It's a Dial indicator, not a Dial Test Indicator, but it'll do for now. Dial test indicators have a pivoted arm, dial indicators have a plunger. Because of the pivoting arm, DTIs do not read accurately throughout their travel, only near the centre, but they are very sensitive, with a lot of pointer travel compared to a DI. That's why they are used to check relative change like indicating a vise or centering a part on the lathe, but not for measuring an absolute distance. They also have a very limited range, typically 0.030 from stop to stop, and many are bi-directional (will measure either direction the arm is pushed). While the measuring range is very slight, perhaps a degree or two, the arm is typically mounted with a friction connection to the dial, and can be set +/- 90° to the body making it very versatile for positioning. The body is typically considerably smaller too, so it can fit in a tighter place.Dan wrote: But so cool. I do own a; http://littlemachineshop.com/products/p ... ategory=DI w/ magnetic base.
If you want to measure accurately over a comparatively large distance, then a dial indicator is the way to go, but for amplifying a slight variation, a DTI is the weapon of choice.
