Works like a Charm for me...Laser Distance Measurer - DeWALT DW030PL

Something to explore…as a means to measure material thickness on the crumb tray:

My mini DeWALT laser distance measurer is giving me some really consistent measurements on material thickness with the crumb tray inserted (GF Pro).

Here’s what I did for measurements…,

  1. put the DeWALT measurer on the top of the GF lid with the lid closed
  2. with a piece of paper on the crumb tray = 8 11/16
  3. with a 1/8in PG maple piece on the crumb tray = 8 9/16
  4. with another 1/8in PG maple piece on top of the other = 8 7/16
  5. with another 1/8in PG maple piece on top of that one = 8 5/16
  6. with another 1/8in PG maple piece on top of that one = 8 3/16

I’ve received consistent readings on multiple measures in different spots of the crumb tray.

So, for me, if I put a piece of non-PG on the tray…all I have to do is DeWALT laser measure with the non-PG material inserted and then subtract the non-PG material depth from the crumb tray depth (8 11/16) and I should have a good idea on what depth settings to apply to the GF when lasering with manual settings.

With the crumb tray removed…I’m getting consistent 10in from the top of the lid to the bottom inside of the GF. So, same theory applies…insert the non-PG material into the GF, DeWALT measure the new height, then subtract material thickness from 10in and I should get a decent idea to plug into the GF settings.

The DeWALT DW030PL measurer is less than $30 (USD). Here’s a link to Amazon showing the tool (about the size of a match box):

https://www.amazon.com/DeWALT-30-foot-Pocket-Distance-Measurer/dp/B072NF73DS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518917727&sr=8-1&keywords=dewalt+dw030pl

CAVEAT: The measurements were using my GF Pro. You’ll have to get your own measurements as your lid may shut less or more than mine. So, the measurements I posted above may be good for me, but may be a little off for you. Get a DeWALT DW030PL for yourself and let me know if you find similar consistent measures.

Best regards,
Keith

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Might be more accurate than a calipers. (And happy birthday.) :grinning:

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So far, it’s appearing to be consistent with my calipers. I took a full square of post-it notes, calipered it…then did the DeWALT measure…good to go. I took off a bunch of stickies from the post-it note, calipered it…then did the DeWALT measure…good to go again.

And…thanks for the birthday mention :crazy_face:

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Not saying it is not accurate but the numbers are warped.

The entire forge is less than 9 inches high and best guess without going in to measure is about 6 inches or less to the tray.

How it stays accurate with that sort of error is beyond me.

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You are correct, sir! I just checked the DeWALT measures with a ruler and the DeWALT is adding 2in to the measures. I’ll either see how to calibrate the DeWALT, or just know that whatever number I measure is +2in. I still get consistent measures, though.

Good catch.

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It is probably measuring from the back of the device, as most people use it with the back against a wall to measure across a room. There is usually a setting to tell the device where to measure from.

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Mystery solved. The DeWALT measurer is correct in the measure results. The 2in difference is because it’s factoring in the length of the device itself (2in in length). It assumes you’re measuring from the base of the unit forward. So if measuring a room from corner to corner, you’d place the unit at one corner with the unit butted against one wall and lasering to the other wall. It’s factoring in the unit length in the overall distance length.

So, no calibration needed. I just need to subtract the DeWALT unit length (2in) from what I’m measuring through the GF glass top.

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You beat me to the solution! Excellent feedback.

There are distance sensors that can be used with a micro-controller like Arduino or Raspberry pi.


You could program it to automatically do the math for you.
Might be fun to do, but doubt it will save any time vs a micrometer, unless you have something that varies in depth that the micrometer can’t reach.

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Cool toy, on the wish list. I have a sonic version that’s garbage.