Hello all.
I'm looking to buy some basic machinists tooling.
Some stuff I'd like to put into my stash:

A good bore gauge
A good set of micrometers
A good magnetic base dial indicator setup
Possibly a depth micrometer ( maybe I'm calling it the wrong name ) to measure how far a piston is down the bore.
Good caliper.

Just would like to be able to accurately quantify stuff even though one of my best buds is a machinist and puts all my junk together.

Is starret the industry standard for quality tools?
Is ebay my best bet?
Can you guys post up some part numbers of the stuff you prefer?

Thanks guys,
Rob

Starett makes very good stuff ($$$) but Mitutoyo is very good as well but a little better price point. Ebay/Amazon will get you better prices but also hitting auctions

Starrett is WAY overrated and overpriced. Mitutoyo is awesome but costly. Ive use cheap polish and chinese mics and they were surprisingly decent. Dont get hung up on brown & sharpe either, been bought and resold and just a name. The peacock line of calipers and indicators are (at least were) reasonably priced and decent quality for what you wanna do. The "best" stuff will cost you.

For things like measuring the piston down the hole...
make up a bar(I use alum) with a hole and a set screw
to hold the dial indicator... I like to use 2" travel
indicators on a lot of stuff... most of my stuff
is old.. I bought it 40 years ago and it tends to
be the better name brand... now days I would look
at the cheaper stuff

Thanks for the replies guys.
I can't do imported stuff.

Anyone have any part numbers or measurement ranges I shouild be looking for?

Thanks,
Rob

1. A bore gage to measure 4-5 inch cylinder bores.

2. Bore gage to measure 2-3 rod and main bearings

3. 2-3 inch micrometer for crankshaft checking

4. 4-5 micrometer for checking piston diameter

4. large sweep indicator and base for degreeing cams and measuring piston travel, crank and cam thrust, ect

Should be a good starting point for common v8s. Keep in mind 318's and other stuff uses smaller bores ect.

I like Starrett , but do have a central 6" dial caliper that gets used for everything from a measuring tool to a scribe for distances from edges and radii.
Craigslist is a great source.......guys getting out of the business , shops selling out etc.
I have NEVER seen a good deal at a pawn shop , though they do have nice stuff from time to time.
When buying a micrometer for crankshafts , one without the carbide faces is nice because it is less prone to scratching things.
You'll want standards or gauge blocks to set them and keep them accurate.

Your gonna have to learn the "FEEL" on all this stuff...
the mics arent a calibrated C-clamp.. so practice
getting the feel

And for the record alot of Starrett is chinese now.

Here's a picture I wanted to include in my HEMI book that the editor deleted trying to get 250 pages down to 144.

take a look here for ideas http://www.goodson.com/home.php?cat=64

Another option

www.mscdirect.com

I applaud your commitment to buy American. Maybe it's hopeless any more, but we have to try.

Like Tubtar said, you can find some nice collections of tools from retirments on CL. With machinist tools, I always figured I'd rather have top quality american tools that were used and well cared for than cheap, new tools.

In addition to some of the tools mentioned, I would for sure get a 0-1 micrometer, (get all your mic's and dial bore guages graduated to .0001), get a 1"- dial bore guage for checking lifter bores, get a 6"and a 12" dial caliper. (12" for checking deck height when you are anylizing a used block)
I really like the Flexibar 505-1851 flexible dial indicator stand at Enco, it is so handy and easy to set up compared to a stiff arm.

Most of my tools are 10 - 40+ years old, so I don't know what the new stuff is like, but the brands I like are Browne and Sharpe, Starret, Fowler.
Good luck, have fun shopping!

I have a 30 yr old enco mic that is a good piece. Smooth action and accurate.