1930artdeco
Well-known member
What is the best place to learn how to read a Micrometer? You Tube, or some other website?
Mike
Mike
reading a Micrometer
- Thread starter 1930artdeco
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rlitman
Well-known member
Learn by doing. Get yourself a micrometer, and measure some stuff you know the size of (like drill bit shank diameters).
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Most old machinist texts have a section on reading a mic.
ganymede
Well-known member
ganymede
Well-known member
ganymede
Well-known member
Great post!. For a second I thought, how hard is it to read a mic then I remembered learning it in metal shop. some guys just couldn't get it
Greeny
Well-known member
I was one of those guys.
Got a digital caliper instead, decided that gets me close enough. Specially since my precision machining is done with a drill and sandpaper.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
I think in the earlier days, a new apprentice would have to make a set of 1-2-3 blocks with nothing more than a caliper, a mike and a file.
With a little practice, you can eyeball a .010" difference in things and feel a .002" difference. Used to blow the minds of new structures guys that we would get in our work area when I showed it to them. Didn't take more than a few weeks of doing some fairly close tolerance panel fitting for them to pick it up.
With a little practice, you can eyeball a .010" difference in things and feel a .002" difference. Used to blow the minds of new structures guys that we would get in our work area when I showed it to them. Didn't take more than a few weeks of doing some fairly close tolerance panel fitting for them to pick it up.
ganymede
Well-known member
Rock and roll, ganymede!
Yup. Everyone is different. I taught myself to read one like Ritman posted up above. I used gage blocks wih the size marked on them.
Otherwise I am absolutely horrible at math. Even basic algebra is beyond my puny comprehension.
tdkkart
Well-known member
Good grief, I taught my wife to read one and she can't even read a ruler.
I used to teach new shop employees about screw threads and how to read a mike. I found the best way was to equate it to a $10 dollar bill. Each revolution was worth a quarter. I.E. 4 turns equal $1 etc. They could easily relate to that. I gave a test at the end of the class and as a bonus asked if anyone knew how many threads per inch were on a micrometer spindle. Some actually got it.
OP
1930artdeco
Well-known member
Thanks for all of the help folks. I just feel like I am missing something in my mechanical abilities by not being able to read one. But here is what I have been trying to read (I also have a barrel style one as well). Maybe I am misusing terms. But I will try the measuring a known item and practice that way along with reading how to read one.
Thanks,
Mike
Thanks,
Mike
Attachments
Cruzan80
Well-known member
So the picture is a vernier caliper, not a micrometer. That may be the first problem.
davethorik
Well-known member
The "barrel style" you refer to I'm guessing is a micrometer, which is what the folk here have been talking about.
As cruzan said, your picture is a vernier caliper. Here is some reading on that:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.wikihow.com/Use-a-Vernier-Caliper?amp=1
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
Pete 222 think his name is on you tube Has lots of good videos.
Has a series on reading mics.
with a quiz the end.
Has a series on reading mics.
with a quiz the end.
OP
1930artdeco
Well-known member
66CJ, thanks for pointing this out. I though I had asked this before and even looked at my past posts. But somehow I missed it. Sorry for the repost.
Mike
Mike
bob15
Well-known member
Maybe this will help:
Micrometer:
Vernier:
Micrometer:
Vernier:
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
It's EZ I almost couldn't get it, but all of I sudden I didMaybe this will help:
Micrometer:
Vernier:
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I recall Tubalcain (mrpete222) saying in all his years teaching machine shop there were two types of kids. The ones who understood reading verniers immediately, and the other kids who could never get it.
Make life easy. Just buy an inexpensive digital caliper.
Make life easy. Just buy an inexpensive digital caliper.
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
that is One way to do it, But IMHO, l think it's best to learn to read the manual type also.
helps to understand what you are reading if/when You do go to a digital.
I think at least.
I'm funny, I prefer A dial caliper over a digital.
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
davethorik
Well-known member
that is One way to do it, But IMHO, l think it's best to learn to read the manual type also.
helps to understand what you are reading if/when You do go to a digital.
I think at least.
I'm funny, I prefer A dial caliper over a digital.
IMO, ability to read a vernier caliper isn't a necessary skill in today's world, for the most part. I have worked in a shop where anything larger than 12" was measured with verniers from 24" up to a monster 96" that was just about impossible to use without a helper. I say about, bc if a helper wasn't available, you had to hold them up with the overhead crane and 2 lifting slings. On the flip side, I worked at another shop in the past that had a strictly enforced NO VERNIERS policy. Verniers have a learning curve and it is possible to very easily transpose numbers or straight up read it incorrectly, resulting in oopsies.
I am not even sure if they teach vernier reading in current vo-tech schools anymore, I will have to ask one of the co-ops at work on Monday.
Personally, I like using verniers. I can appreciate simplicity, and verniers have less moving parts than dial calipers, less electrical parts than digis, and are also more robust in general terms than both others. Being basically 2 moving parts, they are easy to clean if gunked up, which makes them a good candidate for "dirty" work.
