I finally had to eat my words about that digital torque wrench my younger coworker recommended

I've been turning wrenches on planes for 28 years, started in the Air Force in the mid 90s. Always used a beam style torque wrench for everything. When this kid fresh out of A&P school kept pushing me to try his digital one, I told him no thanks, I don't need a battery telling me what I already feel in my hands. Last month I had a job on a 737 flap carriage bolt that calls for 250 inch-pounds with a very tight tolerance. I used my old beam wrench, set it, torqued it, felt good. He asked if he could double check it with his digital one just for fun. It read 232. That is out of spec by every standard. I was 18 pounds off and I never would have known. I borrowed his digital unit for all the other bolts on that job and ended up catching two more that were close but not quite there. Has anyone else made the switch from analog to digital and found it changed how they work? Or am I just old and stubborn?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_perry1320d agoMost Upvoted

Old and stubborn here, feels like admitting my tape measure is wrong.

the_margaret20d ago

That "admitting my tape measure is wrong" line hit me right in the gut, @mila_perry13. Not wanting to believe something has shifted when you've been doing it one way for years is a tough spot to be in. I've had to retrain my eye on measuring things a few times myself and it always feels like I'm fighting against what I'm used to. Have you found any little tricks that help you trust the new numbers?