David Rosales Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 https://www.amazon.com/Taytools-Thickness-Measuring-Resolution-Accuracy/dp/B084YR9N9V I found this dial thickness gauge on Amazon. It's supposedly made by Taylor Toolworks but I can't find the product on their website. It's about half the price of all the others I've seen, granted it has a maximum range of 22 mm. Has anyone used it or have any more information on it? It has a flat anvil tip. Is that a dealbreaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 I had a thickness gauge with flat tips, which was fine for guitars. When I started making violins I cut the heads off 2 small dome-headed screws and glued them on. The only snag is that it reduces the throat a bit. That means I can't measure the arch with it but I have a woodturner's caliper for rough measurements and then use a 300mm rule spaced 30mm off the bench and measure down from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 The tips are most likely just screwed on the shaft so you can get (or make) replacements out of plastic or metal. Or just plainly grind them to dome (or have a machinist do it - it's 5 minute job for average turner). Machinists often use different tips for dial calipers so you can search what thread that dial has and get fitting one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Dorsey Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 6 hours ago, David Rosales said: …Has anyone used it or have any more information on it?… My guess is that it’s a Chinese knock-off of the high-quality German-made gauges that have been sold by Dictum and others for decades. The Chinese are also making knock-offs of other lutherie tools like clamps. The quality is probably not as good as the German originals, but it’s probably good enough. Getting replacement parts would probably be harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 I would probably get it just for the frame and replace the dial with one that measures in mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_N Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 I made a tabletop thickness gauge. It makes measuring easy. Attach a gauge to the top, and make a post on the bottom. Mine had a metal post with a ball on the end, that broke off. The dowel works fine. The joint in the back is loose now, so the wedge and clay set it! I could make a nicer version; but it works. It is even big enough for a cello; but barely; and not with the wedge. I might make a new one before I make a new cello belly. I'd come up with a new way to do the top rail. The dial gauge might be a little small, only 10mm. But I saw the gauge on sale on in a catalog for $25 or something. Not bad for .01mm resolution. You don't need to be THAT accurate, but it does show trends in thicknesses, and any high spot very easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 I made my own caliper to. The frame of 2cm thick plywood is plenty stiff for this. Here is the original version hacked from stuff laying around me. The aluminum strip had scratches at 0.2mm increments (~1mm in real size as the lever was roughly 1:5) Later I upgraded it with a dial gauge (in 1/100mm) and few other things I had at hand (paperclip etc...) I also made my "pocket" Hacklinger gauge AKA "lipstick gauge" that can measure closed instruments from outside (with somewhat limited precision) Pics in reversed order for some unknown reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Here's mine, but it won't go full plate height. It works for thicknessing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rosales Posted February 3 Author Report Share Posted February 3 For those of you that made your own frame, where did you purchase the dial? I haven't found one a metric one in the U.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Austin Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Howard core used to sell the parts too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_N Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Here is a cheap one like mine. TTC doesn't seem to have them anymore; but this one is the same. $20! https://www.mcmaster.com/20715A83/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 11 hours ago, David Rosales said: https://www.amazon.com/Taytools-Thickness-Measuring-Resolution-Accuracy/dp/B084YR9N9V I found this dial thickness gauge on Amazon. It's supposedly made by Taylor Toolworks but I can't find the product on their website. It's about half the price of all the others I've seen, granted it has a maximum range of 22 mm. Has anyone used it or have any more information on it? It has a flat anvil tip. Is that a dealbreaker? I bought a Juzek labeled caliper some time ago, and it actually came with a few interchangeable anvils. I wouldn't be surprised if they fit this caliper that you bought, as much of the Chinese stuff is all based on the same design, if not made in the same factory. If you can find a wholesaler that sells these, they might be able to order the anvils for you; If not, make one, as was suggested by Hogo. By the way, it shows as being manufactured by Taytools, which is not the same as Taylor Tools. This is just another typical Chinese marketing ploy - picking a name that's very close to a respected brand name in the industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Burgess Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 21 minutes ago, Bill Yacey said: By the way, it shows as being manufactured by Taytools, which is not the same as Taylor Tools. This is just another typical Chinese marketing ploy - picking a name that's very close to a respected brand name in the industry. It's a wonder that we don't see more posts from Bill Yaecey, and David Bugress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 With the unsolicited phone calls I get, they usually address me as Mr. Yassy. As soon as I hear that, I'm immediately suspicious of the purpose of the call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 2 hours ago, David Rosales said: For those of you that made your own frame, where did you purchase the dial? I haven't found one a metric one in the U.S. I found mine on Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Just ensure you don't buy one calibrated in 100ths of a mm, unless you actually have a need for that sort of accuracy. 