Posted by
Easy WoodCraft on
Mar 7, 2016
Thought of mostly as machinists tools, dial and slide calipers can be quite useful in the woodworking shop. Although you rarely need to measure in thousandths of an inch, these precision tools are great for measuring small parts and checking the thickness of a work piece. Slide calipers are not as easy to read as dial calipers. Whoever came up with the idea of adding the dial deserves a medal, in my opinion. The bodies of slide calipers are usually metal, where as you can find dial calipers with either metal or plastic bodies. The latest in calipers takes advantage of digital technology and offers a numeric readout (though these can be quite pricey).
Thickness
I've been using dial calipers for years to measure the thickness of stock. I use one so regularly for this that it resides in my planer stand. Once you get used to using one of these, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Look for one with a dial that has1/64" measurements as well as thousandths.
Depth gauge
Most dial and slide calipers can also be used as very accurate depth gauges. Just position the end of the caliper over the hole to be measured. Open the sliding jaw until the rod on the end of the caliper bottoms out in the hole; then read the dial.
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