I have over the years acquired several pairs of external calipers with nicely rounded tips allowing me to measure spinning work-pieces easilyand safely. I’ve noticed that the only calipers offered in recent catalogs have sharp pointed tips. Why is this? Do none of those companies have turners on their staff? I would expect that if one used a sharp pointed pair of calipers on a spinning piece the calipers would take a quick trip across the room, if they didn’t hit the worker in the face! Any ideas about this?
Tom
Replies
Beats me, Tom. I haven't looked at them recently, having all I need, but like yours, mine are nicely rounded.
They run the gamut from el-cheapos to Starrett.
Tom -
I generally use a vernier caliper for outside measurements while parting down to a specific diameter - for the very reason you mention. My outside calipers have pointie tips and I got lucky when the caught once. That once was enough.
Did you round yours or were they that way when you got 'em?
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
My calipers are all oldies picked up here and there, Starrett, Lufkin, or similar. All came with nicely rounded tips. My advice to turners is go to antique malls ar flea markets. Nice old calipers of many sizes are never very expensive, probably less so than those terrible new ones. One has to be watchful lest he become a collector of old toolls!
Tom
Tom -I'm hesitant to grind my inside and outside calipers smooth since I use them to check the squareness of turned tenons or spigots for things like lidded boxes. A trick I learned from a Raffin video. Even with rounded ends I think a vernier caliper is safer to use for measuring diameter while parting down.Actually, if you have lots of the same diameter tenons to turn, another trick is to take an old open end wrench and grind one side to a scraper bevel. Then just turn down until the wrench slides onto the workpiece............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Turners don't represent the major market for calipers.It should be easy for a turner to grind the tips round for heavens sake.Turning tools hardly ever have the grind you need.Where is a little inginuity? Are we woodworkers or didlers?Spoonfed everything
jako,
Now, now, simmer down. :-)
Cheers,
Ray
No wonder those blue handled chisels won't work right out of the box.I just figured I got a bad set and exchanged them at H-D. The ####-ociate could'nt figure it either!!!<G>
spinning work-pieces easily and safely.. YEP.. Like when I have to remove my saw blade guard to cut a tenon!
I've been turning for over thirty years and have never had my smooth tipped calipers catch on a work piece. It would be a real handicap to have to stop the lathe every time I wanted to make a measurement. The vernier type would be hard to use on a large piece. The end-wrench idea works very well for small repetative work, as in chair rungs.
Tom
turning for over thirty years..I just put it up because I had a pair of rounded tipped calipers catch on a work piece.. I THINK I twisted it somhow and dug into the side of the recess.. However, I turn very little so probably just me!No HATE HERE!
Tom,it's been years since I've seen
this attachment which is either hand made or store bought.
It consists of a wood or metal rod,
held horizontaly across the rear of the lathe
holding 'drop down' cams positioned along the rod
with spacers to align the cams
directly above the area to be parted.
When in use, during parting/ paring/dimentioning etc,
the cams ride atop the spindle
in line with the proposed cuts/notches etc.
Each of these teardrop shaped and
knife edged cams will automatically drop down
when the cut has reached the correct depth.
If you have to cut many identical table legs,
you'll never have to shut down your lathe.
Steinmetz.
Edited 3/21/2005 12:20 am ET by steinmetz
I'm baffled! When we speak of "calipers" and wood turning in the same breath, we're talking about external "wing" calipers, like divider calipers ......... not verner or dial calipers .... both of which would be very dangerous IMHO to even bring close to rotating work. Most all of these wing calipers will have rounded tips where they contact diameters within their intended range. If not, any sharp point should be eased off .... not across the thickness of the wing, but the radius of the tip. Verner calipers might be used instead of a rule for setting the wing calipers, or measuring something in the lathe after it has stopped spinning, but certainly never, ever on a rotating piece.
John
Edited 3/22/2005 5:39 pm ET by TAILSORPINS
The calipers of which I speak are of the "wing" type , opened by a bow spring above the fulcrum, and closed by a nut on a machine screw. The tips are flattened, with about a 1/8"round. I have always used them when the work is spinning, with never a catch. I can't imagine wasting the time to stop the lathe every time I need a measurement. Verniers seem aukward and might catch easily.
Actually it's not all that dangerous, John. You just have to use a little common sense - don't attack the material with the instrument any more than you'd attack it with a gouge or scraper. Use a light touch. Stand to one side out of the "firing line" of the cut. Most of the tenons I cut (round ones on the lathe) are small wich makes using a verier caliper OK. Larger than an inch or so I'd use the open bow style calipers. Turning the tenons with the calipers held lightly against the back side of the workpiece is the most efficient means for doing it. Once the piece is to size, the calipers just slide over the tenon, or dowel if you will. If you're parting down to a series of diameters for a long spindle piece it would take forever to get the job done............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
You just have to use a little common sense ???
I told my wife NO once!
Howdy!
I'm not a wood turner (yet), but I have an idea for a very accurate way to do what you want. Use a spanner, you probably already have a few lying around, find one the right size and when you can put it around the piece the piece is the right size. They are accurate and rounded. Could be worth a try.
For what it's worth, everyone I know who does turning uses a regular caliper.
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