Looking for hand held router bit depth gauge - dial or digital...

[Sean Rainaldi]

Hi,

I'm looking for a router bit depth gauge for a hand held router similar to the Trend depth gauge with the steel rule, but instead of a steel rule I'd like either a dial indicator or a digital, accurate to .001 inches.

Anyone know where I can find one? Checked woodcraft and rockler, they don't carry anything like it.

Thanks.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Hi Sean

You'll probably get many "You can buy it here" replies but....

In less than 5 minutes, you can modify a caliper to read the router bit, saw blade and whatever height.

Regards
niki
109440109441109442

[glenn bradley]

This is a harbor freight caliper with the head cut off and a stainless flat washer epoxied on, $7 on sale. Scrap of ply, $0. Getting addicted to this thing, priceless. . . . or $50 from several sources : http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18090&filter=gauge http://www.wixey.com/heightgauge/index.html

[Stephen Edwards]

Nissim and Glenn,

Slick.....very slick fellas. Your images make this thread a keeper for the "good idea" file! Thanks for sharing.

[Sean Rainaldi]

Pretty neat thanks guys.

I have that same digital height gauge from Rockler, but the steel base of the gauge is far too large and arm is too far away from the bit to have it sit stable on the router base to get a repeatable bit depth reading.

[Bruce Wrenn]

This is a harbor freight caliper with the head cut off and a stainless flat washer epoxied on, $7 on sale. Scrap of ply, $0. Getting addicted to this thing, priceless. . . . or $50 from several sources : http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18090&filter=gauge http://www.wixey.com/heightgauge/index.htmlI too have made this gauge. But in inches mode, only reads to hundredths, However when you shift to MM, it reads to hundredth of a MM. Now lets see, a hundredth of o MM is what part of a inch? Because I knew I would be making more, I made a set of jigs so I can produce them fairly quickly. Cut dado down the center for bar, add template to route recess for body, band saw to rough size, and attach template and trim route to finish size.

[Sean Rainaldi]

.1mm = (aprox.) .004"
.01mm = (aprox.) .0004"

[Sean Rainaldi]

It's interesting since there are so many uses for this type of a gauge, that no one produces one commercially. I checked Rockler, Lee Valley and Woodcraft, no one carries one.

[pat warner]

There are many ways to measure cutter/blade extension and they're all worthy of note.
Notwithstanding, there are difficulties. One flute/tooth is often longer than another, the gage and the method of measurement need to be consistant, meaningful. The surface the measuring tool is on, has to be flat, clean, the tool bit has to be wiped of debris etc.

Better, perhaps, to take your best shot, then measure depth of cut on the work.
You now may or may not have to change the cutter extension.
At this point you can use the gages, rings and stuff on the router or lift, or a depth gage. This way you may have to do this only once/cutter/session.
Routers (http://www.patwarner.com)

[Steve H Graham]

That is genius. I assume you can zero it wherever you want?

[Neal Clayton]

i'm all for digital readouts, and have quite a few of them, but with a router bit this seems a bit superfluous. the only time i can think of that such height precision is absolutely required is with rail/stile bits, and even then, such accuracy is just as easily accomplished by keeping a scrap with the rail cut on one side, the stile cut on another side, and raised panel height on a third side.