MetalworkingFun Forum

Those drop indicators are AWESOME. I've had a couple over the years but I was finding that I just didn't use it enough to justify the space it took up. I say that because I had found Starrett 8x12x2 No.653 pink granite stands (twice) for cheap. The first of those indicators I got was a 1" travel, the second one was a 2" travel. Both times I sold off the whole setup for over 3 times what I paid, so it was worth hunting down the stands.

OK, I'm going to show my ignorance but I should learn something from it. What are those indicators used for that Darren got? I thought it was just a digital dial indicator.

Ed

Ed,

Back when I was working every day in CNC screw machine shops, they were used with custom tips to measure shoulder heights on parts, depths of holes, flatness, put a cylindrical part with a hole in it on a pin to check concentricity, all kinds of things. When making hundreds or thousands of the same part on a screw machine, they can be set up for a tolerance band, and if the part dimension being checked fell out of the set range, the background color changes from green to orange/red color.

They are a little bulky for use on anything but the most robust Noga magnetic base, but with that you can use them for dialing in a part in a 4-jaw chuck in the lathe because you can set the sweep range of the digital electronic "needle". Very cool tool. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they don't have an internal battery and as such need to remain tethered to the DC power supply. Not exactly a good thing around a spindle.

(08-20-2015, 07:47 AM)Mayhem Wrote: [ -> ]Just won this (rather unexpectedly), as I know how much they usually fetch.  



I put in a max bid of $130 (US$95) and ended up getting it for $113.61 (US$83.15) plus postage from Sydney ($19.15).

I don't have a suitable stand but I have seen this one on eBay and postage from the US seems very reasonable.  

I know I could always sell it and make a profit if I don't use it 

After Ken's explanation and reading the manual for this tool, I think you deserve a     or       

Ed

"Project-X", hmm. Nice tease Rob.

Ed

(08-28-2015, 02:33 PM)EdK Wrote: [ -> ]"Project-X", hmm. Nice tease Rob.  

Ed

Yes Ed it either work on project X or do a bit to my forge this weekend , I have a hole two days off 


Rob

Project X, eh?

I guess all those tools you've posted in "shop made tools" are Project A through W then.

I'm so glad that Rob post pictures of his projects and doesn't hand draw them

Not UPS but USPS.  Got this Walker magnetic chuck on eBay for $60.  As shown it's on the mill.  More on that in the projects thread.