Vernier scales are AMAZING tools!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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- Good caliper with a vernier scale: amzn.to/485UlPS
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*My Table Saw and Bandsaw are AWSOME! Check them out at Harvey Woodworking Machinery:* www.harveywoodworking.com/
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-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
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I made a comment else where about the 21.52 looking more like 21.25 on the main scale. If you happen to weigh in that would be great. Some have suggested maybe the camera angle?
As a former jet engine mechanic I used these almost every day. Pro tip, when determining which two lines match up and it gets blurry, look away momentarily then look back at the scale. It also helps to tip the scale away from you ever so slightly.
The tipping part works great, and even side to side a bit as an overlap will stand out better. I did notice that he didn't actually pick the closest to perfect alignment, but possibly the first in every series of three that look near right on: It's when you pick the one you can best negotiate to the tolerances you need to meet, and a magnifying glass helps too! Even with good eyes, looking at one often can fatigue the eyes and have your brain play tricks on you.
It's also a bit overkill in woodworking to need thousands or even tens of thousands, as all it takes is a slight temperature or moisture change and you gain or lose a few thousands, and the larger the piece the more deviation. Jet engines are a different story though.
As a 70 year old guy who has used a vernier all my adult life I would like to say that you explained that better than most. if not everyone else I have seen demonstrate the use of a vernier! I don't use my vernier calipers much anymore but my height guage has a vernier so I do keep my skill current. Thanks for another great video!
as a 76 year old woodworker, I might add that a slide rule is similar. I actually LIKE vernier scale calipers often better than digital calipers. I can see better what I'm close to. Most folks don't know how to use vernier scales, much less a slide rule. Ah well, new stuff is good too.
I tried digital calipers and gave up on them, I had trouble getting repeatable readings and you could never be sure on the cheaper ones that the zero point had not changed. My general tool for measuring is my 150mm/6" vernier caliper with the two part slide that uses a thumb wheel to move the main slide. I find it is as accurate as my micrometers.
I literally just found one of these at the flea market like two weeks ago. I got it and a bunch of other precision measuring tools, amongst other things, for ten bucks. The guy practically gave them to me. Great day at the flea market!
Thanks. I never realized that its precision goes beyond the space between the lines. This video is 2023 TH-cam tip of the year!
The 21.52mm measurement in this video shows that for very precise measurements with a vernier it's important to ensure you're viewing the measurement point of the scale perfectly vertically or from as great a distance as possible to avoid/minimise parallax. At 5:29 it looks like the zero mark is much closer to 21mm than 22mm, and that the 0.54 or 0.56 marks align more closely, so I'm presuming the camera was very close to the calipers rather than zoomed in from a more distant point.
It was a digitally created image used to explain a process.
Very interesting measurement tool. Probably way more precise than I'd ever need in my small woodshop. I grew up on imperial but I've completely switched to metric.
I've used one to plane a board to a very precise width, so it could be installed at a client hours away from me. But normally I don't need that precision.
Verniers are handy even if you are not using them for super fine measurement, they are great for easily measuring diameter, thickness, depth etc, drillbits and fasteners.
I use mine all the time to get an accurate measurement of round things in my shop.
It's more precise than most people need with wood, period, due to various distortions that wood allows (both with humidity and pressure applied to it). You'd have to be using a really dense hardwood to get enough stability for it to matter. Well, that or some sort of densified material, but those are still really new and difficult to make and will only likely be for engineering purposes.
The ability to easily measure inside diameters or the depth of blind holes comes in really handy oftentimes for me.
Excellent crystal clear explanation as always! My wife's grandfather was a machinist, and she inherited his tools. Neither of us know how to use his calipers, so this video helps a lot.
Could you please do a video sometime on engineering / architectural scale rulers and other drafting tools?
I like using my vernier caliper for woodworking though I seldom need to measure finer than 1/32. The main advantage to this tool in my opinion is not the fine measurement but the ability to measure in different "directions". You can measure diameters of holes/widths of slots (inside measurement), diameter of round pieces/thickness of materials (outside measurements) and depths of holes (blind measurement). This multifunctional usefulness in a single tool is more important (in my opinion/practice) than the ability to measure to 1/10000 of an inch.
