Here is a simple modification that can be made to a tool like the one I have or any similar tool to measure wall thickness on a turned piece.  I simply tape this modified 7 / 16 inch dia dowel  to my wall thickness caliper and i can get an instant reading of how close I ma to the wall thickness i am shooting for. In this case  my project is a staved vase where i want to build them a bit heavier than a bowl so in this case with a 1/2 wall thickness.  The mod is very simple in my case started with a 7/16 dowel that i trimmed as you will see in the pics leaving a 1/2 in thich unmodified end.  Naturally any fixed spacer of desired dimension can be added to stand off the caliper tips for any wall thickness target.  Hope this will help, stay creative and keep turning.

calabrese55

That's a really cool idea!! Thanks!!

Thanks Mike. Good to have you posting up again.

Looking at you spacer design, one could probably use a modfied wooden clothes pin in a pinch.

Thanks GrandpaDave53 the clothes pin idea is a good one I will use that on the next size and Lew each of you for your continual support.

mike c

I am a little slow on the uptake but finally figured when caliper hits dowel you are at that thickness. Very good idea. maybe you could sell the idea and make a set with magnets so you do not need tape. But I use digital caliper now.

8 hours ago, Gerald said:

I am a little slow on the uptake but finally figured when caliper hits dowel you are at that thickness. Very good idea. maybe you could sell the idea and make a set with magnets so you do not need tape. But I use digital caliper now.

Thanks Gerald for looking in. I am a little slow to employ digital technology but thanks to you mention of using digital I stayed up last night and updated my caliper now in the digital world. Seriously though the issue and advantage this contraption addresses for me is that it serves to give me a solid visual of far off I am from my target wall thickness. My brain seems to like to better understand how far I have to go opposed to how far I have been.

Hey you guys just a note of thanks to you all for always looking in at my madness. I have often said my attempt at woodworking is kind of a process in isolation as I to seem to be the only woodworker in my small town ☹️. To further my work in ultimate secret I recently moved from the commercial location I had for 35 years to a much smaller space in my home. Now i am really down to a different kind of isolation and all you guys here and some other forums i know are kind of like my Radio Free Europe connection to the woodworking world . You will need to be a little bit older to get that chilly relate 😂

Thanks and always appreciate you all tuning in on my frequency.

mike c

Thanks back for including us in your checkin Mike!

What part of home do you have your shop in now?

Hi John I am invading a spare room in the lower level of my home, no basement there but it offers a solid concrete floor. Overall i went from more room than I would ever need, commercial space about 900 square feet main floor and equal space in a dry basement to a space measuring 11 x 13 feet. In that space I have my table saw, lathe, miter saw, jointer, band saw, 3 floor cabinets and a little room to walk around. I stare my dust collecter, planer, compressor, folding workbench in the garage and wheel them in to "the shop" as needed. Oddly enough it is working out much to my joy. Here are some pics that may help tell the story. Please ask any questions.

mike c

Really nice layout in the new digs! Will you miss the natural light from the large windows?

Hi Lew, actually no while I enjoyed the traffic passing by on a very busy secondary street the windows faced nearly true North and the side windows looking East were blocked by the two story property, so in the shadows all the time. Directly across the street the snow would be long gone while I still needed to shovel my sidewalk in the forever shadow. The bright side is the windows in my new man cave face south and i can enjoy the sun shine but I do miss the foot and automobile traffic and my friends that would stop by regular to see my current sawdust madness 😀

mike c

On 2/22/2026 at 7:39 AM, calabrese55 said:

Hey you guys just a note of thanks to you all for always looking in at my madness

Hey Mike, right back at you. Always appreciate you checking in to share what's in the works and your approach.

Congrats on the new digs close to home. You should get a lot more accomplished without the distraction of being located close to the donut shop😂

3 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Hey Mike, right back at you. Always appreciate you checking in to share what's in the works and your approach.

Congrats on the new digs close to home. You should get a lot more accomplished without the distraction of being located close to the donut shop😂

Not to mention fewer donuts means my pants will fit better 🤠

11 minutes ago, calabrese55 said:

Not to mention fewer donuts means my pants will fit better 🤠

A point some of us overlook.....

2 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

A point some of us overlook.....

No, even with bifocals, I can't overlook that barrier.😉