Cool Idea: Convert a Digital Caliper to a Tool Setter

MuellerNick in Germany has come up with a neat idea.  He has converted a digital caliper into what is essentially a height gage with a round hole in the base so that it can be used on a flat reference like a surface plate or on a reference that protrudes through the base like a tool holder.

Check out this video for more:

If you’re wondering why you’d use a beast like this, check out my 2 part series on tool length offset and ways to manage that tool data.

If I was going to make one of these, the other thing I’d do is make sure the friction clamp feature of the calipers was functional.  It’s useful to keep tool stickout at a consistent repeatable length once you’ve encountered conditions that cause chatter.  If you have the same stickout, same tool type (same model and manufacturer), same tool holder type (same model and mfg), and the same spindle, chatter conditions are reproducible.  This means that once you know where they occur, they can be avoided if you keep all those variables constant.  This can be extremely valuable for productivity.

2 Comments

• 
  ilikec 2012/05/24 at 4:53 am

  I wonder if there are data ports on some low end Chinese calipers and are there cables to go with them? Higher end stuff from Starrett and Mitutoyo had those ports and cables…

  Reply
  • 
    SiteOwner 2012/05/24 at 7:49 am

    Great idea. I have definitely seen ports on a lot of these import scales. You can buy a height gage all set up with a port from Tormach that works well. I doubt these companies all invented a new protocol–a USB cable that works for one probably works for all.

    Best,

    BW

    Reply