As a humorous story, I was visiting a shop teacher colleague in his wood shop when the machine shop teacher from next door approached with a piece of maple that the wood shop teacher had thickness planed to 1/2 inch. He had a vernier with him and was "complaining" that the wood was undersize by 4/1000 inch. The wood shop teacher took the wood, tossed int in the sink,ran water over it and told the machine shop teacher to come back in 15 minutes! (LOL)
I love using vernier calipers. Additionally, they are less prone to error than dial or digital. With dial, the rack gear can get dirt in it causing the needle to skip as it slides over. With digitals, the electronics can get contaminated and zero can be pressed accidentally, when not exactly closed.
Vernier, in my opinion, is by far the most reliable and accurate caliper.
For sure. The only time I go fine is when I make tool and knife handles. Then ill go to 64th. General woodworking for me, usually no more than 16th. Unless I'm doing critical joinery.
My main use for calipers, other than what you have stated, is the ability to compare stock sizes between 2 or more pieces during the milling process and certain joints. Half lap or M&T come to mind.
It sounds staged. If so, it's a good way to drive home several points in their respective classes. From wood stability to precision and compensation for variability, both classes can use it. Still funny though. 😄
Calipers (vernier or otherwise) arent even really accurate to 0.001" let alone 0.0001" ... need to use a micrometer if you really need that level of accuracy.
🤯Nubs explaining things with dry humor is a new favorite past time of mine to listen to.
The main reason to add zeroes to measurements, when writing it down, is to show the level of precision you measured to, even if the measurement ends in one or multiple zeroes.
1 = 1+-0.5
1.0 = 1.0+-0.5
1.000 = 1.000 +- 0.0005
I use this tool a lot to check drill bits and dowels. Of course it's handy in various ways outside of getting a fine measurement. I wouldn't go without one.
I last used a vernier scale ~25 years ago when my Dad was still alive. I remember him teaching me this. Thank you for giving me a reason to clean up his calipers and put them out in my shop for use!
I have two of these - one digital/analog and one old school plain analog. Very neat tool.
We had a subject in elementary school (workshop) where we were taught how to use vernier calipers.
I've had one in my toolbox for more years than I care to think about, before I came up with the bucks for a dial caliper.
Same - one "analog" metal one and one digital metal one.
But - I also got two in plastic.
This may sound like a "cheapo" version - but is in fact often used by watchmakers as the plastic avoids accidentally scratching the piece you are working on.
A related fact (which may - or may not be true - it was told to me by an old watchmaker): The bluing (which is traditionally done by carefully heating the metal without any chemicals or such - and is microns thick) of the very tiny screws in a watch is not only to make it pretty and hardened. But screwing down such a screw would almost certainly scratch the bluing on the screw around the slot - unless you have a very steady hand, skill, and a precisely ground screwdriver (it is common the grind the itty bitty screwdrivers as you use them). I.e. it is a "mark of skill".
I started my career as a draftsman back when drawings was done on linen using ink pens. The drafting machine head had a vernier scale to draw very precise angles. This video brought back those memories. Thanks for sharing.
Some 3D printers also use vernier scales to align their 2 nozzles. Print 1 side of the scale with nozzle 1 and the other scale with nozzle 2. Then you can calibrate how much off in X and Y they are (if you print a scale in both directions)
This is fantastic! I inherited one of these and it sits in my tool box, I just use an electronic caliper but of course the watch batteries go dead when you need it. Thank you for this explanation! I will be using it in the future!
Thanks for the flashback to my high school metal shop days. Mr Kerr was a true fan of taking proper measurements. I graduated in 1964 when basics were essential.
Fun fact: in Germany we call it Nonius, named after the matematician who invented a rougher version before Mr. Venier
That mathematician was the Portuguese Pedro Nunes.
I used verniers all the time in college. Nowadays, all those narrow graduations and tiny numbers are the bane of my middle aged eyes!
Learned to use Vernier calipers when I did my apprenticeship with an aeronautical engineering company where we used both imperial and metric measurements. Interesting pronunciation of Vernier.
Hey! I just got a flashback to machine shop in high school! I and another kid were the only ones who could understand the Vernier scale so we got to work the cool milling machines while the other kids just got to weld the parts we machined. Fun times!
As a young man, I worked in the field of land surveying. We were still using transits. This is the same way you read angles down to seconds of a degree.
Just in time! Thank you for the explanation. I was able to understand and use the Vernier scale on my Incra miter gauge for some compound miter cuts on chair legs.
