The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Dial indicator recommendation

Converting my 46 1/2 ton to to 3:55 R&P gears. A few tool necessities. Need a dial indicator set up. Probably a one time build but you never know. Any recommendations? Something that will do the job but not break the bank. Also the elusive j-4050 bearing gap/ pinion gear tool. I have seen plans for building one but are they available anywhere.

Thanks for your time.

Ed

I bought a cheap dial indicator and magnetic base off Amazon, and when I went to use it, the indicator and base wouldn't connect up. You'd be better off going to a store that carries them and be sure everything is compatible. Other than that, I have no recommendations.

As a retired life long Machinist, I have several you could borrow.
But the distance is a factor and will not make it possible.
Suggest getting a cheap one inch travel indicator and a cheap mag base.
AmtracJoe may have what you need and I think he is in your area.

Don

https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/INDICATOR-BASE-SET%2C2PC/p/WWG4LB18

I bought this kind about 10 years ago. Prices have gone up considerably. I also got a little deal through the rig company I was working for at the time. Cheap? No. Good? Very. Bank breakable? Yes.

I’ve used quite a few times, and have let buddies borrow it. The case is a bonus, too.

I’d buy it again, simply because I know it’s a good one. Necessary? Unlikely.

I told my wife that I only had to spend that much once on this tool. 😎

If there's a Harbor Freight or a Northern Tool store near you, they will have a pretty good selection of dial indicators and different ways to mount them- - - -C clamps, magnetic bases, and a favorite of mine, a pair of vise grips fitted with a flexible bracket for the indicator that can be positioned in any direction you need and locked into position with a lever. There are all sorts of dial indicators available on Ebay, including one I just bought with a 2" plunger travel that I intend to use when setting up the stroke on my crankshaft grinder. The chucks are centered like the machine would be for grinding main bearings, and then both of them are offset half the stroke length to make the crankshaft spin off center with the rod journal as the reference point. Fun stuff!
Jerry

Thanks. Funny you mention HF, they are opening a brand new one just a few blocks from work. Never been a HF tool guy but a nod from Hotrod and I’ll go take a look.

On to the pinion gear tool…..TBC….

Just another tip on precision tools. Treat them like you would a fire arm. Do not use oil like WD-40. It will gum things up.
A good gun oil will work fine.

Don

I learned when dealing with high school students that measuring tools from HF and similar places don't like being dropped onto a concrete floor any better than ones from Starrett or other brand names- - - -they just cost a lot less to replace! If you're using those things in a professional shop environment to make a living, buy the expensive stuff. For occasional use, anything but a bottom of the barrel micrometer or dial indicator made in India or Pakistan will get the job done. The Chinese stuff is surprisingly good quality most of the time.

I agree with Jerry! My career depended on the quality of the precision tools I used and no one touched those tools but me.
You might also stop in a couple pawn shops to get what you need. Just make sure the indicator strokes nice and smooth and goes back to zero every time.

Don

I've bought some high quality brand name precision tools on Ebay for a fraction of their original price, but there's always a risk of getting something that's damaged or way out of calibration. I just bought a small spirit level, used for setting things up square and level on a machine or assuring that several parts that are being machined are oriented the same way on a holding fixture. It's 4" long, and made of heavy cast iron, Starrett brand, and only cost me about $20.00, shipping and all. Of course, I'll check it for accuracy before I trust it to be used on a real project.
Jerry

I won’t comment on quality as that is more a personal choice but indicator style is worth considering when purchasing.
The indicator on the left is what Fox owns and is the most common general purpose style sold (2” dial face with 1” plunger travel)
The one on the right is referred to a dial TEST indicator. It is similar in cost to the first style but has far more versatility in that it can get inside pilot or dowel holes and the arm can be manipulated to see the dial face much more easily. This one has a range of .040” and I would bet in the 10 years Fox has owned his neither he nor his buddies had an application where more than .040” of dial travel was required. $117 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-513-518T-Pocket-Indicator-0-20-0/dp/B0006J3YAI

more info:

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/inspection-and-measurement/top-dial-test-indicators/

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...cting-a-magnetic-indicator-base-and-arm/

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/tips-and-tricks/choosing-the-right-dial-indicator/

FYI: Very seldom do I ever use a travel style indicator. Only when I need more range (travel). Most often I prefer to use a test indicator. Interapid make the best test indicators (just my opinion) and mostly are all we use. I do have Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, Mitutoyo and Federal brands as well as a couple cheap imports in my toolbox at work. These I have accumulated over 40 years in the Tool & Die trade. They all work well. It's mostly a matter of personal preference.

For working on our old trucks, I wouldn't be afraid to use a cheap import (test or travel style) as long as it repeated well.

John

Try degreeing a camshaft with a .500"+ lift at the valve with a last word dial indicator. I'm debating between buying an indicator with a 2" stroke VS a 3" to use setting up the offset on my crankshaft grinder. Some of the cranks I work with have over a 4" stroke length, which requires offsetting the rotating heads more than 2 inches to get the rod journals to spin true. There's about a $75.00 difference in the cost of the dial indicators.
Jerry

Yep, personal preference of brand and length of required travel for what you're needs are. That's why and how I accumulated so many over the years.

John

I can't count the number of times I've watched a journeyman machinist with complete confidence in both his measuring skills and his tools get shredded by a quality control department over non conforming parts due to his improperly calibrated tools or misuse of them. This is the very reason both API and ISO compliance now requires that ALL measuring tools in a shop are included in a quality management/calibration system. When a guy's tool comes back from calibration with a red tag what does he do? Sell it on Ebay and buy a quality replacement.

Fox,

My apologies for using you as an example. Let me offer to loan you any precision measuring tool you could possibly need for the cost of a drive to Acheson (and maybe a beer).

Thanks Curt for the offer, but I also don't borrow any precision tools unless they are the company's tools and I can check them myself.
Been retired over 8 years now and don't need most of them any more.
Sold a bunch to Grigg a few years back, but kept the smaller stuff in case I want to help out in a local small shop. Or rebuilding an engine.

Really nice set you have there! An don't worry, use my name anytime.

Don

No worries, Curt. By no means am I an expert. I hope my tools are reading true! 😜 For what I’m doing I think it suffices. Oh, boy...is that doubt gnawing now? Bahaha!

That set you shared is beauty.

For the once in a blue moon I use my dial indicator I just went with Harbor Freight. Works fine for the light occasional use.