Photos of some engineering calipers were posted earlier which got me to wondering what most of you use. I find that as the years go by, the more I try to use hand tools over power tools in search of more peace and mellowness in my woodworking shop. It’s seldom very efficient when time matters, but there are times when time shouldn’t matter.
Like many of you I enjoy making some of my own tools and jigs. I love Jim Phillips’ “shapers paddle” for example and can’t imagine fine tuning the rail up at the nose or tail without it. I must admit that I often go into massive overkill when crafting specialty tools because somehow there’s just more joy in your work when you use a nice handmade tool. My greatest compliment was when Michael Hynson wanted one of my teak jointer sanders (looks like a long hand plane, but has replaceable sandpaper on the sole).
In that spirit of gone wild overkill I made these calipers a couple of years ago for shaping my balsa boards. They are fashioned after Paul Jensen’s style calipers and made of quilted maple ply, African rosewood, and Hawaiian koa. The laminated locking knob tightens against a ball bearing that slides up and down the inlaid brass side strip. The inlaid stainless rule reads both reg. and metric. The arched cutaways on either side of the locking knob allow my thumb to either slide push the calipers up to close or pull slide down to open. If I sold these for a couple hundred bucks I could probably make about 25 cents per hour for my labor.
I must now come clean by admitting that I actually use some junk thrown-together masonite calipers most of the time or for initial hogging and just leave these overkill ones on the wall to remind me not to waste so much time making tools. But once in a while I use them cuz they just feel good to use, they are very accurate, and they make me smile. Gotta enjoy the ride!
So what kind of calipers do you guys use….fancy, simple, homemade ??
Beautifull work man!!! That awesome. Wisk I had the skills.
Here’s what I use. Both fancy and home made. Just a bit of hard board and some nice metal calipers with a good square to messure the gap. Simple but useful.
That’s one tool your son’s grandson will be proud to have in some display cabinet at home and admiring guests will say: “Incredible craftsmanship! But what the hell did they use those for?”
Great work, Richard. Too bad (but not your fault) the metric and imperial measures don’t run the same way, making the metric side only usable as a guess…
Send me a check for $4,984 and I’ll forward the calipers with free shippping. Seriously, I would contact Paul Jensen and buy his calipers. I believe I remember a post not too long ago in which he stated he was going to make a few. He makes a really nice one at a fair price. Check em out at ( www.hollowsurfboards.com). some day I’ll do a run of a few of those like the one I posted and I’ll let Swaylocks know they’re available in case anyone is interested. “What the hell did they use those for” as Balsa stated.
I remember a guy in the 60s who made magnificent boards and used a crude set of calipers made of scrap pegboard masonite. The two scisor pieces were joined with a little bentover rusted finish nail (he had used them for years). “It’s not the wand, it’s the magician” (someone told me thay heard that line in a porno movie). Enjoy the ride!
Hi Rooster, how does that assymetrical swallow-tail work?
(I like your fin set-up, too: when the fin hits something, it just slides out the back with no damage to the box or tail whatsoever. That’s very clever.)
I see what your talking about now. Hmmm. There’s an idea for a board. I’ll let you build it. I get enough asym. when I trying for symetry. You have a good eye for negative space. The shadow does make it look like an asym. swallowtail. I really should make some nice calipers. These clunky things work, though. Mike
believe it or not, I didn’t notice that it was a shadow. Now that you speak of it, yes, it is…
I was sure that the tail had actually been cut (waiting for a repair after some horrible leash rip-through or something) hence my comment (which was supposed to be funny). I hope you didn’t take it seriously, did you?
Oh, and I was not criticizing your calipers, either. I wish you could see mine, made in about 5 minutes out of some left-over plywood and a screw…
No. I read your post with humor. Do you think I would post calipers like that and expect serious comments? It’s all fun. Adamus’ are great. Not as ugly as mine, though. I really like Stingray’s. They’re very simple and elegant. I might try something like those. Mike
