Fractional Calipers which are useful for woodworking!

[John Schreiber]

Do you have even one shred of evidence to back up this outrageous claim?

I think that is tongue in cheek. It's a true but meaningless statement. Most of the world works in metric. Therefore most of the accidents are related to metric measure. Kind of like pointing out all the damage caused by water and proposing to ban it.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Do you have even one shred of evidence to back up this outrageous claim?

Oh yes Absolutely~!!
It is a self proving fact.
The vast number of persons who suffer work place accidents are in nations that use the metric system.
This is cold hard proof that metrics are inherently dangerous.

I threw out all my metric rulers just to be on the safe side.

[/quote]Converting between different measurement systems, or working with an unfamiliar measurement system can be challenging. But the metric system is "inherently dangerous"? Balderdash...[/quote]

Well the numbers don't lie:
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/internat.htm
http://consolenomad.com/2007/06/19/n...metric-system/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system

It would be somewhat hard to advance the thesis that the only three nations in the world not on the metric system have more workers let along more workplace accidents.

Look at China. they have such poor workplace safety standards as to be among the worst in the world And they use Metrics exclusively.
http://mybiggestcomplaint.com/100000...-in-china/881/

Metrics are just plain dangerous ~!!

[Doug Shepard]

I'm waiting on the HF that works in Bobs http://www.bobsrule.com/ and converts between decimal inches, mm, and Bobs. I've got a good inch/mm digital and an analog fraction/inch one. Between the 2 Ive got things covered. I never totally trust computer fraction approximations (and that's usually all they are). Try feeding a computer or calculator 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3. You usually getback 0.9999... every time.

[Jeff Bratt]

Your data are unequivocal - but what about the lurking danger in our decimal monetary system? We must immediately switch back to pounds, florins, shillings, and pence before it's too late...

[Randy Klein]

I have a digital caliper that switches between metric, fraction, and decimal inches. At first I liked it, but now I long for an analog dial caliper fraction version.

The reason being, is that when measuring something, I'd get a reading of 21/64" or so, and I'm shooting for 1/4". I don't know right off the bat how close I am. Obviously I'm 5/64 away, but that takes a little thinking to get. And then I need to figure out that 5/64 is about 1/16", so I know I'm close.

But with the analog version, I can clearly see how the needle relates to the 1/4" tick that I'm aiming for without having to do any math.

[Roger Jensen]

I have a very nice one from Lee Valley, but I use my analog version more often.

The problem for me when using it with inch fractions is the denominator is always changing, from 4ths to 8ths to 16ths to 32nds to 128ths. I am always struggling to do the math to know how far I am from my desired length (e.g. I need 5/8ths but is 81/128ths a hair big or a hair small?). I know it sounds trivial, but by design none of the fractions displayed can be reduced.

I would LOVE a digital caliper that I could set the precision. That way I could force the tool to report everything in the precision I care about. If I only need to be within 1/16th I could set it and the tool would always round to the nearest 1/16th for me. Frankly, I can't imagine ever needing 128ths for wood measurements.

Sorry for the mini rant.

Roger

[Jeff Bratt]

I agree completely. I have two calipers a) the cheap, plastic dial style that reads in both 64ths and hundredths of a inch, and b) a more expensive digital, metal style that reads in thousandths of an inch or mm. The first I carry in my apron and use all the time. The second gets used only when I really need the extra precision. Plus I don't care as much if I drop the plastic one...

[Kevin Groenke]

I've got digital and analog, decimal and fractional. Starrett to HF. I find a dial much easier read than a digital, somehow context of what's on either side of the number makes things easier to visualize. I find I most frequently go for a 4" decimal dial. I suppose this is primarily because it's in an apron pocket, but then again it is in that apron pocket for a reason. Since it's in the apron pocket, it's a cheapo-Grizzly. Surprisingly tough, accurate and consistant, doesn't hurt the wallet too much if it gets dropped on the floor.

I spent some formative years in machine shops, so decimal equivalents to 32's are second nature. There is a big equivalence chart for the occasions I want to go finer. In much of my woodworking it's not the fraction that counts, but the .001"s: particularly in joinery. More than .010" is a sloppy M&T in my book, I aim for about .005" for a snug fit that doesn't require mallet blows or squeeze out all the glue. I cannot fathom how I would accurately measure a tenon cut w/ a tenoning jig on a tablesaw (or on a router table, or whatever) without a caliper: a ruler or square? NO WAY!

How often is plywood fractional? It's easier for me to find a .00X than a 64th whan setting up the dado blade. I find myself avoiding even fractions in solid wood pieces, I think it tends to make it look like sheet stock or factory made work. I sometimes use the digital w/metric and imperial to convert for whatever or when trying to determine if fasteners are mm or ".

Anyway, indispensible tools and the cheap ones are (mostly) perfectly functional for woodworking tasks. Everyone should have one (or more).

-kg

[Bill Houghton]

General Tools makes several models of fractional vernier calipers. I've picked up two or three at garage sales, but they're cheap enough at retail ($10 or so). Mine will measure down to 1/16" or 1/32", can't recall, directly; you can get down to 1/128" with the vernier measurements.

I have yet to need more precision for common woodworking. When I need more precision for measurements up to 1" (mostly for tooling), I turn to a micrometer.

One advantage of these calipers is that they are simple as can be, and unlikely ever to break down. The only pair I've had that failed did so because they got very very wet, and I didn't clean them off before they rusted solid (long story: my son and I discovered one January day that the pipe feeding our house water was about to fail - paper-thin, which is scary for galvanized pipe - and needed immediate replacement on a day when it was raining like Niagara, and the water rushing through the crawl space was imitating the Amazon. I was so wiped out at the end of a long day that I just tossed the tools in the shop and cleaned myself up. Found the calipers a week later, suitable for recycling but nought else).

See http://www.generaltools.com/Departme...-Calipers.aspx

[Alan DuBoff]

I didn't think this would be such a controversial topic, but several of you do use calipers.

Bill, I have a pair of the decimal vernier calipers that General makes, not sure where I got them even, but I use it and a couple others as kinda story sticks, in that I will get a measurement and set and use the vernier calipers for that mark, so with a few of the, I can set the thicknesses on several things, and they can be set quickly which is what I like about the vernier calipers.

Highland sells the same set as HF does, for $30, but I can save shipping at HF with a slight penalty for sales tax. I don't need them, to be honest, but if I am over there I might be tempted. I have enough tools to do as I need, at the moment. But I do think the conversion is useful for folks.

FWIW, my friend that showed them to me, is a luthier, and does a lot of guitar repairs, so the conversion comes in REALLY handy for him when doing fingerboards.

[Doug Shepard]

Your data are unequivocal - but what about the lurking danger in our decimal monetary system? We must immediately switch back to pounds, florins, shillings, and pence before it's too late...

What lurking danger? Are you referring to the rumored switch from the gold standard to the petroleum standard?

[John Schreiber]

What lurking danger? Are you referring to the rumored switch from the gold standard to the petroleum standard?

The petroleum standard may be a danger, but the danger of decimal monetary currency is clear. In the last 100 years, table saws have caused many injuries especially to the hands. 99.44% of those saws were purchased with decimal currency. Before 1762, before decimal currency was adopted, circular saws injured zero workers.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Your data are unequivocal - but what about the lurking danger in our decimal monetary system? We must immediately switch back to pounds, florins, shillings, and pence before it's too late...

Nothing could be more correct and the data prove it.

We need to get back to barter. I believe that at not time in history has there ever been a major recession among a people that used barter.