The General No. 142 6-inch dial caliper does direct reading of .01″ (outer scale) and 1/64″ (inner scale) on its dial (plus mm readings on the bar scale, but — without getting into that whole metric thing — I don’t find this “feature” very convenient). It can do inside, outside, depth, and step measurements. Its fiberglass-reinforced plastic body makes it a good choice for damp/wet environments. You can pick one up for around $24.
There are many alternatives (TM has covered calipers a few times: in and , for example) and some are less expensive (HF or the General 141), but I especially like this model for woodworking.
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6 Responses to General Dial Caliper
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Mine is probably 10 years old and has held up just fine. I’d love a really pretty set of calipers, but it’s hard to argue with the price and durability.
We have a Starrett fractional dial caliper in the cabinet shop – which will probably set you back at least 3 times what this General costs. I’m not sure that its that much better to make it worth the difference for what we use it for (i.e. we do not need a machinist – grade instrument).
In my home shop, I have a caliper made by Sentora that looks a lot like what’s sold at Highland Hardware – which I like a lot for woodworking chores.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1047
I have and use the HH caliper above, as well as a digital one from Harbor Fright. They are both good for my use, which is a weekend-woodworker etc. The HH caliper has a very soild feel and seems well made. I think the General above would annoy me by having the decimal inches on the outside – as a woodworker I’m really only interested in fractions. The HH caliper is also metal opposed to the General’s plastic.
Always a dial caliper. After the 10th hour of a work shift, a vernier scale can make me go cross-eyed.
Are they solvent resistant? I just melted a plastic vernier caliper measuring for a new gasket on an old bowl type fuel filter.
Oops! Always WANTED a dial caliper.
Some are chemical resistant, however be careful some of even the best of these have plastic lenses on the dial, and they don’t like acetone or other harsh chemicals. I like Starret and Peacock, nut have to admit i have a plastic, not dial caliper that i use for my wood lathe, and they are handy.
In fact i would like another set most days….
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