More amateur woodworker questions...

[Maurice Arney]

Being a "newbie" to woodworking, I am constantly running across items/tools that I need but didn't know that I needed... The latest item being a dial indicator. Now I am someone who has a constant internal struggle because I always want good quality and the "right tools." But I'm also a wicked "cheap skate" who rarely buys anything unless it is on sale. So when I look at tools (in this case a dial indicator) with prices ranging from $9.99 to $500 I am at a total loss at what to buy. I don't want junk but I would kick myself forever if I spent more than I needed to. I don't build furniture for a living; I just make things for the family. So I only need a simple tool that operates well, gives consistent, fairly accurate results, and will produce measurements that will not cause frustration later on.

That being said, I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thanks in advance :)

[phil harold]

Digital would be better in my opinion
changing from metric to inches on the fly is nice
I have a 20 dollar set that has lasted me close to 15 years
now if you want to spend money get the Mitutoyo

but a 15 dollar one will do the job for woodworking

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=2476630011

[Bernie LeBlanc]

Yes - digital is the only way - and Phil is right. For $20, you get a very accurate devise that measures metric, thousandth of an inch, inches. Can't go wrong on that purchase...http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.png

[Troy Turner]

I've seen a lot of posts where folks have the harbor freight one (me included). Made a simple wood mount to square the table saw up. I think it was $15. No issues what so ever with it. Seems to be one of the "better" things you can get there ;)

[Jeff Monson]

My digital calipers cost around 20$ also, this is a tool where you dont have to break the bank to get a good one. I got a pair from an auto parts store a couple months ago, that was a mistake as it only reads metrice and sae in thousanths, no fractions, which is what I like for a woodworking caliper.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Got this one on sale for about $10.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-travel-machinists-dial-indicator-623.html

Added this base for about $12.
http://www.harborfreight.com/multipositional-magnetic-base-with-fine-adjustment-5645.html

Does everything I've needed it to do since it's not something that gets a whole lot of use.

OTOH - I use the heck out of my digital calipers.

I've got a couple of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-composite-digital-caliper-93293.html

And one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-digital-caliper-with-metric-and-sae-fractional-readings-68304.html

They eat batteries though - but - if you take the battery out when you aren't using them, the battery will last along time.

[Andy Fox]

It's certainly open to debate whether you need a dial indicator for setting up machines. I do like to use mine though. I think I paid $50 for the needle indicator and magnetic base. I like not having digital so that I can see the needle swings when measuring runout, but maybe some digital ones have a feature to see this?

[Maurice Arney]

It's certainly open to debate whether you need a dial indicator for setting up machines. I do like to use mine though. I think I paid $50 for the needle indicator and magnetic base. I like not having digital so that I can see the needle swings when measuring runout, but maybe some digital ones have a feature to see this?

I like the idea of a dial myself for the same reason. Just to clear up... I'm not looking for calipers. I'm looking for one with a magnetic base for squaring blades etc. What brand is yours Andy?

[brian c miller]

I have a cheap harbor freight that is screwed to a wood block (QSWO) that's good enough to set up a machine for woodworking. I aldo have a set of starretts that are more repeatable but really not nesscary fo getting a fence square.

I'd cheap out on the DI but spend the money on a good square to use as a referance to set the DI.

[Maurice Arney]

What about this one? https://www.woodstockint.com/Magnetic-Base-w-Dial-Indicator-in-Case/D3207?utm_source=google&utm_medium=productlisting&utm_campaign=google%2Bproducts

[Jeff Monson]

Sorry Maurice, for some reason caliper was in my head. The one you pointed out looks fine, there again, a tool you dont need to spend tons on money on for performance. I have an inexpensive one from a local surplus center.

[phil harold]

Sorry Maurice, for some reason caliper was in my head. The one you pointed out looks fine, there again, a tool you dont need to spend tons on money on for performance. I have an inexpensive one from a local surplus center.
my bad too
I have a starret last word (http://www.bettymills.com/shop/product/view/L.S.%20Starrett/LSS681-52957.html?source=froogle2&utm_source=froogle2&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=parts&utm_keyword=LSS681-52957&utm_content=Facility&gclid=COH3-c7Z6LUCFcdDMgodx2AAyA)

but mount my calipers to a block of wood to check my tablesaw alignment

just easier...

[Lee Schierer]

About the only use in woodworking for a dial indicator is to align your table saw. The $9.99 one will do just as good a job as one that costs more. I aligned my table saw with a $20 dial indicator mounted to a block of wood with a wood screw. The block of wood was mounted to my miter gauge with two more wood screws.

We sometimes get carried away trying to get super accurate when working with wood. Holding tolerances to .001" is not practical for wood. Humidity changes from day to day can make the wood swell or shrink more than that. Use the precision instruments to align your tools for best performance and get on with making sawdust.

[Andy Fox]

Maurice, I agree with Lee's advice. I think I got my dial indicator at Harbor Freight, but I don't know what specific brand (not at home now to check it). I think I paid a little more for one because I use it for vehicle/engine stuff too.

[Joseph Tarantino]

get one of these and attach it to your miter gauge, once all the slop has been removed form the gauge's miter bar:

http://www.amazon.com/AccuRemote-Electronic-Digital-INDICATOR-INCH-METRIC-FRACTIONS/dp/B0071SKHAW/ref=sr_1_10?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1362599693&sr=1-10

really useful for alignment of many workshop tools. i got one of those magnetic bases from HF a while back and wouldn't buy it again. i used it once to check the arbor on a unisaw for run out.

[johnny means]

Maurice, I do build furniture for a living and don't use a dial indicator to set up my machines. Whenever I can I preach against the use of dial indicators, machinist levels and straight edges, feeler gauges, surface plates, etc in the woodshop. Some of these guys use more precision tools than a NASCAR engine builder. This activity we all enjoy was never, until recent history, done with precision tools. The irony is that, none of the period furniture we all look to as the Gold standard of WWing was made with a tool calibrated to .001".

[Chris E Smith]

Call me a Luddite but when my digital calipers broke I bought an inexpensive manual pair and have never looked back. I use them constantly for layouts, drill bits and quickly checking material thickness. I have a slide rule too.

[Bob Hoffmann]

No one has mentioned this, but a dial indicator (at least the way that I have used it) is to detect differences -- not an actual measurement. I need to know if the fence is the same distance from the miter slot -- not what the actual distance, only if the distance it the same from the front to the back. Given that, any dial indicator that has a smooth motion is good, and even the inexpensive ones do that ...

[glenn bradley]

I have used a $10 Harbor Freight 1" travel, analog dial indicator for years without issue. When a delta of .001" is really, really close as it is in woodworking, you do not need a $100 dial indicator. There is a definite need for an expensive dial indicator. I just don't happen to have that need. I often wonder how the machinists among us are able to leave their very accurate tendencies behind and dabble in our big, fat sloppy world of .001" ;-)