You can't have enough tools but when your calipers are not long enough I use the bed of the mill. clamp the item down and measure it with the DRO.My mics and calipers go up to 12" and I hadn't needed to take a precision measurement over 12" so far in the last few years of home shop machining. Just wondering if its worth picking up a 18" or 24" caliper for the off chance I may need one. Just don't want to spend money on tools I may never use. For those that own larger measuring tools how often do you use them?
Realistically only ever used it once on a motor shaft that was rebuilt and I wanted to ensure the end play was correct.