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Thread: Help finding dial indicator tips

  1. #1

    Help finding dial indicator tips

    Does anyone know where to buy tips for dial indicators? I have a magnetic base...
    http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=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

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    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.

  3. #3
    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.

  4. #4
    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/JISR...SALES:WEB_SALE
    Last edited by Richard Butler; 06-19-2007 at 7:00 AM.

  5. #5
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    "I left Earth three times. I found no place else to go. Please take care of Spaceship Earth." -- Wally Schirra, who flew around Earth on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions in the 1960s.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonathan snyder View Post
    Thanks Jonathon...think I might order a set.

    Gary K.

  7. #7
    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.

  8. #8

  9. #9
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    MSC has the flat ones and also sets for reasonable prices and extremely fast shipping (overnight).

    http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=24389254

    CPeter

  10. #10
    Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the specific links. I'm going to order a tip set tonight.

    Eric

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Thien View Post
    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.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Thien View Post
    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.
    Last edited by Richard Butler; 06-19-2007 at 9:47 PM.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Butler View Post
    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).
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #14
    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.
    Last edited by Richard Butler; 06-20-2007 at 8:15 AM.

  15. #15
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    Trinity County California
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    729

    Finding Dial Indicator Tips

    Just came up on eBay. Item # 200121628498

    Gary Curtis

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