How to Use Vernier Calipers

I used to knit and liked taking my projects with me to do whenever I was out of the house. Now I pack my chain maille stuff inside a small plastic box. I've been known to make chain maille jewelry waiting at the dentist's or waiting to pick up my children. But when I empty out my box, I discover misplaced rings of varying dimensions waiting to be sorted out.



If you have many types of rings as I do, this chore can be a headache. So vernier calipers come in handy to check for the internal diameter of the rings. Vernier scales and calipers are used by scientists like me but if you are not familiar with them, perhaps I should explain.



As you can see, there are actually four scales - two each for metric and imperial measurements. The pincers are used for either internal or external measurements. I placed a ring on the internal pincers and moved the sliding scales until the ring was just held - the little geared wheel helps me shift them.



First you read the main measurement along the inch scale (second scale from the top). Now find any line along the top scale which sits exactly along any line on the second scale. In this example, the "0" mark on the top scale is pretty well close to the 1/4" mark making this ring a 1/4" id (internal diameter) one.

For the metric measurement, do the same. The main centimetre scale shows it is just beyond 0.6 cm or 6 mm. The matching mark on the lowest scale is 2 so this ring is 6.2mm id.

I only paid a few dollars for this cheap plastic vernier calipers. It's manual and not that precise. The marks will also eventually wear away. So I googled digital calipers on the internet. This little beauty, the EC16 is from Tresna Instruments's online store. It is currently 50% off for just $20. Hmmm....



For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips

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