Don't try this with a vernier!
My Six Inch Calculator
© Frank Ford 2008;
Photos by FF, 2005
Like much of what I write
about, this is pretty simple stuff; I hope it's interesting and fun.
Seems like years ago I was much
better at simple calcuations in my head, but half a lifetime surrounded by
pocket calculators changed all that. (I'm guessing age may not be helping,
either.) Now, I find myself reaching for a calculator all the time in my shop.
When it's not handy for simple addition and subtraction, I sometimes do the
calculation using my digital caliper, like this -
Here, I've made a measurement,
and I'd like to subtract 0.125" from it:
Without moving the slide, I
zero the reading.
Now, I close the slide to
indicate negative 0.125"
Zero again:
When I slam the jaws shut, I
have my calculated result:
Hey, it works for me. . .