10ths are generally better for our purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_N Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Why not Bill? Mine is in .01 mm. That is just the hash marks. The numbers are in tenths. Each turn on the dial is a mm. A zero to ten dial counts the mm. It is more than needed. But it was really cheap! I never look at hash marks. The big numbers are easy on the old eyes. It was also the only one I could find in just mm. Did I mention that it was dirt cheap? I can see not paying for precision that you don't need. But if they're going to GIVE it to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rosales Posted February 3 Author Report Share Posted February 3 3 hours ago, Bill Yacey said: By the way, it shows as being manufactured by Taytools, which is not the same as Taylor Tools. This is just another typical Chinese marketing ploy - picking a name that's very close to a respected brand name in the industry. That's what I thought at first, but Taylor Toolworks does have a Taytools brand and the other stuff on the Amazon seller's page do show up on the official Taylor Toolworks website. I figured it might be a discontinued item or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yacey Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 If the manufacturer has no record of it being produced, it could be a Chinese knock-off. I have an imitation Rolex watch that a friend of mine gave me from when he was in Hong Kong. It reads Rolex, and carries their logo, but he paid the equivalent of about $5.00 for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoGo Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 Th etool in the original ad is not available, so may be discontinued item... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Rosales Posted February 4 Author Report Share Posted February 4 I thought I'd update y'all since I opened up this can of worms. I decided to call Taylor Toolworks directly about this. I was told that the item was listed on their Amazon webpage; that it is one of the products they produce under their own brand, Taytools; that it's listed in their inventory database; but that it's not listed on their official website for whatever reason. The agent said they sent a message to the product manager to look into the reason why. The agent also said that the dial marks fractions of an inch as well as millimeters but I'm not sure I believe them based on the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeDeF Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 Looks like its two-thousandths (half of a thousandth) of an inch on the imperial side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Smith Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 This is made of cast iron,,,it is not metric, it needs a stand made for it to sit on bench, I have used one of these quite a bit, (aluminum) and they are my least favorite. (needs a stand) Price is good,,, But? What that means,,, is that,,, if you use it a lot, you'll end up looking like this guy. Evan loves to pound iron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Smith Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 My first,, An automotive break shoe gauge, welded upon, long before the internet... Eyes were excellent back then! Needed something to measure old fiddles with backs still on the ribs,,, 1/4 inch pipe used as collets to allow for adjustments,,, gauge in fractions, hand marks are mm, thanks to this thread I have ordered a real nice mm 5 turn gauge,,, can't wait for it to get here! This one is my all time favorite! (pics keep turning the wrong way?) These work fine, lightweight, accurate,,, until they get used for awhile, they get loose and start giving false readings, good for someone making a few fiddles, not dozens. around $30.00 Made this for cellos, to measure the plates and the back while on the ribs, it also doubles for a thickness marking gauge with a dowel that has a pen tip attached to it. The bolt on the side of the shaft tube is to lock that in place. It breaks down for travel. These desk top gauges are nice, you can sit comfortably at your bench in low light with a bit of soothing music, nothing to lift, just enjoyment, but they have their limits. I was using this one just last nite. This one didn't cost that much, all from harbor freight, except the wood magnets and steel. It consists of a steel plate glued on a flat board, using a machinist dial indicator set up. It is very accurate, used with the flat table to measure heights and such, highly adjustable, and with the magnet that has the acorn nut glued on top it can be used for thickness measurements. This one is nice, I use it alot,,, And one of these,,,It needs a larger brass plate marked for a gauge to increase the accuracy, at least for me,, I extended the pointer to see how long it would need to be,,,, And here we have an aluminum frame made in USA free to anyone who wants to cover shipping,,,, Bang! It has the screw hole to mount some feet on the front, there is no collet on the end, just a tight fit for the gauge. The hole could be drilled and the frame split and threaded for an allen screw or such, depending upon your skill level. Evan might be nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.