Odie's crazy idea #21

[Odie]

In my humble opinion, one of the handiest little inventions for woodturners to come down the pike for awhile, is the Versa-Cal calipers. They are ideal, because they're designed for one-handed use. For many years, I've used those troublesome, three-handed, double ended calipers.....what a pain in the.....uh.....neck!

For anyone who ever wanted to use the double ended calipers, while holding their bowl in one hand.......well, I'm sure you can appreciate what I mean, when I suggest the need for a third hand!

Once I got my large size Versa-Cal, the old double ended calipers just sat there......never to see the light of day again!.......but, I still have a need for a smaller set of calipers for those smaller projects.

I thought about just buying the smaller set of Versa-Cal calipers........that is, until I got the bright idea to modify the double ended calipers for use with a single hand......shazam! Why spend the money?

Most of us have a scrap pile where we toss odds and ends. In mine I found some pieces of junk that were perfect to modify the DE calipers.

Not much for looks, but it's solid and works like a charm! :cool2:

For those cheapskates among us (and I admit I'm one of them!), there's no reason why you can't just modify your old calipers and ace out Versa-Cal altogether! Heh,heh,heh!

otis of cologne

 

[LHauch]

I have to agree, these are GREAT!
I don't even think I use my other ones (except the my fingers, they work great for the really thin stuff.)

Cheers,
Larry

 

[Joe Greiner]

Nice modification, odie. Being poor is like riding a bicycle: You never forget how.

But I guess I'm missing something (nothing new 'bout that of course). Have you tried a modified grip on the DE's? One leg secured in the palm; the other movable with thumb and forefinger. In practice, this would be conducted with the "reading" end closer to a scale, instead of airborne. And a measurement like this is only for reporting the thickness. Usually, I care about it while the bowl is still mounted, and the lathe provides the third hand. DIY calipers, too: scrollsawn from thin plywood; probably saved a few pennies, by paying myself less than minimum wage.

Joe

 

[Odie]

Nice modification, odie. Being poor is like riding a bicycle: You never forget how.

But I guess I'm missing something (nothing new 'bout that of course). Have you tried a modified grip on the DE's? One leg secured in the palm; the other movable with thumb and forefinger. In practice, this would be conducted with the "reading" end closer to a scale, instead of airborne. And a measurement like this is only for reporting the thickness. Usually, I care about it while the bowl is still mounted, and the lathe provides the third hand. DIY calipers, too: scrollsawn from thin plywood; probably saved a few pennies, by paying myself less than minimum wage.

Joe

Hiya Joe.....

For a small shallow bowl that has walls that slope outward like yours, and when measuring wall thickness only, it would be pretty easy to do it that way. However, for other bowl shapes it requires the calipers to be manipulated, and this is especially true when measuring the base thickness......I've never been able to do it one-handed on many of the bowl shapes I attempt to do......and the base thickness is something that cannot be measured by calipers, with the bowl mounted. This is something you will need to know prior to completing the foot.

Thanks for adding your input on this. I'm sure it will help a few people out....but for others, they will find the same results as I have.

otis of cologne

 

[Joe Greiner]

Got it, odie. Thanks.

Here's a suggestion for dismounting, in case anybody needs it: Mark the jaw number(s) on the workpiece for more accurate re-mounting. A piece of masking tape can provide the marking surface after final cuts. Even spur drive centers can be imperfect enough to allow misalignment; grind a spot on the drive center, and mark its location on the workpiece. Tricks like this can accommodate manufacturing tolerances, which is why the ("identical") jaws are numbered in the first place.

Joe