Curse you Digital Calipers!!!!!!

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J

Justturnin

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Joined
Aug 19, 2011
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Houston, Tx
So it has been almost 2 months since I have been able to turn a pen. During that time I picked up 3 HF Digital calipers (on sale from $29.99 to $9.99). Yesterday I started turning an order of 11 Gun Metal Trim Lines w/ Black Ash Burl and I am OBSESSED with the number on the Caliper. I zero out on the part and go to sizing the blank. They really help me get it just below the necessary size so I am not wasting CA building it back but when sanding the finish I can't get it back to Zero and it is driving me crazy. Last night I threw in the towel at .1mm and the fit was great but I want it to ZERO OUT. Am I crazy. What are your acceptable Tolerances?
 
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I use SAE instead of metric, so I'm not sure where the .1mm compares, but I'm usually satisfied with somewhere around .005 inch or less over the part size, never under.

(edit, just looked up a converter, .1mm = 0.0039 inches or .004 for round thousandths, I would be fine with that...
 
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try this.

close the caliper fully and zero it out. open and close it several times and see what the reading is. If it starts showing 1mm, then you know you'll never be able to get back to zero.
 
Russianwolf said:
try this.

close the caliper fully and zero it out. open and close it several times and see what the reading is. If it starts showing 1mm, then you know you'll never be able to get back to zero.
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I played w/ the Calipers before bcause some reviews talked about them losing zero with no issues. Even when I was sanding I kept putting the part in and it would zero on it. I think what is doing is pushing me to improve. I am getting closer and the pen I did last night was at .06mm which is super tight.
 
Fresh batteries could be an issue. The other is you get what you pay for. HF is not known for high end tools, in fact some of the items the carry are pretty bad. But they do have some great deals on products where quality is not an issue.
 
My issue is not with the Calipers, they are working great. I have had no issues with losing zero on them to date. The issue is with me being overly obsessed with getting my tolerances back to zero which so far has been a real challenge. I am getting better and closerwith Every pen I turn with them. I have actually changed the way I turn my pens and build my CA finish and I think in the long run these Digital Calipers will save me money on CA.
 
Welcome to Pen turners Anonymous.

Step one my life is spinning out of control and I spend my time trying to get it perfect. So much so that I worry about it in public.
 
what say thou Joe

joefyffe said:
TerryDowning said:
There is such thing as "Good Enough"
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WRONG!!!
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Everything we measure has some tolerance whether it is stated or not. It has to, because measuring devices themselves have a tolerance they are built to and while it is possible to get reliable measurements with a tighter tolerance than the insturment it is right difficult. I've done it but not with any insturment you can operate manually and read with your eyes.
 
It doesn't matter if it zero's out at zero or any other number, it's all relative. As long as you use that same set of calipers for the whole build you'll be fine.
 
Got my last pen from today down to .04mm. What a fit. Now I wonder what tool could I get next that can step up my game even more. My tolerances this past week are killer thanks to these calipers. I keep 2 going at all times, one for the end and one for the center/other end. Really makes everything go so much faster. While I am obsessed w/ hitting Zero, I am finishing faster w/ each pen. These 3 calipers are the best $30 I have spent in a while.
 
I usually don't buy anything from Harbor Freight that uses electricity, but I also have two pair of their digital calipers and have had good repeatability from them, not to say that I use them every day.
 
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