Debate: tool touch off with paper vs. feeler gauges

I used to always touch off tools with a single sheet of paper. Quick and easy, never had issues for years. Then a guy at a shop in Phoenix told me paper compresses unevenly and messes with your Z zero on tight tolerance work. Switched to a 0.002 feeler gauge about six months ago. Who here sticks with the old paper method and who has gone to feeler gauges, and why?

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2 Comments

miles722mo ago

Notice a similar thing in lots of hobbies, people get hyper focused on one tiny variable and forget the bigger picture matters more. A piece of paper works fine for most work, feeler gauges are just another way to get the same result.

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the_cameron2mo ago

Real though, is it though? Like if someone wants to use feeler gauges for valve adjustments on their lawnmower who cares. A piece of paper works fine for a spark plug gap but people act like you're ruining the engine if you don't use the exact tool. I get that precision matters in some stuff but not for basic maintenance most people do. Half the time the variance in the paper thickness is smaller than what the engine tolerates anyway.

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