I'm looking for some outside mics, some telescoping gauges, a dial indicator, and a straight edge.

I really don't have $800 to spend for a nice set of starrett outside micrometers, but I don't know if I really need something that nice. They will only see very occasional use, and as long as I am very delicate with them, could I get away with buying a generic set? I see that Enco has a chinese 0-6" six piece set for $60, and it includes the spanner wrenches and standards. It also reads down to the ten thousandths, which is perfect for blueprinting. Anyone have experience with these?

They also have dial indicators and T-gauges for dirt cheap. Although it looks like I can get an entry level starrett for $30 or so for the dial indicator.

 

you get what you pay for, figure if a good quality mic cost 100 dollars and you're buying a complete set with standards for 60 what are you really getting.

 

With measuring tools, there's precision, which is how many decimal places it can read, and there's accuracy, which is how well it can repeatably get the correct measurement. A cheap micrometer might read to .0001", but if it tells you that something is .5000" when it's really more like .5100", then how good is it? Equally bad is if you were to repeat the same measurement at the same point and get a spread of results like .4850", .5150", .5010", .4975", etc.

 

I don't really like Chinese tools but the micrometers are usually pretty good, I've been a non-automotive machinist over 20 years and use Starrett and Mitutoyo brand tools for all my work, however I do have a cheap pair of 12" chinese dial calipers for everyday work that doesn't have to be +/_ .0002, anyway a guy at work bought a set of 0-12 chinese micrometers from eBay for something like $150 and I've compared them to my name brand mics and they are usually within .0002 of what my mics read, that's plenty close enough for automotive work. However they do "feel" cheaper and the spindle locks don't work as well. The indicators are good enough for automotive work too, but the T-gages are crap, they will break after the first use. One thing I have learned over the years is that if you get 10 different people to measure something you WILL get 10 different readings, and a good machinist can do good work with crappy tools and a dumbass can do crappy work with the best tools money can buy.

 

I'll just play it safe for now then, and buy the good ones of just what I need.

Any recommendations on an accurate economical brand and model line for the mics?

 

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PMAKA=890-9861

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PARTPG=INLMK32

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...PMAKA=890-9842

Are these decent?

 

I have bought a LOT of nice name brand tools on eBay, you can get really good deals if you take your time, look for Starrett, Mitutoyo, NSK, Brown & Sharp , for automotive blueprinting your going to need 4 micrometers to range up to 5", dial bore gages that go up to 6" for measuring main caps, rods and cyl. bores (T-gages are really hard to use and should be avoided for the novice user) and get a magnetic base and a 1" indicator, any brand is good enough for automotive use. And buy a set of Mitutoyo 0-6 digital calipers, they are accurate to +/_ .0005 even though they only claim to be good for +/- .002, stay well away from any chinese digital calipers, they are crap and give false readings if you move them too fast. Fowler used to be good stuff, now they just get a chinese company to make the stuff and put there name on it and charge twice as much for it.

 

These are a good cheap chinese micrometer
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...875896614&rd=1
Here is a good cheap bore gage. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=43991

 

Thanks for the heads up on fowler, I'll stay away. For the dial indicator, is .0010 accurate enough for automotive blueprinting? Or should I dig for the more expensive ones that are good to .0005?

What is your guys opinions on the flexible shaft dial indicator stands? The ones that you bend to where you want and they hold that position? I have very limited experience with that style, but they seemed to work ok for me. Do they hold accuracy as they age?

I have some experience with telescoping gauges, and while admitedly they were cheap ones, they are a huge pain in the butt for me to produce consistant results. I would be taking each measurement 6-10 times just to make sure I was on the money.

Is there a certain reason those chinese ones are better than the others? Is it the thick design of the frames?

Is there a certain reason that bore gauge is better than the other chinese ones too?

Thanks

 

Dart is right. "Feel" is everything. I got a brand new Starrett 4-5" bore micrometer (not a bore guage) just this past week, with a 5.0000" standard. Even in the standard, and with the friction stop, three guys got three different readings - But all within two tenths. And it wasn't due to handling the mic or standard, since the readings weren't progressive.

 

The ones I linked to are just the ones that I have checked againest name brand micrometers and they seems to be "OK" plus they are pretty much copys of Mitutoyos which are very good.

No not really, it was just cheaper than the Fowler you showed, just get the one with the best price, I've seen them sell on eBay for less than $40 new.

 

this place sells good quality products at a fair price: http://www.mcmaster.com/