I currently have 3 pair, a Lufkin Switzerland 6" (Etalon), Craftsman DJ Japan 6" (Mitutoyo), and my favorites, a pair of Scherr-Tumico USA 24" in a nice oak fitted case. They are all keepers. I had a pair of Starrett no. 123 master vernier calipers in both 6" and 24" in the past, and they were disappointing- not smooth, odd ergos, rust easily, so they got sold. I am also not a very big fan of Starrett dials, feel like they are full of grit and have tight spots brand new...unacceptable for the prices they ask. So I don't sound like a complete Starrett hater, I will say that I have an older pair of Starrett 6" digis that have been fantastic, and average around 5-6 years on a battery, with daily intermittent use. Of course the reason they're so good is they are assembled in USA of US and Swiss bits.
For general shop use, IMO most folk should at least have a digital, and a dial. They compliment each other well. Digital are nice for easy inch/mm conversions, and the ability to set zero anywhere along their range of travel. Most modern digis are IP rated against contaminant intrusion, and are water resistant or waterproof as well, which is a nice feature. And dials...no batteries to die at the worst possible time, no batteries to leak and destroy your expensive digis, basically no batteries period, lol.
That being said, Mitutoyo does offer solar-powered digis. I would like to get one of these eventually, mostly out of curiosity.
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NO, There was A 3rd. type.
The ones that didn't give a ****.
That’s right, I forgot about those guys !
They're the ones who never finished a project in shop class, and whenever the teacher wasn’t around spent the time sanding #2 pencils down on the stationary belt sander and had pretend sword fights with T squares.
Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
L0L......... That's Funny.
Wood shop was more my thing back then.
If the teacher was busy, the guys would sometimes come to me for help.
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Whiskey Rock And Roller
Member
I knew how to read A vernier caliper at one time, but have forgotten how.
I actually do not have one at this time.
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Indexmill
Well-known member
Hi,
What is the model number of the Starrett digis that you have? How do you know that have Swiss bits in them?
Thank you.
HenryAZ
MEMBER EMERITUS
Go to Starrett's free printed literature page, create an account and order for free (no shipping charges either) from a variety of catalogs, wall charts, pocket reference cards, and booklets, including one on metrology which goes through the history of measuring up to how to read basic measuring devices, including micrometers.
tdkkart
Well-known member
Given the mental capacity of most of the engineers I work with, reading a vernier caliper is more of an impossible skill than a necessary skill.
I recently made sort of a change in roles at work, and now have the "opportunity" to work with a number of engineers of various fields.
OMG!!, how those people find their way out of their houses every day is beyond me. Jeebus, I don't know how people can make it through 30-40-50 years of life while picking up so little knowledge of what I consider the most basic functions of the world we live in.
I worked in various manufacturing engineering positions for over 50 years. I could work with the engineers as I had an engineering degree and with the shop as I worked as a heavy equipment mechanic summers while going to college and served a tool room machinist apprenticeship after graduation.
I was able to recommend things to the designers that were both functional and less costly to make. That was the most rewarding part of my job, helping designers and seeing the recommendations go thru manufacturing without a hitch.
I was able to recommend things to the designers that were both functional and less costly to make. That was the most rewarding part of my job, helping designers and seeing the recommendations go thru manufacturing without a hitch.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
I can't speak for the people you work with but not all us engineers are idiots. Maybe they just never had a reason or opportunity to learn how to read a caliper or micrometer, and chances are they know how to do some other things you don't.
I happen to know how (my dad taught me how to read them when I was about 12 years old) but I've never had to use that knowledge in a work environment.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
For those who may be interested in the history behind micrometers and precision measurement in general, I recently came across this Youtube channel:
The presenter is building a replica of what is supposed to be the world's first micrometer built by James Watt, but he also talks a lot about the ability to make precision measurements and how that is more or less the backbone for all modern technology.
Bruce Amacker
Well-known member
I have plenty of both and went back to dial calipers, I got tired of buying and changing batteries in the digitals. If you're using them several times a day, every day, maybe digitals are good, but not for me. I currently have about 5 dial cals in my box including metric.
laser3kw
Well-known member
shop teacher in high school taught it this way:
Think of the whole scale as a ten dollar bill
each number on the barrel (1,2,3,4 etc) is a one dollar mark
every slash between each number is a quarter
the thimble shows the pennies.
after you figure the amount, put the decimal point at the front.
So - if you see the number "2", three full slashes, and the thimble is on 15 =
2.00 +.75+.15=2.90 >>> .290
during the tests you could hear guys mumbling "two - seventy-five plus fifteen pennies equals..."
ps - but then again, there were some guys who couldn't make change either
Think of the whole scale as a ten dollar bill
each number on the barrel (1,2,3,4 etc) is a one dollar mark
every slash between each number is a quarter
the thimble shows the pennies.
after you figure the amount, put the decimal point at the front.
So - if you see the number "2", three full slashes, and the thimble is on 15 =
2.00 +.75+.15=2.90 >>> .290
during the tests you could hear guys mumbling "two - seventy-five plus fifteen pennies equals..."
ps - but then again, there were some guys who couldn't make change either
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