Digital caliper in fractions?

[Jon Endres]

Anybody have a preference for a decent brand of digital caliper that reads in fractions?

[Michael Koons]

I have the digital caliper from Lee Valley (I think they call it Blindman's). I actually do not like it because it measures to 1/128" and that's simply too granular for me. As you're trying to hone in on a dimension and you get a reading of 83/128", it's not very helpful when you're going for 5/8". I prefer digital calipers that have 1/64" increments. Minor gripe but a gripe nonetheless.

[Andy Giddings]

I have a General brand 6 inch capacity caliper reads mm, decimal and fractions to 1/64. Had it for years, works perfectly and rarely have to replace the battery

[Jerome Stanek]

I use the Harbor freight ones

[John K Jordan]

Anybody have a preference for a decent brand of digital caliper that reads in fractions?
Jon,

I know you asked about digital calipers but you might also consider this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FRGF1Q

This is my new favorite caliper at the lathe and in the shop when I want to measure. I rarely need to know a wood or drill bit measurement to 0.0001" but often want to know if something is 5/16" or 9/32".

I have a couple of digital calipers with fractions and they are sometimes frustrating. If I want to read a fractional measurement I have to fiddle with it if between the fractions. The fractional dial caliper lets me know at a glance if a measurement is "close". After trying this everal visitors have told me they were going to order one.

JKJ

[Martin Wasner]

Learn the decimal equivalents. Handy for when you need to use a calculator too

[Roy Harding]

Learn the decimal equivalents. Handy for when you need to use a calculator too

The more common decimal equivalents usually get memorized through constant usage. You can get calculators that use fractions, I use this one: https://www.calculated.com/prd100/Measure-Master-Pro-4020-Measurement-Conversion-Calculator.html

For the OP, I use the Lee Valley Blindman's - I'm usually using it in decimal mode and hadn't noticed the granularity of the fractional display until Michael pointed it out.

[Martin Wasner]

The more common decimal equivalents usually get memorized through constant usage. You can get calculators that use fractions, I use this one: https://www.calculated.com/prd100/Measure-Master-Pro-4020-Measurement-Conversion-Calculator.html

For the OP, I use the Lee Valley Blindman's - I'm usually using it in decimal mode and hadn't noticed the granularity of the fractional display until Michael pointed it out.


I don't know my decimal equivalents past a 1/16 factor, but I don't build anything to a finer measurement than that. Everything else is cut or scribed to a fitment or to a line, or "weak/strong" comes into play. I have to think just to know where 15/32" is, even then I say to myself, "half inch weak". Years of working with Tigerstops, Cabnetware, and controllers on various pieces of equipment has made it second nature.

I have a pair of Wixey digital readouts for a planer on my main shaper to know where the outboard fence is. It gives the decimal and the fractional number. I think I'd go nuts chasing the fractions. It also has about .010" window of being whatever fraction it is. Meaning 2-1/4" could be 2.245 to 2.255. Not a big deal though unless you're doing something where cumulative errors can come into play.

[glenn bradley]

I have the digital caliper from Lee Valley (I think they call it Blindman's). I actually do not like it because it measures to 1/128" and that's simply too granular for me.

Ding!


I have a General brand 6 inch capacity caliper reads mm, decimal and fractions to 1/64. Had it for years, works perfectly and rarely have to replace the battery

Ding, again!

I turned the 128ths" one into a height gauge:

339979

Dad has one that reads in 128ths, 64ths or 32nds and is switchable. By the time he found that one I had moved to fractional dial indicators and am happy here.

[mreza Salav]

Learn the decimal equivalents. Handy for when you need to use a calculator too

Or better, drop using fractions all together and use metric, you can adjust your precision by simply dropping whatever number of digits you want :D;)

[Roy Harding]

I don't know my decimal equivalents past a 1/16 factor, but I don't build anything to a finer measurement than that. Everything else is cut or scribed to a fitment or to a line, or "weak/strong" comes into play. I have to think just to know where 15/32" is, even then I say to myself, "half inch weak". Years of working with Tigerstops, Cabnetware, and controllers on various pieces of equipment has made it second nature.