I've used my vernier since the seventies...close tolerance sheet metal and machine shop. Not as much in my woodworking endeavors, but still handy to have.
Metric woodworker here and my Vernier caliper is in constant use. Even use the freedom units side of the scale regularly as thou is pretty easy for us decimal types to work in too.
As a 16year old Naval apprentice 60 years ago, we were expected to file mild steel to an accuracy of 1.5 thousandths of an inch (pre UK decimalisation) across the who;e plane of the test job, using just calipers and a steel rule, no micrometers allowed. And for the last 60 years, despite a subsequent engineering degree, that Naval apprenticeship has been the most useful life experiience I have had - I was using it only yesterday
Jup, metric is still way easier. But I learned something new today, the vernier scale. I love those analog instruments. My father used to be an metalworker in the league of instrumentmaker level 4 at the Philips factory in Eindhoven the Netherlands. There was only one level above (5) and threes below. They used to do mathematics with an analog ruler, called rekenliniaal, or in direct translation a calculusruler. He explained it to me and it was baffling how accurate this ruler was (although never exact, funny enough)
As we speak there are still a lot of extremely high skilled machinists in this area, although the technology is way more advanced then in those days…
Slide Rule
That's a coincidence, my dad was a precision instrument maker at AGFA in Arnhem and sometimes did jobs for Philips (or "ome Frits" as they used to say) too. He made and calibrated precision tools, first just mechanical and later digital but I don't know which level he was. I have a box full of these calipers and now that you mentioned it, his Slide Rule is in the drawer next to them. I kind of understand why Americans like the digital version of these now, that seems like a lot of math if you're in a hurry. While I can read my analog ones in a second or two and I still use them very often because they are so handy.
@@spawn101 Nice man. My father passed away 2 years ago. He was schooled in the workplaces in Eindhoven before he became a "technisch tekenaar" and later teacher and schooldirector. Those were the old days. i never use an Slide rule to be honest
My dial caliper died a few days ago. So I replaced it. Saw a 6” vernier caliper on sale, and bought that too. Should have ordered a 1” standard while I was at it. Anyhow, it arrived about the same time this video dropped, and I was playing with it about an hour before I watched the video. Excellent timing!
I learned how to read calipers in high school in my mechanical drafting and machine shop classes. Still use manual calipers but my eyesight is not as keen as it used to be, so I use digital style for easier visibility. I wonder if they still teach how to use calipers in school?
I learned to use vernier calipers in my High School engineering class in the UK back in the early 70's and that knowledge has been with me ever since. I still have a set of vernier calipers in my tool drawer alongside my more modern digital calipers. I also have 0-1", 1-2" and 2-3" micrometers which include a vernier scale on the sleeves so that I can easily measure to an accuracy of 1/10th of 1,0000th of an inch with those too.
As well as using vernier calipers in High School we were taught to use slide rules (or guessing sticks as we knew them) and every student had a book of logarithmic tables in their bag for use in math, geometry and technical drawing classes etc. I still have my 50+ year old slide rule tucked away in a drawer somewhere and I still have my draughting tee square and set squares from those days too!
Simple digital calculators were only just being invented when I took my final year exams and only the very rich students could afford them and so all mechanical or electronic calculators were banned from the examination rooms and all you could take in were slide rules and log tables!
Well now..... here I am in the UK just having dinner and a couple of beers and I watch this, now my head has exploded and fallen off!! Thanks for another great video, Happy Christmas everyone
For the longest time, that dual vernier scale caliper was my only high precision measuring device. By the way, at school I had learned a name for the vernier, a Nonius scale. I’m pretty sure all that was part of our Physics education. Anyway, when I collected my essential tool kit - minimal and multifunction - for my service trips, minimizing the weight was a prime consideration. The dual system (inch and metric) with a vernier was not available on any round dial calipers and the digital ones were still somewhere in the future. I believe I bought my caliper from Jensen Tools, like the bulk of my other tools. I still have the travel kit, including the caliper….
You really should have put an affiliate link to a digital caliper here. This was a great ad for one.
I have made several videos promoting digital calipers. But some people like to learn other things. It's a skill worth preserving.
The vernier calibers are also cheaper for the same quality tool than dial or digital calipers. Love mine. I Have a vernier scale on my Jess Em miter guage that will get me to 0.1 degrees too
What I like about my vernier caliper is that it has no springs that can get overstretched, bezel to break, electronics to short, or batteries to run out. I have been using the same set since 1992.
