Help finding dial indicator tips

[Eric Bong]

Does anyone know where to buy tips for dial indicators? I have a magnetic base...
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=5645

and dial indicator set that I want to use to set up my jointer. I want to get one of the "button" tips for my dial indicator. That would be much easier than the standard round tip. Thanks

Eric

[Gary Keedwell]

Eric...the tips are usually sold in a set of various shapes. You can get a dozon or so for pretty cheap money. The shapes are flat, oval, pointed, tapered etc.
Gary K.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The Little Machine Shop, or Enco both stock tips for less than $10 for a set of 22. They will fit your HF dial indiactor.

[Richard Butler]

What you want is either a 3/4" button or a 1/2" button as recommended by Bob Vaughan in his video on setting jointer and planer knives.

J&L has them

SAT-93570D $5.88
Description: 3/4" 4-48 THREAD BUTTON CONTACT POINT

SAT-93560A $4.44
Description: 1/2" 4-48 THREAD BUTTON CONTACT POINT

If you are loking for the set they have them for $2.30
http://www.jlindustrial.com/CGI/JISRIT?PMPXNO=19184223&PMORGN=SALES:WEB_SALE

[jonathan snyder]

Try here http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1783&category=

[Gary Keedwell]

Try here http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1783&category=
Thanks Jonathon...think I might order a set.:)

Gary K.

[Phil Thien]

You can get them from McMaster. W/ all respect to Bob, you really don't want a button, you want a flat or what Starrett calls a wide.

Just think about it. With the button, you have to constantly slide the darn thing back and forth because you not only have to find the highest point on the knife, you have to find the lowest point on the button tip!

Just like at the One-way gauge:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3200

It uses a flat tip.

[Eddie Darby]

http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?&NETID=1031270619071478509&NTITEM=B1965

[CPeter James]

MSC has the flat ones and also sets for reasonable prices and extremely fast shipping (overnight).

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=1756061&PMT4NO=24389254

CPeter

[Eric Bong]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the specific links. I'm going to order a tip set tonight.

Eric

[Gary Keedwell]

You can get them from McMaster. W/ all respect to Bob, you really don't want a button, you want a flat or what Starrett calls a wide.

Just think about it. With the button, you have to constantly slide the darn thing back and forth because you not only have to find the highest point on the knife, you have to find the lowest point on the button tip!

Just like at the One-way gauge:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3200

It uses a flat tip.
Usually a set will have a "flat one" :)
Gary K.

[Richard Butler]

You can get them from McMaster. W/ all respect to Bob, you really don't want a button, you want a flat or what Starrett calls a wide.

Just think about it. With the button, you have to constantly slide the darn thing back and forth because you not only have to find the highest point on the knife, you have to find the lowest point on the button tip!

Just like at the One-way gauge:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3200

It uses a flat tip.


With all due respect, the flat tip is not the right point for the job.
The reason for the button tip is so that you don't have to have the point perfectly perpendicular to the knife. It is a matter of geometry. I tried using the flat but it just doesn't give acceptable results. If it works for you, fine, but I will not use the flat point when aligning a customer's machine.

If you want a detailed write-up explaining why the flat tip is is not the best choice, I will be happy to provide one.

[Phil Thien]

With all due respect, the flat tip is not the right point for the job.
The reason for the button tip is so that you don't have to have the point perfectly perpendicular to the knife. It is a matter of geometry. I tried using the flat but it just doesn't give acceptable results. If it works for you, fine, but I will not use the flat point when aligning a customer's machine.

If you want a detailed write-up explaining why the flat tip is is not the best choice, I will be happy to provide one.

Richard, could you please do that? This is my take:

When you use a button tip, you add another variable (the non-flat bottom of the button tip). So, you have to account for the radius of the button tip by moving the tip back and forth over the knife to find the bottom dead center of the button. Each time you move the tip, you have to find the bottom dead center of it (the button tip) again.

If you use a flat tip, you put the tip on the knife, take your reading, and you're done. It couldn't be easier!

Of course, it is important that the bottom of the flat tip be on the same plane as the jointer's outfeed table. I was able to do that with a magnetic base no problem, but find using a block of plywood to hold my indicator even easier (see picture of poor-man's One-Way gauge).

[Richard Butler]

Using the extended bar like you have is a different beast than I imagined. In that case there is only one small disadvantage. Setting planer knives would be a real challenge. I use the common magnetic base and in that case the futz around factor that a flat contact point adds just isnt worth it. Once I have the button at TDC of the cutterhead I can rotate the head 360 degrees in either direction and the contact point doesn't get hung up. I use a 3/4" button. Thanks for the picture. That made things a lot clearer.