I have a pair of Wixey digital readouts for a planer on my main shaper to know where the outboard fence is. It gives the decimal and the fractional number. I think I'd go nuts chasing the fractions. It also has about .010" window of being whatever fraction it is. Meaning 2-1/4" could be 2.245 to 2.255. Not a big deal though unless you're doing something where cumulative errors can come into play.

You're way ahead of me - for me, decimal equivalents to a factor of 1/8 are automatic - anything more precise requires thinking about it.

Like many, actual measurements are usually immaterial to me - I use story sticks, or the empirical method (using the joining piece to set the fence) for most of my work. About the only time I'm using callipers is when using the drum sander to bring stock to a precise thickness (and even then, a couple of hundredths either way doesn't matter - as long as all the pieces are the same dimension), or when calibrating machinery.

When doing "construction" projects, as opposed to making furniture, I also use the "weak/heavy" method of expressing dimensions. Being of an Army background, my terms for "weak" and "heavy" are somewhat coarse, and probably don't bear repeating here, but the idea is the same.

[Martin Wasner]

Or better, drop using fractions all together and use metric, you can adjust your precision by simply dropping whatever number of digits you want :D;)


Really dude, again?

[Mike Henderson]

I know you said you wanted a digital, but I find an analog fractional much easier to use. I have a Starrett but cheaper ones are also good.

Mike

[Paul Stoops]

I use the IGaging EZCal IP 54, which has large, easy to read numbers, and a table of decimal equivalents from 1/64" - 1" on the back, printed in white on black. I seldom use fractions, preferring work in decimals, but I too find the 1/128th" fractional increments to be a dumb, confusing idea.

Paul in Auburn, WA

[Wade Lippman]

I use the Harbor freight ones
They are just about free, and work great. They have fractions, but I never use it; much easier to use digital values. (It would be even easier to use the metric option, but that's another thread)

[Rich Engelhardt]

+1 (or 2 or 3) for the Harbor Freight.
I just remove the battery after using mine & that solves the battery going flat between uses.

[Ole Anderson]

Two indispensable measurement tools in my shop:The first solves my small dimension metric/fractional inch/decimal inch conversions. The second saves me time measuring screws and drill bits. Both hang on the shop wall near my drill press. On the backside of the conversion chart is a 1991 calendar. I have both dial and electronic digital (HF) calipers. I find myself reaching for the dial caliper more often as it is quicker and doesn't require turning it on and selecting inch measurements.

[Ronald Blue]

If you get digital's that do fractional and decimal they should automatically convert your fractional reading to decimal when you switch on the display. You only get the fractional/decimal equivalents ingrained by constant usage. Understandably when working with wood you don't necessarily need precision as much as consistency. Everyone develops their own preferences and methods. Getting a dado set adjusted to get the fit you want in my opinion is easier when measuring in decimal but that's just what I am used to.

[Bruce Wrenn]

All mine read in fractions, tenths, hundredths and thousandths. On the case, I have a chart to convert these to other fraction and metric values.

[Jim Dwight]

I used HF digital calipers for awhile but the constant need for batteries was a major turn off. Plus you have to convert. I got a 6 inch dial caliper that is marked in 64ths. You can read to less than 1/64th and bigger fractions are marked. Much more useful. I don't really need less than 1/64th accuracy.

[Mike Henderson]

I used HF digital calipers for awhile but the constant need for batteries was a major turn off. Plus you have to convert. I got a 6 inch dial caliper that is marked in 64ths. You can read to less than 1/64th and bigger fractions are marked. Much more useful. I don't really need less than 1/64th accuracy.
That's the reason I went to an analog fractional caliper. I had a digital but a couple of times I went to use it and the battery was dead. With the analog, it's always ready to go.

Also, digital calipers introduce quantization error. That is, let's say you set your digital caliper to measure in 8ths (this is just an example). If you get a reading of 3/8", you really don't know if that was a short 3/8" or a long 3/8" - it's just going to read 3/8". With an analog, I can read 3/8" but I can see if it's a short or long 3/8".

Mike

[Raymond Seward]

I use the Harbor Freight version.....you can get it for around $12 if you watch for sales. BTW, I checked mine against a friends Starrett...there was no noticeable difference.