That's a worthwhile explanation!!! Kudo's for thinking about this almost banal topic but for sure elusive to most of us ou there!
I was wondering how these would work in imperial units. Thanks for showing!
I learned to use a vernier as a machine shop apprentice.
I have since had three electronic digital calipers, they have all failed. I am 65 years old and have bought a magnifier and gone back to my trusty vernier caliper...
have a few vernier calibers in the shop, many uses rather than crude measurements from a tape when sizing small items within the calibers size usage
Haven't used one of these for about 40 years, but was still able to read the measurements before you said what the measurement was. Probably should have one of these in the shop just in case there is some oddball metric measurement that needs to be made. I tend to watch a few channels that feature guys from other countries that do repair work, generally on manual lathes, and they use these all the time.
I've used 'em, but my eyes go crossed when I read the scale. I had a big party when I got my first digital caliper. Now I have four of them scattered around the shop and use them for many things, often comparing several things for thickness or diameter (screws, drill bits, holes . . .) or exact length, or box joint setup, and more. I can do comparisons a lot more quickly than I could with the vernier type. The same is true with digital depth gages. You had a great, clear presentation, I but I kept saying YGBSM, why go through all of that!
Can't resist commenting. Started in engineering long before the digital calipers so understand using the analogs ones. Got lazy with the digital ones but still use an engineering measuring mindset while woodworking. Now class, tomorrow's lesson is using the slide rule to calculate board-feet.
And slide rules also use vernier scales and are extremely accurate calculators. Everything was designed using slide rules before the computer was invented.
Thanks. And people forget that we even went to the moon using slide rules. @@johnburger3287
@@johnburger3287 I have used vernier calipers as well as slide rules for more than 50 years. I can't think of a vernier scale on a slide rule ( keeping in mind that a vernier scale is used to more accurately interpolate between two markings). Perhaps you are conflating logarithmic (or log-log) scales with a vernier scale.
Unrelated to this remark, but brought up in others, I am a member of the ver- nee -er pronunciation clan. I learned this pronunciation when I was first taught how to read a micrometer and vernier calipers from my machinist uncles. Furthermore, my engineering professors pronounced it ver-nee-er. These typically were men who had been practicing engineers before they became professors. I'll stick with their pronunciation.
@@frankfronczak4469 OK maybe I don't have the terminology correct but, as I remember my slide rule days you lined up two numbers from an equation and read the result on the slide rule in a different position and not necessarily on the same two scales originally aligned. I guess that is not vernier in a measuring sense but kind of similar in a calculation sense.
I started out with Vernier calipers and micrometers. I eventually gave in and started using a dial caliper. Digital calipers have their place but I hate picking one up to measure something only to find the battery is dead.
Maybe vernier caliper manufacturers should include a pair of reading glasses with their product : ) Thank you James for your usual clear and concise explanation of how they work.
I have a slide ruler that has a built in magnifying glass.
Here in the Netherlands for fine wood worker, we use it all the time. We even use it to draw measurements on the wood. I even use it the meassure the distance from the saw tooth to the guide rail. It goes much faster then a ruler. I didn't know it was special for US users.
I have several measuring tapes and calipers. The one that has been become my go-to is the Chips Fly fractional caliper. I am a woodworker. No battery is a plus! I am not sure if they have a metric version. Everything I have purchased through Chips Fly has been quality in my opinion. Honestly the most accurate measurement is with "story sticks".
Yes I’m old enough to have learnt to use a vernier scale calibers, but hats easy stuff. As an civil engineer technician back in the last century we set out with theodolites that had vernier scale to measure degrees minutes and seconds, there are 3600 seconds to a degree, vernier scale didn’t not get that far, great scale back when we needed it, but digital tools much easier to use.
All the pre-med students I teach in my physics labs have to learn how to use these. Interestingly enough, the imperial scale on mine is still in fractions of inches not decimal. Main scale is marked to the nearest 16th, and there are eight more lines on the vernier scale so it goes to the nearest 128th.
Yep. All mine are in 1/128ths on the Imperial scale. I think I'm going to find one of the decimal versions.
