Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm about to buy a dial indicator to measure soundboard deflection. Woodcraft sells these with 0 to 1" and 0 to 1/2". For those of you using them, which one would you recommend?

TIA,

Roy

Roy,

I have a 0-1". The greater range will give you more latitude in your setup. You can also get them cheaper at some of the surplus tool sites. I think that I paid $7 for mine. I know that it may not be as accurate, but I'm not dialing in the runout on a crankshaft...

BruceH

I don't know which you should use, but you might want to compare prices with those at MSC. They also offer a very wide selection of accuracies and ranges.

MSC

My favorite place to buy these and lots of other stuff is American Science and Surplus. http://www.sciplus.com/

_________________
Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com

the ones from harbor freight are sufficient to the task and are often to be had for about $7.00. for slightly more enco has them with a set of interchangable tip in a broad range for about $11.00. they are also very usefull in the making of a thickness caliper to measure tops, backs and sides rather than paying $100+ for one.

Thank you everyone for the quick advice. I'll look around.

Harbor Freight

ENCO

there is always
Ebay

The only indicators I've ever bought on ebay were called "test indicators" They have a lever instead of a plunger. They are pretty useful for a lot of measurements.

   If you're buying a tool that is going to be used regularlym be sure to buy what is the industry standard for longevity's sake. I use dial indicators in alot of different places in my shop and in a variety of ranges and applications. I have all Starrett indicators as well as measuring devices since they are probably the most accurate available and are very dependable as well.

   A dial indicator with a 0 - 1" range will cover alot of ground for you, but you may want to eventually have a lats word indicator and a couple of 1/2" range pieces to be able to set them up in fixtures or on machines without having to tear your set up down and set it back up each time you need to use it.

   Starrett and Mititoyo are making some of the best measuring tools in the world and can be found at any indi=ustrial tool outlet or vendor.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars