I wish i’d known this sooner, How to use calipers like a pro

How to properly use calipers and the scale

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[PiefacePete]

I few months ago I asked a guy at a bearing supplier why they had Vernier calipers on the counters; the answer was "The Boss wouldn't pay for the batteries, dial-calipers were a bit fragile, and anyway, they kept disappearing out the door! The sort of 'Scrote' who nicks digital calipers doesn't know how to read a Vernier, so he leaves these ones alone!"
She's a great world we live in!

[VinceHathaway]

I have owned four machine lathes and currently at least ten calibers, a few of which I use daily. I have never learned as much about a familiar subject, as quickly, as I have with this video. Salute to Mr. Gatlin.

[thomasdecker]

I'm a retired machinist, instructor and process engineer. I found your information to be very sound. the only thing I will add is to be very, very careful when relying on the depth rod as it's easy for inaccuracy to creep in. The other thing I'll note is that my Verniers are more difficult to use than they were 50 years ago when I was 20 (all you older guys are chuckling over that, I'm sure). On the plus side. I dropped my verniers in the bottom of a screw machine- a very dirty environment. They made a soft landing in the carpet of chips. I fished them out, dunked them in mineral spirits, wiped them off and they were none the worse. My boss did the same thing with his dials. They were toast.

[Volvith]

I have the 530-104 Mitutoyo calipers.
Back when i started engineering school, my dad had an older pair of Mitutoyo's i could use. I loved them, and when *HE* lost them (unknowingly) and blamed me for it, i gifted him the 530-104.
... Then he found his old calipers at the bottom of his toolbox, and he hasn't stopped apologizing since. He gave me back those gifted calipers as an apology. (at my own literal expense :P)
In school, everyone had digital calipers. Except for me. And i couldn't have been happier.

Say what you will about digital. It works, it has its benefits... But it also replaces a lot of hardware it doesn't need to, and ends up inducing error or reliability problems that doesn't belong there.

Analog will fail you when you break it. Digital will fail you when it breaks.
The difference is small, but measurable. Well, _given the right tool of course. ;)_

[sferg]

Another trick I use when using a digital caliper when facing many parts to length in a lathe or mill (or any measurement for that matter) is to set the caliper to the desired length and ZERO the readout there. When you measure any parts, it will take the guesswork out of how much needs to be removed to get the parts to final size.

[docimastic]

I'm 75 and have used vernier calipers and digital calipers for many decades, yet you were able to teach me a few things. Good job! Thanks for taking the time and effort to post this excellent video.

[marcuss]

Step measurment and China Export was new for me. Thank you very much.

[laddaevolta]

Im 105 year old retired engineer and these informations are great help for the younger generation. Thank you for these.

[anthonywalsh]

65 year old engineer here. Lots of great information in this short video. I use a vernier caliper simply because it needs no battery! I was also taught to never touch the measuring surface without wiping it clean. Sweat is corrosive and can cause corrosion pitting although these days they are so cheap maybe this is not so important anymore. Thank you!

[steeleslicer]

38+ years machinist here, one thing I would add, when using the blade type calipers, use only the blades when possible. I have measured a plug gage with the blades, then on the heavier flats and gotten a .001" difference. I unserstand that sometimes it can't be helped. Also, search pictures of the Starrett vernier calipers, the only have the main jaws, and they aren't bblades, but nibs that are flat and parallel on the inside (for OD measurement), and radiused on the outside (for ID). There are seperate scales for ID and OD so you don't have to compensate. You didn't mention mechanical dial calipers, no battery and easy to read. Last year I had to replace my 20 year old Browne & Sharp 6" dial calipers when they decided to kiss the floor. I would have sent them for repair, but my company bought me brand new ones. Now owned by a Swiss company, Tesa, and still the same excellent quality. Some regular micrometers also have a vernier scale for measuring to .0001".

[David-xlcp]

When I started in engineering I “could” read the vernier callipers tenth by naked eye, when I retired I “could not” read a digital vernier without glasses. 😂😂😂😂😂

[gazzarrr]

Wow! That was a very informative 7:41 mins. Made me wonder what I have been doing with callipers all these years. Thanks!

[TheOnlyUpadly]

That's a superb explanation, I didn't know about step measurement. In our Polish workshop we have old “Made in USSR" calipers that we use daily, after all the years of use, they have surprisingly little amount of play. But for anything that requires proper precision, we use digital one.
Also, a small bit of trivia: In Polish it's called "Suwmiarka", which roughly translates as "Glide scale".

[Gary-tsdh]

4:45 - I have been using this type of caliper for many years and have known all but one of the features of the tool you've shown in this post. The one I just now learned from you is how to use the notch in the depth rod and it make perfect sense: for flat bottom holes, place the gap along the wall of the hole; for conical or pointed bottom holes, place the gap away from the wall of the hole.
Thank you for providing detail on the usage of this versatile tool!

[adamnealis]

I love how the vernier scale gets you an extra significant figure. Such a neat trick. It is scaled to 11/ 10, predating Spinal Tap 😆

[ilaril]

Actually the only tool I use regulary, and I didn't know about the step. Learned something new today, so not a wasted day. Thanks!

[Rocketman]

I was a metrologists for many years and find the video informative. The real test comes at the hands of an experienced machinist. Technique is everything!

[lmcsquaredgreendale]

Great presentation. My Dad had shown me how to use calipers many years before he died but I didn't use them for many years and even gave him mine when his, after years of hard use, were no longer accurate. Now I'm retired and I want to relearn it all even though it's been 15 years since he passed. Thank God for people like you, I not only learned to buy the best tools but also how to use them efficiently. Thank you.

[robertc]

My father was a master machinist. His children were raised with micrometers and dial-indicator verniers, working on iron cast machines. There was no CNC. If you lost your zero working on a job, you were basically screwed. This was about 1972. Today, computer control makes these tasks quite a bit easier.
My father taught me never to store the verniers completely closed, and never slam the verniers closed, as a sudden impact might affect the accuracy of the instrument. I still have a pair or two of the old dial-indicator verniers. They are still accurate, and I use them for my woodworking.

[SKYGUY]

Thanx for the review, and the reminders and the "new" info. My father was a Civil Engineer and he taught me to read the Vernier scale on his K&E Mountaineer Transit when I was about 14 years old. I still have the pocket magnifying glass he gave me to make it easier to read.