Dear Stumpy, must admit I don’t use the vernier caliper that often, but is my go to in case of ‘doubt,’ especially when an object is placed in such a way the tape measure or yard stick measurement isn’t visible, clear, or for its viewpoint, open for speculation. Have used the digital versions only sparsely. Find that those versions mostly obscure the measurements, with the displays over the caliper’s rulers. Also, even rather expensive ones have their batteries bleed out way too fast and the only way to tackle that is to take ‘m out, which leads to a new calibration cycle every time one needs the caliper. That’s why I stick to the analog vernier caliper. I’m metric, by the way. Am not in the position to make fun of the imperial system. I find it very useful, where the increments often just ‘feel’ much more natural than the mm count. Cheerio
As an old Mechanical Engineer, I've used a lot of calipers and micrometers with Vernier scales. I was also lucky enough to work at places that had nice Mitotoyu digital calipers, which speed up the process, but do cause you to get slower reading Verniers. I gave up on digital calipers at home because I can't justify a nice set from Japan. So, I split the difference and use a decent dial type caliper. Don't have to worry about batteries any longer!
Yep - no Mitotoyo in my shop, but I too got tired of batteries. I actually use decimal inches enough I'm thinking about getting some decimal inch tape measures for woodworking
From the UK and I was brought up with inches and thousandths of an inch, keep it imperial in my book. I cut my teeth on digital verniers so I have learned a lot from this, thanks for sharing. Just goes to show that even at 66 years of age I can still learn something new. 🙂
When I left school (long time age) I worked as a Sheet Metal Worker making Camera Enlargers we worked to within 5,000 of an Inch, the Vernia was your best friend
I have TWO of these and never knew how to use it. My father worked for NASA for 38 years. He was a rocket fluid systems engineer. That is where I got them. When his rollaway came home they were in his box. I could tell that he used them frequently because of the ware on them. Plus there are two books that came with them. The pages he used were worn and dirty. WOW! After all these years, Now I know…. Good Grief.
Well explained, being an old vernier user myself, and on several different kinds of tools including calipers and transits. I have to admit, though, that as I started doing more wood work, I discovered that for measurements I preferred common fractions. I can do the math on paper and in my head far faster and more reliably than I handle decimals, for some reason. Better yet, the fractions are compatible with the rulers I use, when I use a ruler. But (some day you might consider covering this) I've come to think that geometry and proportion as described by Walker and Tolpin in _By Hand and Eye_ is easily as reliable and accurate. It has come to the point that about the only time I am interested in really fine measurements (on the order of 1/1000th inch) is when I am fettling one of my planes and I check to see how fine a shaving I can get. I still use a caliper just like the one you used for scientific measurements, though almost solely the metric side.
It’s easier when you know the decimal equivalent for 16th. I don’t know if they even teach this in schools anymore. James I appreciate all you do. Merry Christmas to you and everyone who watches
Thanks Stumpy. I generally think of I'm within 1/16" total on my completed woodworking project I'm satisfied. But there's nothing wrong with knowing how to use a vernier caliper. 😊😊😊
Hi Stumpy, I have my father's slide caliper, this one has decimal and fraction Vernier scales.
It still looks good. I think I'll try it just for fun.
i use vernier calipers quite often, note that it is pronounced with three sylables, ver ni er( not veneer!) one of mines is marked out to measure in 128th's of an inch, the other scale is in thousands of an inch
based on your recommendation a while back, i have the M power router base with most of it's accessories. great tool!
I don't believe I ever said veneer. I say VUR-NEE-UR throughout. But there is little value in debating the way someone hears the accent of another.
That sounds suspiciously French...
First time that I have ever heard it pronounced that way, I think you offended him though 😂 Here in Australia we also pronounce it 'ver ni er' and we don't tend to get offended so easily.
Having lived in a French-speaking area, I thought it was more like vair-nyee or vair-nyay Since the inventor was French, I lean toward one of these. Maybe it's ver-nee-ear for the Imperial scale and vair-nyay for the metric scale.
@@wdtaut5650 It is common for words to be pronounced differently depending on the language. I make no claim about how the original French may sound.
Thank you...excellent refresher.
We were all required to learn to use 'Vernier Caliper' as a part of our curriculum back in my 12th class, I am learning it again 22 years later 🙂
I learned to use this tool in high school back in 1994, finally getting one in the early 2000s to measure some metal parts I had to replace, finally replacing the tool for a digital one in 2021 when I got into more intensive measuring. It never occurred to me that carpenters wouldn't use it.
We measuring using the SI would just say it's in mm and not in cm, since its precision is stated in mm. Regardless, dealing with SI magnitudes expressed in powers of 10 is straightforward, they're second nature to us (even easier for those of us native speakers of any Latin language), but I understand they have an additional learning curve for regular users of the Imperial system.
I think I just learned how to use the Vernier scale on my miter saw. Thanks!
I have a vernier caliper in my garage and it works as well now as it did when it was new. I also have 2 digital calipers that don't work at all because the batteries are always dead. If you buy one of those you better buy a case of the fancy hard to find batteries at the same time because the next time you pick it up to use it you will have to put a new battery in it. For now I gave up and dug out my old vernier caliper to use. I wish I was rich enough to buy a good dial caliper.
Two of the milling machines I used had vernier scales reading to .02mm. To get better than that we used a DTI. I started in 1967, and it musty have been 20 years till those same machine tools were fitted with DROs, which felt like the ultimate luxury! And those DROs didn't have any of the clever functions that are standard today. I started designing with Autocad version 10 on a DOS computer. Everything was done from a command line, and you had to be sharp to do this in three dimensions. I was eventually allowed to upgrade Autocad and given a large tablet and puck (like a mouse with a magnifier and crosshairs) Nowadays I am long since retired from Ford Product Development, but still use machine tools and SketchUp, and You'll find me on the Adobe forums helping people with their Photoshop problems. BTW Did you use Photoshop to do the line overlays? That was some nice timing with the editing.
For 20 seconds, I thought you were talking about my old friend, the slide rule! 😂 It’s still a good video.
Its not just the machinists that know how to use the vernier scale. Chemists and even chemical engineers like @woodwhisperer also know the vernier scale. Chemistry rocks!
Great learning video. Now I just need to find one on how to use a slide rule.
Thanks for the refresher!
Merry Christmas!🎄
interesting and enjoyable
The 21mm appeared to be less than 21.5 looking directly at the main scale but using the method as you showed you came up with 21.52?
I would have guessed from the main scale it was closer to 21.25?
Probably quite bit of parallax, camera very close to get it big enough and centered over the 5 on vernier scale.
@@scania9786 I did ponder if it could have been a camera angle thing. I need to watch the video again and see if he centred over 21mm on the main scale at any time
Hehe, in my experience when using this sort of precision it's better to measure several times, resetting the tool after every measurement, and selecting the most repeated series of values. Even a speck of dust or a tiny gap of just air on the surface of the stoppers in contact with the part you're measuring can mess everything up.
I was going through the comments to see if anyone else noticed
@@solteszjeno did anyone else comment? I did not see any but did not look thru them all
As a machinist for 40+ years I used these often The largest was 4 feet long ! 😱😱😱
Excellent explanation on use. Personally I prefer and only use the analogue version, in fact the majority of my 'measuring tools' are analogue as I get sick of flat batteries, but more importantly try to minimise land fill. Where do you think all those dead batteries end up .... 😔
I use one every day... at work and at home. I like vernier calipers better than the dial type.
Yep. This feature blew my mind when I learned it from a 16-yo boy who was like: You didn’t know that? Idiot. Never too old to learn. AND: I am actually using it. Despite all the comments that deny this kind of accuracy to be useful in woodworking at all.
There are occasions.
I use the digital version from Harbor Freight. Does both English and Metric with the push of a button. No figuring out decimals and tiny numbers…
Very well presented explanation!
Same vernier principle is used in a micrometer - to measure the thickness of your disc brake rotors and so forth
I have worked with machinists my whole life, and I never heard that explained so well.
Still use one analog caliper. But as I, hrmm, get older, I find it easier to read a digital one instead of finding my reading glasses. However, a good digital caliper is a lot more expensive than a good analog one with vernier scale.
Mechanic here, former machinist this is all I knew till my eye site went and I went digital! In the shop one tenth always meant one ten thousandth
Some vernier scales measure in 1/128s of an inch. I have an old slide caliper sold by General that works like that.
25 years ago, I was working with young HS Grads that did not understand how to read a ruler with 1/16ths...and it wasn't any better 5 years ago when I left the workforce disabled.
Excellent video as always. I have used vernier calipers for years, yet had never heard of The Vernier Scale. Thanks for the useful info. Keep up the great work.
I love it when James gives us a math lesson. 💕
The interesting part is, that it takes way longer to explain the vernier scale for inches compared to millimeters, as you would first have to wrap your head around using decimal numbers instead of fractions. With metric you would almost never use fractions to express a dimension as they are more difficult to process in your head compared to just shifting around the decimal point.
