Best test indicators according to redditors

Noga mag bases are pretty hard to beat; they have two kits that include a rebranded Mitutoyo test or dial indicator (depending on the arm size)

NF61003 ($138 US)

DG61003 ($103 USD)

> It may all be junk

If it works, and you don't have something better, then it's good enough. You don't need name brand anything, particularly when you're starting out. If you find something isn't up to snuff, replace it when you actually need to.

> A bunch of the tooling (mostly the taps) have some rust

If it's just surface rust then don't worry about it too much. If it doesn't rub off by hand, don't go making matters worse by trying to "polish" it with anything aggressive. Just add a light coating of a thin oil to stop it from rusting more. Taps, drills and the like are considered consumables. Properly cared for they can certainly last for years but if you are using them, eventually you'll need to replace them.

> Some end mills are obviously chipped, but otherwise I'm not sure how to tell which are sharp vs. not. Is it as easy as "this cutting edge looks dull"?

Pretty much yeah; although you don't usually need "razor" sharp; and in fact some materials cut better with a slightly dulled edge (brass comes to mind). Don't worry too much about discoloration from heat either unless it's real bad. A light tan on HSS tooling that's been put to use isn't a big deal but if its closer to dark brown / blueish / purply (and you're positive it's not coated or have carbide) then it's probably shot.

> Where do people get raw stock?

Depends on the project. If Its something that needs to look pretty I'll get fresh material from somewhere. If it's just a few pieces I might go online (Metals Depot usually isn't bad on pricing but it depends on what you can get locally). If I need a lot (weight wise) I'll call up some of the local fab shops and see if they have drops or will let me add onto an order of theirs for a discount.

If it's something that looks don't matter (for myself, structural etc) I'll troll the local metal salvage yard. Price per pound they can't be beat and you can get some crazy stuff you wouldn't otherwise be able. The downside is it's a lot of work and very inconsistent. When I make the trip out I tend to grab things I don't actively need but think I might at some point (case in point, I had about 150lbs of 2" plate sitting in my pile for almost 2 years before I found a use for it, but had I needed to buy it "new" it would have been prohibitively expensive).

> What kind of material should I start with.

Whatever is cheap that gets you comfortable with the equipment. Unless you're working on a project that calls for the "good" stuff, the cheapest simple mild steels and aluminum will be your bread and butter. Brass is also very easy to work with but tends to be more expensive (local market dependent of course). You could also look into various machining plastics (Delrin, hdpe, uhmwpe ec) but not having bought any myself I don't know how those run price wise.

Tool steels (O1, A2, S1 yadda yadda) are nice in that you can make your own tooling with it, but unless you ALSO happen to have a heat-treating oven that can reach and hold +/- 1800F you're having to farm out the heat treat to another shop; and sadly it's usually more cost effective (both time and money) to buy what you need; unless you love the "I made it" aspect.

Before you get too heavily invested materials wise you need to research appropriate feeds and speeds for your tooling and material. There is a decent amount of "wiggle" in what you should be running at, almost an art in knowing how to adjust for your exact piece of material and tools but it's a critical bit of knowledge if you expect to get a decent quality finish without a lot of manual sanding and polishing.

> anything else critical that I'm missing

I didn't see an indicol (offbrand is fine so long as it fits your gear) in your pictures but I could have missed it. You'll need an appropriate indicator as well. You'll need those to accurately tram your head in (making sure it's perpindicular to your table) as well as indicating your vises in (parallel to your tables axis). You can work around it, and indicate other ways but you'll (eventually) need the indicators anyways and the indicols themselves are useful in other ways.

Don't be tempted by the $25 knockoff nogas either - get the real deal. The fit and finish on actual Noga indicator bases is really good, and almost all the knockoffs have slop and wiggle that you shouldn't have to deal with when inspecting.

While it's not commonly recommended, you can buy knockoff indicators if you have the equipment to properly check them. You should get in the habit of checking your inspection tools back to calibrated standards anyways, so in this respect a $30 chinese indicator and a $350 interrapid end up doing the same job. The better ones will likely last longer or have more desirable features (replaceable/removeable dovetails for example) but you can 'get by' with used or cheaper indicators.

Personally I rock this Noga indicator base and then this Brown & Sharpe DTI but you can't really go wrong with any noga in the size range you need. You'll probably want a 1" travel drop indicator, a 0-.030" (.0005 graduation) indicator, and then maybe a 0-.008" (.0001 graduation) indicator depending on what you do.

Depends on what you have and the level of accuracy needed.

Personally the easiest is an audible edge finder.

https://www.amazon.com/Brown-Sharpe-599-792-20-Audible-Diameter/dp/B0006J3DOA/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?keywords=edge+finder&qid=1570373019&sr=8-11

These aren't for measuring, but things you will want for doing set ups. (changing tools/positioning parts)
Edge finder.
6" Scale (Fancy ruler)
Allen wrenches (both metric and SAE)
Crescent wrench
Needle nose pliers
Combination Square with protractor to measure angles

You may want a test indicator with holder if you are going to do CNC mill work. Save your money until you know if your shop furnishes indicators or not.
Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Anytime-Tools-JEWELS-INDICATOR-UNIVERSAL/dp/B000MCG2UI/ref=sr_1_14?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1427663936&sr=1-14&keywords=test+indicator

I would get an indicol holder like this for a bridgeport.

To sweep in circular material, bolt hole patterns, etc. This is a fairly cheap one. You can use an indicator to do this also. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002YPA9JG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1394074669&sr=8-1

To sweep in your material to your cutter. Fairly high-end indicator, very precise. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006J51CW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1394074788&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

To sweep (tramming) in your head to your table. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007EMPHVE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1394075050&sr=8-1

Those are a couple basics for machine shop 101

I've wondered why he hasn't made a coaxial indicator yet, seems right up his alley.

A few days ago I see an older vjo of his and it has a "aerospace" coax in it and now I see the 6" stylus from it in this one.

The stylus came from a kit like this.

My guess is that his next project is that surface gauge he was talking about forever ago.