Beginner Measuring Devices

Don't turn that lathe on until it is freed up and lubed. I wouldn't worry about any fancy measuring tools yet. Keep an eye out at local garage sales or Craigslist. Once that thing is running, you will need a dial indicator to dial in that 4 jaw chuck. I suspect that is a long way off, if my experience is any guide. If you still don't have a dial indicator, you can improvise with a height gauge, or if you really want ghetto style, a straw from a broom. You can also make a homemade dial test indicator with a few bits of sheet metal and other scrap, or you can get the cheapo at Harbor Freight if nothing else shows up.
 
Janderso said:
Wow, that's a lathe.
If you don't have it yet, this will help,
Click to expand...
I don't believe I have that one yet. thank you! I have the operator manual, a few warner sweeny books, and a few odds and ends that I am working my way through now. Just finished the Southbend "how to run a lathe" actually.

ericc said:
Don't turn that lathe on until it is freed up and lubed. I wouldn't worry about any fancy measuring tools yet. Keep an eye out at local garage sales or Craigslist. Once that thing is running, you will need a dial indicator to dial in that 4 jaw chuck. I suspect that is a long way off, if my experience is any guide. If you still don't have a dial indicator, you can improvise with a height gauge, or if you really want ghetto style, a straw from a broom. You can also make a homemade dial test indicator with a few bits of sheet metal and other scrap, or you can get the cheapo at Harbor Freight if nothing else shows up.
Click to expand...
I don't believe anything is stuck. It's my impression that it ran about a year ago or so. Everything feels free and proper. That doesn't mean a lot coming from me of course. There is oil in it, and the sight glass's show oil about half way. If there were ever any marks on the glass to show the correct level of oil, they are long gone, but I can estimate.

Big thing I really need to get is HSS. If I have time, I'll get some pictures. The tool holder is absolutely massive. I think it'll hold up to a 2" shank.

Turret lathes go cheap, but I'm under no mis-conception that this will be a cheap project. I shouldn't need to worry about chatter any time soon though.
 
I always suggest watching Craig's List and other sources, like Facebook Market Place, for used tools. eBay prices are not typically the best deals out there. I've gotten some tremendous deals on Craig's list. Sometimes you'll find boxes with tools included for the price of a few items new!

Even if you're only looking for a single tool now, you'l surely want more later as you grow. So, watch Craig's List and see what prices things are being listed for and when you see a great deal, jump on it quick, because if it's a good deal it won't stay listed long.

Ted
 
Truly one of the greatest things about the widespread adoption of digital measuring instruments is the availability of used high quality analog instruments at prices much lower than they were just a few years ago.
 
What @RobertB said! Folks can't read dials for a couple of reasons, whether it's presbyopia or ADD. Like John mentioned above, you can read halves, fifths, or tenths between two graduations on a dial or vernier that you can't read on a fixed precision digital display. That means there are plenty of dial calipers from Japan, USA, and Europe on eBay that people aren't bidding on. My favorite German-made Helios caliper with the rare fine adjust barrel cost me $35. Unlike the nine sets of china calipers I own, which are verifiably accurate for outside measurements, the German calipers are accurate for outside, inside, and depth measurements too. Needles, dials and scales rule! (get it?)
 
First, don't get in a hurry!! Everything you want to buy you can get good deals on if you look around. I have the HF digital caliper and use it all the time to scribe lines for cutting on a band saw. At $10 for +-.005 it is better than a tape measure. I have several $40-50 dial calipers from KBC and Wholesale Tool. Good to .001. They read the same as my Brown&Sharpe and Starrett Micrometers. As described above use thm to get within about .005 of final demesion and than use a micrometer. I set up the lathe with a Stanley 2' level to start and than got a Starrett 98-6 for about $40. For most tools, take a serious look at Shars and Igaging. Their $30 (and less) DTI and dial indivcators read the same as my "good" ones. Really look at the pictures. You can get a brand name for a few dollars more then a knockoff if your not in a hurry. Also, if you watch carefully, you will see a lot of Shars stuff being used by You Tube people.

Look for a good set of standards. That will be the basis for all your measurements. Caliper or micrometer. Cheap or expensive. You need to have some guaranteed known values to check against.
Good luck!!! Charles
 
Hint: I am still using the dial caliper I bought over 40 years ago, nothing run with batteries will last as long.

But realistically, even though you can read a dial caliper to 0.001 (or a trifling better),
when you start comparing multiple readouts of the dial caliper to the readout of a micrometer,
you will quickly convince yourself that the dial caliper is a +/-1 thou measuring device.
Leave the close measurements to the micrometer.

A micrometer is capable of being read to 0.000,025 and is reliably accurate at the 0.000,1 level.

So, realistically you want both a Dial Caliper and a Micrometer. The DC is for quick readings, the Mic is for when you need accuracy
 
Good information and opinions from a decent cross section of members. My view from my own armature experience echoes the above posts, get decent quality or the best you can afford. I think also from my short experience in the machining arena a guy can have some cheaper tools for measuring in "rough" conditions so that you do not ruin a good tool.
 
Hey I also noticed no one yelled at you! You wont ever get asked to leave either, that's not the way we roll!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top