General has made an cheap imperial Vernier caliper for years. The older ones are better than the new ones. They are in 1/16"s subdived down to 1/128"s. I used one for years till my eyes got too bad. I got an Imperial dial caliper from HF that goes to 1/64". It's what I'm used to.
I’ve had my vernier for over 40yrs, but in metric so very simple. I can measure to 1/10 of mm
I have some vernier-type calipers with the extra scale in eight parts so it can measure 1/128"s.
Haven't used a slide rule for fifty years. Currently use vernier calipers, inch and metric, (mechanical and electronic) and sometimes a dial caliper. In my box of "stuff I used to know how to use" is a circular slide rule. The tool which tripped me up the most is a 300 foot tape reel, with feet and inches on one side, and feet and tenths on the other. Had to pay attention with that one. I still have a few sockets in Whitworths. This is a very informative video!
I still use a circular slide rule for flying.
@@barongerhardt Circular slide rules work when GPS quits!
@@oldgandy5355 GPS? I rarely use one in a car but for flying part of the fun charting on a paper map.
@@barongerhardt I never use GPS in a car, but when I was in the Satellite Communication business, we used them all the time for setting up antenna. I never used one for land navigation when I hunted a lot. I used a map and a compass. I never got lost but I was Poorly Terrain Adjusted a few times.
Measuring with it it's a quick and accurate way.
It can be used to score, mark the pieces, etc.
Every woodworker should have one, especially at the current price tags.
Regarding the moaning about imperial or metric it's simple:
Measuring anything is just a process of referencing the object to the measuring system, but I guess it's much quicker to divide or multiply something with 10 or 100 rather than 3, 12, 32 or 64.
I was in the last class they taught slide rule and logarithmic tables.
A classmate came in with a calculator he’d paid $240 for. He could have bought a car!
It could add, subtract, multiply and divide!
By the end of the year everyone had a Texas Instruments calculator that did square roots!
I never liked the vernier scale.
Everybody in the machine shop where I worked went for dial calipers as soon as they could. But not their big Starrett micrometers.
I never got digital calipers. They have switchable modes and protruding buttons!
I would like to find 6” metric dial calipers. In black! Or at least with a black dial. Cheap too.
Thats the Vernier explained Jim. Now how about the micrometer. Imperial and they do them in metric too. I'm comfortable using both systems, bit for my money imperial has a much finer range
I have to admit that when I saw the thumbnail for the video, I was thinking slide rule. Why? Well, I'm not a woodworker or machinist, so I have no idea about the vernier scale concept. And for that matter, I was born just after calculators became common enough for every day use, so alas, no slide rule knowledge either. But it's fun to watch the math stuff (I was a math/computer person in college).
I just have one little nit to pick at (and probably because my math background): I know folks like to say 'oh' but it is a 'zero' and sure between 2 people working together it's probably fine to continue say it that way; but hearing 'oh' over and over again, well, it was getting in the way of paying attention. Good video nonetheless. Thanks.
The battery never needs replacing. 👍
I have 3 types of calipers analog (yours), dial and digital. The only time I use the analog is when I want to refresh my memory on how to use the vernier scale. People in general these days don't want to be bothered with taking the time to do the math when you can get an instant readout with digital. Also, digital helps the older you get.
There are fractional based verniers as well. Lets you get to 1/128ths.
Being a machinist, I prefer dial calipers for the simple reason that you can readjust your zero by a simple turn of the dial.
Generally though, making tables and cabinets doesn't need the accuracy of a tool used by people making the space shuttle. I use mine to set a depth or whatever bu taking it from one place to another. So I might push the tail into a rebate then take it to the table saw to set the blade height. Or take an internal hole size then turn down something until the external measuring parts will slide over it. The actual measurement could be anything or not be marked on there at all.
I like the video for the most part, never even knew about this other scale, it looks kewl.
The only part did not like was the part about micrometers. Fractionalizing them, makes it seem clunker than it is.
Stumpy says 1:09 "The handy thing about decimals, is you can as many zeros as you want to convert to a smaller increment..."
You don't say...? If only there was a measuring system that made use of this feature at ALL scales! 🤔
(Just an ex-Pat living in America engaging in our favorite international sport 😋)
😂 Did you hear what he said right at the beginning.