In the case of the original poster who has a mag base, the button is the only way to to fly. I tried using a flat point with a mag base some time ago. I quickly gave up out of frustration. I could only turn the cutterhead in one direction only, if I rotated the head the "wrong" direction too far I would have to pick up the shaft of the indicator or rotate the head 180 degrees. In short one time with a flat button had me ready to toss it.

[Gary Curtis]

Just came up on eBay. Item # 200121628498

Gary Curtis

[Phil Thien]

In the case of the original poster who has a mag base, the button is the only way to to fly. I tried using a flat point with a mag base some time ago. I quickly gave up out of frustration. I could only turn the cutterhead in one direction only, if I rotated the head the "wrong" direction too far I would have to pick up the shaft of the indicator or rotate the head 180 degrees. In short one time with a flat button had me ready to toss it.

The flat tips still work fine w/ a magnetic base. You just have to have the bottom in the same plane as the jointer/planer outfeeds. This takes an extra minute to setup, but once you have done so, the rest of the process goes 10 times faster.

Another advantage of a flat tip: I can place a couple of thicknesses of masking tape on my flat tip and run it the entire length of the knife and watch the indicator. I will get an accurate reading of ups/downs along the entire length of the knife.

But truly the magnetic base isn't the best tool to do this, flat tip or button tip. Using a stick of wood makes the process faster even and more accurate. The stick I'm using is for my combination jointer/planer. But you could just as easily make one for a conventional planer.

[Bruce Wrenn]

You can unscrew the tip, and just use the end of the shaft. Works for me.

[Greg Funk]

Or you could just buy the Multi-Gauge (http://www.oneway.on.ca/workshop/multi-gauge.htm) from (http://www.oneway.on.ca/workshop/multi-gauge.htm) from) One-way. Comes with a nice flat tip precision ground perpendicular to the gauge. It works very well for setting jointer blades or if you turn it upside down for planer blades.

Greg

[Richard Butler]

Using a stick of wood makes the process faster even and more accurate. The stick I'm using is for my combination jointer/planer. But you could just as easily make one for a conventional planer.

Holding the knife accuracy to better than .001 with a stick is something I would like to see.

[Phil Thien]

Holding the knife accuracy to better than .001 with a stick is something I would like to see.

I give up.

[Richard Butler]

Phil,

I am sorry..I misunderstood what you were trying to say. I thought you meant using just a stick of wood with no indicator.

I like your setup as pictured as it takes into account any deviations in the outfeed table. I have seen some outfeed tables have a dip in them.

[Richard Butler]

I'm sorry Phil,

I misuderstood your posting. I thought you meant a stick and just a stick.

I like your gauge setup as a matter of fact. It compensates for some issues regarding outfeed table flatness that I have come across.

[Richard Butler]

I give up.

I re-read you posting and i had misunderstood. I apologize.

I like your setup as pictured as matter of fact. It compensates for certain outfeed table issues which I have have seen recently. In that circumstance I had to change my procedure significantly and it did take more time to set the knives than I would have liked. I am going to get a accurate machined bar and use that as a base for when I come across that the next time.

[Phil Thien]

I'm sorry Phil,

I misuderstood your posting. I thought you meant a stick and just a stick.

I like your gauge setup as a matter of fact. It compensates for some issues regarding outfeed table flatness that I have come across.

No apologies necessary. Or I need to apologize, too (I misunderstood you as well).

[Al Willits]

fwiw, I just got the tips I ordered from Graingers a ways back, took so long I ordered a set from Enco, got to compare the Mitutoyo (sp?) set from Graingers to the Enco, and there is a finish difference.
The enco is just a basic polish and the Mits looks smooth enough to look like chrome.

Hadn't given finish any thought till I seemed the difference.

Al

[Phil Thien]

fwiw, I just got the tips I ordered from Graingers a ways back, took so long I ordered a set from Enco, got to compare the Mitutoyo (sp?) set from Graingers to the Enco, and there is a finish difference.
The enco is just a basic polish and the Mits looks smooth enough to look like chrome.

Hadn't given finish any thought till I seemed the difference.

Al

That is a good point, a lot of the low-cost sets don't even look like they are hardened. A jointer/planer knife would make short work of chewing them up pretty bad.

The Starrett I have is hardened and machined flat. I'm sure other higher-end brands like the Mitutoyo would be, as well.

[Charles Cannon]

I ordered some new jointer knives for me Grizzly 1182 last week. I have also watched Bob's vidio a few times. Thou no agreement seems to have been reached on the flat/concave button debate, I have found this discussion very informative.
Cannon