Calliper

Hi

I am working with brass 90% of my time so the caliper is a constant used tool.

caliper is more exact and precise than a regular ruler, thus any construction will be under the same qualities.

Andre.

Simply put, it is used for VERY precision measuring, in either metric or inches. My digital calipers will also quickly convert a measurement in thousands of an inch to metric, with a  push of a button.

You can use it to check wheel gauge.

.....

Dennis

To measure things........

Not to be smart....but that's what I do 99.9% of the time with mine.

How does it help in model railroading??? I use it to measure window and door castings so I know the exact size opening to cut for them.

Checking size and scale of items....or even spacing.

I will say two things about why my calipers are used daily.

My eyesight will not work under 1/16 of an inch.....so exact measurements....any measurements are done with my calipers and the easy to read display.

I do also use it in paint layout when custom painting. I find the exact spacing needed, lock the calipers at that measurement,  and use the sharp points to lightly scribe a line for paint lines.

I use mine for laying out art for custom decals too....but that's me.

A vital tool for me.

Harbor Freight has digital calipers for $9.95  You can't go wrong.  

Here is a link if you are interested.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6...l-caliper-93293.html

There are lots of different tools which can be called calipers.  I think most people here are referring to electronic digital calipers, which replaced vernier calipers.  This is the tool I reach for first when I am going to measure something. The electronic digital caliper has almost completely replaced the micrometer. 

I use them all, continuously.  Calipers, scales, dividers, rulers, micrometers, and calculators.  Just this evening I was doing tender rivets from a photo, using scales, ratio and proportion, a flight computer (never found any other use for it), dividers, and a Sharpie.

I have 2, a regular caliper and a digital caliper, got them from LittleMachineShop:

http://littlemachineshop.com/p...mp;B1=Product+Search

They have them from $7 to $200, take your pick.  You can't eyeball a dimension as close as you can with a caliper and the electronic model easily converts from inches to metric by push of a button.  I have a mini-lathe that is metric (Made in China) so it's easier/necessary to use the metric reading if I want to be precise.

I use inside calipers to gauge wheels when removing/installing them.

I use either a digital caliper or a micrometer to measure the thickness of materials.

I have a digital caliper I use all the time for measuring thickness of styrene, brass, copper that I file and shape, measuring stuff I am making.  It did not cost much - I bought it on Amazon and its great.  It helps a lot.

I must use mine EVERY day I'm at the bench.  Mostly it's for checking the diameter of something for which I need to select the proper drill bit to make a snug fit.

For example...

Many kits contain white metal castings.  Sometimes a casting has a molded nubbin which must be inserted into a hole in the side of the structure for mounting.  Your best mechanical fit will be a hole size the same, or a couple thousandths smaller, than the nubbin itself. 

After cleaning the parting line flash from the casting and nubbin, I'll use the caliper to check the nubbin diameter.  Since it's formed in a mold/die across a parting line, there's a 99.9% chance the nubbin will not be perfectly round.  Using the caliper, you can take a couple measurements to find the high and low sizes, and then select a numbered drill bit that falls between them.  That, plus a dab of CA or epoxy, makes for a nice snug fit....every time. 

Now that may sound like a lot of extra work to attach a white metal casting, but I find it only takes a few seconds (the caliper is less than an arm's length away at all times at my bench.), and the results are consistently the same....i.e., no driller's remorse!

I'll agree with everything in the responses above re inexpensive cost.  Harbor Freight, MicroMark, .....garage sales!!  Yep, if the estate or spring cleaning effort has a good selection of tools, you can OFTEN find a caliper at a really good price.  After all, most garage sale buyers ask nearly the same question you did when they see one....'Whazzat?', 'Whassit for?'...and move on.....leaving it for you to make an offer the seller can't refuse!

Okie-dokie?

KD

I have a cheap digital caliper from Harbor Freight, it was about ten dollars (on sale). It is accurate enough for me. It displays in inch or metric.

I also have several micrometers, mostly purchased at Estate sales.

My manual calipers were purchased from a hardware store, I doubt they cost more than ten dollars each.