Dial Indicator, DICR-0105 0-1 inch

Twenty years ago, when I had a complete wood shop with serious machines, I always used a dial gauge to set jointer and planer knives, table saw blade alignment, precision fence movements, etc. As I remember the least expensive choice with a reliable reputation cost me over $100 then. It had three or four fiddly thumb screws which were hard to tighten and often came loose in the midst of measurements.Now retired, I have a more modest shop with tools which are also largely retired. My $400 16 speed drill press, snabbed for $75 in a dusty garage sale, is very sturdy with ample power to shake its 60" frame. But the bit run-out is visible even to my naked eye - almost enough to risk sloppy dowels after boring with a sharp Forstner bit. Time to check alignment.Last night I ordered the Clockwise Tools Dial Indicator with magnetic base. (I bought the analog face because I find it easier than flashing numbers for detecting variation) As soon as it arrived I stripped the wood working face off my drill press table and plopped down the Clockwise Dial base with a satisfying CLUNK!. Swivel the magnet switch a 1/4 turn and with a chain hoist i could have lifted the drill press off the floor. Wow! No wobble or wander here. A single knob let me swing and set the articulated arm immediately - forget wrestling three simultaneously loose segments.So five minutes after tearing open the package I took measurements looking for round (ie. zero variance on rotation) on the drill press arbor above the chuck; -.001 to +.001 inch is OK by me. Then I checked the machined top of the chuck where it holds the tapered adapter; +- .001 inch again. Last I secured a high quality 7/16" twist drill, the thickest reliably round rod stock I have, and repeated the measurement on the drill bit just below the chuck. After zeroing the dial (not necessary - any reference point will do since only variation matters), as I slowly rotated the drill head my dial practically yelled at me: - .008 to + .012 inches. That is not OK with me.So with a two finger twist to release the magnet, I moved my now treasured Clockwise Tools Dial Indicator over to the table saw ... and stopped for supper. Later I ordered a new chuck with the appropriate MT2 adapter. I look forward to round holes.

This set is good. I run a kingstone heavy duty 30 and 40 and I only been cutting metal for ab 3-4 month now nothing crazy but ring grooves and all but I was teaching a new guy how to true up a 3 way block (16 x 16 x16) to put ring grove in there and i had step away we on the 3 rd one he put the block In and tighten the jaws down but the jaws didn’t set flat so when he went to jog it to true it up this 500lbs give or take block fell out and hit the indicator and stand ( not the indicator in this set but a 2’ one from my boss ) the base and arms/ body separated after looking at the block and all I looked at the stand some threads was done for but ab half was still in good shape the base still trun off and on and hold good it got some dings and all but still works like new.the body could be made better the one nut lock don’t lock it tight enough to pull the base off of metal but still good. The indicator it self is really nice I wish they had a 2 inch one and different type of tips. But over all really well made great price my bosses was shock that it took a block and still worked. They did good and I would highly recommend this and I will be getting more of this brand in the future

I'm rating this mainly on the base.Didn't really care about the dial and I use it for rouging in to get close, then switch to a test indicator to be confident. For that the dial is perfectly fine. FWIW I've tested this dial against a much more expensive dial and matched the high end dial to within .001 over the entire travel. I just don't know if I can trust it to hold up so I use high end indicators where it really matters.The base is as solid as one costing up 4x as much. The arm locks down tight and doesn't flex under the force of a normal indicator. The magnet is probably not really 176 lbs and noticeably not as strong as the much more expensive base but it's plenty solid enough. I'm buying more bases (without the dial).The adjusting screw is in an awkward position close to the indicator which makes it sometimes hard to get to depending on how tight your setup is. But it does what it's supposed to do and that's how this style of base works.If you're looking for a good solid base, and can use a rough dial, go for it. If you just need a bases, it is available here on Amazon and you can get two for what you'll pay for the other name brand. That's what I'm doing.

I’m a machinist, and I bought this indicator and stand to replace an old mag base with not enough pull after it fell into the chips and wrecked the indicator.When I unpacked it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the indicator and stand came in a hard shell plastic case. (My experience with similar products is they get packed in a cheap cardboard box with styrofoam.)The base itself does hold nicely, and the locking mechanism works as advertised: quite stable, and setups are fast and easy compared to traditional indicator bases. The action of the arms when unlocked is slightly less smooth than my (much more expensive) Noga base, and I would have liked a fine adjustment screw, but I am happy with it for the price.The indicator itself is decent enough, smooth action, accurate enough for what I do, and was easy to read.I plan on using them as everyday type tool for setups in fairly grimy conditions, and as far as I can tell it’s just right for my purposes.Edited to add: there is actually a fine adjustment for the mag base, but on the end of the arm as part of the clamp. I tried it out and I didn’t like the design of that feature: using the knob tended to push the arm away from where I positioned it and it had a less than ideal movement when I didn’t bump it. Over all I wouldn’t change my rating, though-I don’t 100% need a fine adjuster anyway.