Recommendations on dial indicator

[scott vroom]

I need to purchase a dial indicator with magnetic base for setting up my jointer. I'm interested in brand/model recommendations; I don't want to go too cheap, am willing to spend a few dollars more for a durable, reliable tool. This is for woodworking tools only and not for landing a rocket on the moon so don't want to go crazy overboard on precision.

I've also been told a spansion wrench comes in handy for jointer setup. Any thing special about these, or should I just pick up a cheapo at the local Sears?

Many thanks,
Scott

[Lee Schierer]

If you were going to earn a living using the dial indicator, then go with a Starett or Mitatoyu (spelling) otherwise you are probably best served by the cheap ones they sell at places like harbor freight. They give precise relative readings which is what you need for setting up a saw or jointer.

[brian c miller]

If you are just using it for woodworking I'd go with a Fowler kit, something like Fowler 72-520-199 or 72-641-300 depending on what are you like.

You will never have to read tenths so I wouldn't waste money on a fancy Starett or Mitutoyo gauge. I never liked digital gauges (I like to round myself) but some find them useful.

I would def stick to an AGD group 2 gauge with 1" of travel.

If you are really looking to spend a few hundred buck on set-up tooling I'd look at Ed's site (http://www.ts-aligner.com)... he makes a nice kit (I'd still stick with the mid-line Indicator) which will allow you to measure angles with the indicator & it's packed with useful info and comparisons.

[Myk Rian]

I used to repair indicators.
Starrett, Mitutoyo, Federal, Fowler are all the best of the lot.
A cheap HF indicator has thin gears compared to those, but, I found
they were as accurate as the higher priced indicators. However, the thin gears are much more prone to damage by being dropped, or the spindle being racked too fast.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If you want to set up your jointer, I'd reccomend the Jointer Buddy. Available from just about any hardware store/site. It's just magnets that hold up your jointer blades at the right height so you can tighten them.

My $.02 for a dial indicator is to go to Harbor Freight. For less than 30 bucks you can get a dial indicator and a magnetic base. Yes, the Starrett and other name brands are "better", but the HF indicator reads to .001, just like the others. So what if it's a little off? You won't see it. Way easier to use the jointer buddy for the jointer though.

[Mike Goetzke]

Scott - I have this dial indicator (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=623) and this magnetic base (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5645) . Not the greatest but I have had them for about 4 years now and they work like a charm. You can usually get the pair for around $20 when on sale.

Mike

[Cliff Holmes]

+1 on going cheap. My dad was a machinist, so I've been around my fair share of expensive DIs. There's no doubt that Starrett, Mitoyo, etc are well worth the money in terms of accuracy and ruggedness. However, for a DI that you'll only use rarely on tasks that don't really demand sub-thousandth accuracy, you'd be paying for capabilities you'd never use. And you could break four or five of them before losing on cost.

On the other hand, there's a certain value to the pleasure of using finely crafted tools, even on tasks not requiring their level of quality.

[Bill Fitch]

Scott,
I highly recommend the One-Way Multi-Gauge. It is really setup for very quick accurate jointer adjustments. It makes the table height and blade height adjustments very quick. And, it is precision machined to 90 degrees, so you can set your fence with it, too.

I know that a magnetic base and dial indicator can work, too, but it won't be near so easy. If you do go this route, you want to find a flat tip for the dial indicator. The One-Way comes with one.

Mine was about $80 or so at Hartville tool, I got it on sale. If you already have a dial indicator, you can buy the casting alone for a bit less.

Bill

[Tom Esh]

I switched to a digital indicator a couple years ago and I love it. It's so much easier to zero and read. Grizzly has some modestly priced, as does HF.
+1 on the OneWay Multiguage too.

[Philip Rodriquez]

+ 3 on the OneWay. You can use it on everything!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My goto tool for that type of job is an older Starrett "Last Word" set. plenty of options to set it up for practically anything, and around $80 used on ebay. Great stuff.

[Bruce Page]

This is my collection that I used to earn a living with. If I were looking for one just for occasional use, like tuning up a jointer or tablesaw I would get the inexpensive HF or Grizzly

[Ken Shoemaker]

Harbor Frieght has served me well. And saved money for a little better tool when I needed it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Check out the two on this page http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=2

I use Starrett's and a Japanese brand at work.

I just ordered the $32.95 combo here. I received them and they will be just fine for my woodworking.

[Phil Thien]

Hmmm...

I sorta like the cheap HF digital. I agree w/ previous post that it is easier to read (no parallax).

Back in the day when I was developing software for machines that polish nuclear fuel rods, I depended on my Interapid.

Back then my Teclock was my bang-around in briefcase DI. Very rugged and trustworthy.

[Heath Markovetz]

Is there a good place to get solid extension rods for the cheap HF magnetic bases?

I could use one slightly longer than the "fine adjust" one that came with it, and I don't particularly like the adjustment's crudeness or inconsistency.

[Jeremy Killingbeck]

Another vote for the HF Dial indicator & magnetic base. I have used many STARRETT & MITUTOYO gauges at work (I am a manufacturing engineer). They are nice gauges, but for setting jointer blades you can not beat Harbor freights price / value. I bought the base & indicator four around $20. The best thing about the HF gauge is when it stops working or falls on the ground it's only $10 to replace & not $100.

[Bruce Wrenn]

+ whatever on the HF, or generic DI. HF has magnetic base and DI on sale right now for $9.99 each.

[Danny Burns]

I would recommend that the holder for your dial have a fine adjust.
This makes life a whole lot easier!

It's a machine shop page but it has some nice tools.

http://littlemachineshop.com/

[george wilson]

For woodworking,a cheap dial indicator probably is o.k. for occasional use. The difference in GOOD dial indicators is often how little pressure is needed to move the stylus.

For high precision machine tool work,this becomes more important. I have a dial indicator that reads 1/100,000". Most of the time,I'm using one that is 1/1000".