Which Edge Finder Is Best? · Oct 13, 22:18
When first starting out, you want a reliable and cheap method of finding the edge and/or center of a workpiece or to be able to square your vise to the table and find origin on your vise.
Flipping through the ENCO, MSC Direct, J&L Industrial, Travers, McMaster, Grainger, and a slew of other catalogs may tempt you to buy a standard edge finder since it’s affordable at only $20 or so, but this requires that the spindle turns while in operation. We think there are better options.
There are also cheap electronic edge finders that have an LED inside that lights up when contact is made between the point and some metal object. Of course, for this edge finder to be useful, you have to try to find an edge of something metal, whereas with a standard edge finder, material composition doesn’t matter. The benefit of this style of edge finder is that the spindle doesn’t need to turn. The disadvantage is that if you over-travel the table, you could bend and distort the edge finder making it useless and inaccurate. How do we know this? Well, we’ve gone through a handful of edge finders ranging from $20 to $100 by accidentally over-traveling the table when in CNC-mode or when used in a VMC. Mistakes happen!
A nice compromise is the electronic edge finder that employs a ball-tip that can “pop” out of the socket if over-travel occurs. The one pictured in back is what we’ve found to be the best one to use. It provides some protection from over-travel while offering a non-spindle-turning way of using it reliably. With an accuracy of +/- 0.0002”, it’s a great deal at $50 for an import model. Starrett, SPI, Browne and Sharpe, Fowler, and other companies have this style. We bought an ENCO (no-brand) model in the Hot Deals catalog with model number 636-7040. It has a ball diameter of 0.400” and a shank of 0.750” (it’s big!). With a price of $55.59, it’s worth a try!
Good luck finding your edge!
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