My fancy new tool

At work we needed a new caliper to measure brake drums on highway trucks. We tried in vain to purchase one from local tool dealers, nothing seemed quite right. We wanted a tool that made our lives easier. Leaving the drums on seemed a lot faster and less work, this DM is all for 'less work'.

I was looking at my digital caliper one day trying to figure out how it worked and I was hit with a snowball...and then an inspiration.

All I needed to do was just make my digital caliper bigger, a caliper augmentation.

I started with a piece of track that was a slider from an old microfiche in a past life.

Next is just to go out and purchase a brand new digital caliper

Next just grab the hack saw and cut it up, Did I mention that it was a BRAND NEW stainless steel caliper? Hacksaws around here are not stainless steel compatible. The angle grinder is my friend.

Now just a simple matter of welding it to the slider. At this point it seems pointless to ask "can I blast 40 Amps of electricity within 1cm of the head of an 1.5volt electronic caliper?" I wonder, will it void the warranty?

I wrapped it up in tinfoil to keep the sparks from melting the display face.

In the end, one unique brake drum caliper.

click for larger pic

A puny 0-6 inch tool is now a mammoth 15-18 inch instrument of massive inside measurement!

This one is is serial #2. I have now biult #3 whitch is for sale at an obsene price. Make me an offer I catn't refuse!