I thought those cheap digital edge finders were junk until one saved my bacon

For years I stuck with my old mechanical edge finder, convinced the $25 digital ones were just a gimmick. Then last month I was setting up a tricky job on a worn-out Bridgeport, and the runout was making my usual method a real headache. My buddy tossed me his cheapo digital finder and said just try it. The thing lit up solid within a tenth, first touch, no wobble at all. I've used it on three different mills since then and it's been dead reliable. Has anyone else made the switch, or do you still swear by the old-school wiggler?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewmartin9d ago

Wasn't there a big thread on Practical Machinist about this? I read a bunch of guys saying the same thing, that the cheap digital ones just work on machines with bad bearings or runout. My old shop teacher would roll over in his grave, but it sounds like the tech got good. I still use my wiggler out of habit, but you're making a strong case for grabbing one just to have in the box.

ivanross9d ago

Honestly, how do you trust a tool that just lights up without any feel? I get what @matthewmartin is saying about bad machines, but that wiggle in the old finder tells you something about the spindle condition. A solid light just says contact, it doesn't give you that extra info. I tried a digital one and it felt like guessing. My mechanical finder has never lied to me, even on a clapped out machine. I'll stick with the method that shows me the whole picture.

mila_murphy219d ago

My first year at the community college shop, our old Bridgeport had so much slop the wiggler danced like crazy. I forced myself to learn the digital edge finder just to get work done, and it actually taught me to listen to the machine sounds more. Now I use both, the light for speed on decent machines and the wiggler when something feels off. That physical feedback is its own language, but sometimes you just need a clear yes or no signal.