Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
Wayne, I think there may be a matter of taste involved in the topic, although I agree with having both caliper and micrometer. Despite having had a career in the computer business I'm not yet comfortable with digital readouts, or any electronic device, for measuring in the home or small shop. I have a Sears Hardware micrometer (about $30, and inch measurements) that is quite accurate enough for any string measurements, but I find my vernier caliper from Woodworker's Supply ($16.50) is almost better. Someone mentioned the idea of a ratchet clutch to ensure a similar pressure when measuring soft materials. I was a bit disappointed when I got it as I found it had no wheel to adjust the jaws, but I've found that it is so well machined and smooth that my fingers become the clutch. The lack of the mechanical advantage of a screw mechanism makes it easy to feel the pressure (it does have a locking screw to fix the measurement). Six inch, 15+ cm, range - calibrated in both. Verniers to 0.001 and 0.02mm. Vernier plates adjustable for zero point. Price is right, and being a normal caliper style it has the depth plunger, and, covering another point made, comes in a nice padded plastic box (sorry, not wooden). I don't know the maker, it isn't on the caliper - but it is German made as it has a conversion chart glued to the back auf Deutsch - but I have no idea what it is converting despite the fact I speak German (anyone know what METR. ISO-GEW is, with a column for a GEW 0 x STG M multiplier - a column for Mutter Kern [which sounds like the mother of a composer] - and one for Bohrer). My distrust of electronic measuring devices has nothing to do with their accuracy when used regularly in an active shop (I do think electron microscopes are a bit better at looking at molecular structures than Galilean optics). And I'm sure that really good electronic devices have good self checking for such things as low battery (which can effect a reading if the device isn't designed well). But where price is a consideration a well made mechanical device is my preference. Best, Jon To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
Wayne, you will find use for both a caliper and a micrometer, I have sorta-cheap nylon calipers for casual use and much more expensive electronic digital calipers for serious use. Fitted wooden tray-boxes protect each of them from accidents on the bench. Nothing can protect them from a trip to the floor tho. Dont forget spare batterys for the electronic slide caliper. A micrometer has serious range limitations, and can be a challenge to read, but it also gets into some places that a slide caliper cant. With special anvils you can accurately measure thread root diameters, useful if one is making custom screws. Many slide calipers have inconveniantly shaped body parts, making some measurements imposible. Stew-mac offers a modified slide caliper that measures the height of an installed fret - using the depth guage rod in reverse. I would buy the general nylon slide caliper and the longest digital slide caliper you can afford. Add a General 0-1 micrometer when the budget allows. Starret makes nice but very expensive stuff. -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
I have a Mitutoyo one. A perfectly fine contraption. I think the most important issue is that it be metric. RT Hi - Do any of you have any particular recommendations for micrometers or calipers for measuring string and fret thickness? Is there any advantage to getting good ones, or is the advantage in quality tools more how long it lasts than how accurate it is? Wayne http://polyhymnion.org ___ $0 Web Hosting with up to 200MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. Signup at www.doteasy.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
Wayne, Stu Mac sells a digital caliper much more readable, and so more accurate. They customized it so you can take a reading with the fret gut on the lute. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Calipers.html Michael Thames www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com - Original Message - From: Wayne Cripps [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 11:52 AM Subject: any particular recommendations for micrometers Hi - Do any of you have any particular recommendations for micrometers or calipers for measuring string and fret thickness? Is there any advantage to getting good ones, or is the advantage in quality tools more how long it lasts than how accurate it is? Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
My Mitutoyo (caliper) does metric and imperial - but not at the same time. Ooops! Do you call imperial imperial or something else? - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 8:31 PM Subject: Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers I have a Mitutoyo one. A perfectly fine contraption. I think the most important issue is that it be metric. RT Hi - Do any of you have any particular recommendations for micrometers or calipers for measuring string and fret thickness? Is there any advantage to getting good ones, or is the advantage in quality tools more how long it lasts than how accurate it is? Wayne http://polyhymnion.org ___ $0 Web Hosting with up to 200MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. Signup at www.doteasy.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
A micrometer or caliper should have a ratchet mechanism, It slips at a certain force level, to help you apply force reproducibly. This is especially important when measuring soft non-metals like nylon or gut. Check the zero-point. Ie, the instrument should read exactly zero when the jaws are closed. There may be a little semi-hidden screw for zero-point adjustment. You can always test (or calibrate) the instrument by visiting a machine shop. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
In my experience the accuracy of all micrometers far exceeds what you need for strings and frets. The issue is more about ease of use. Firstly you need to be able to zero the instrument easily. Secondly you need to use it consistently. This means not squeezing the (gut) string too hard but with about the same light touch every time. In fact you'll get more variation in this than inaccuracy in the instrument. My biggest recommendation is to spend a bit more and get one with a digital read-out. Of course you may, like me, be perfectly able to use a vernier scale, but it makes the readings so quick and direct besides allowing you to use inches of mm as you prefer. The main issue isn't measurement, it's making the lute playable. I actually use a digital vernier calipers, if that doesn't sound to odd. It's just about ok for two places of decimal in mm so you can differentiate between 0,50 and 0,52 mm, for example, which is probably good enough. As with a micrometer, the skill is in getting a repeatable way of closing on the diameter of something as squeezable as gut. The other advantage is that it can accommodate much larger items, up to several inches to mix units, while most micrometers work 0 - 1. So if you need to know the width of your lute's neck, or the thickness at the nut etc. it's able. Can't recommend types unless you're shopping in the UK, but good luck. Richard Corran On 15 Jun 2005, at 18:52, Wayne Cripps wrote: Hi - Do any of you have any particular recommendations for micrometers or calipers for measuring string and fret thickness? Is there any advantage to getting good ones, or is the advantage in quality tools more how long it lasts than how accurate it is? Wayne To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html Richard Corran Tel: (+44) 7791 562738 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
... a digital caliper ... This is a good point. A standard screw micrometer requires arithmetic to get the final number from two different dial readings. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Re: any particular recommendations for micrometers
Digital calipers have gotten mighty cheap lately --especially from Harbor Freight. I like mine but all those hard, sharp edges always make me nervous. A small 1-inch (2.4 cm?) micrometer admittedly fits so much nicer and safer in hand but you can't measure fret heights. Sean On Jun 15, 2005, at 12:45 PM, Herbert Ward wrote: ... a digital caliper ... This is a good point. A standard screw micrometer requires arithmetic to get the final number from two different dial readings. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
