I have to think about which scale is which. It only takes a fraction of a second but annoying none the less.

FWIW, the batteries in the Starrett instruments we had at work lasted for ever. I guess you get what you pay for.

I've had my HF one for five years and (I think) the battery is still good. Now watch, I'll need it tomorrow an it'll be dead. Like puttin, the HF dial one is a decent backup.
The only battery powered tool/instrument that gives me fits is the Wixey angle gauge. If I remember to take the battery out after each use, it'll last a long time. Leave it in and it's dead in a few days.

I don't have occasion to use calipers often and, as noted by others, every time I went to use them (cheap Chinese modle) the battery would be dead if I hadn't removed it after the last use. I have since bought a dial caliper and it hasn't let me down yet.

Here is a video comparing the power usage of a cheap digital caliper with a Mitutoyo
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8oopG2GpF0[/youtube]
and this one shows a cheap digital caliper disassembled and compares accuracy, fit and finish with a Mitutoyo
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvszAb0Y0Ec[/youtube]

I have a dual dial from Rockler, 1/64ths and Decimal at .01, easy to read and no batteries.