Gauge blocks

[Snag]

Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth mike
project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can also
use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have been
calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than that .

[Bob La Londe]

  Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
  I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth mike
project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can also
use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have been
calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than that .

You will probably be fine. I hardly even use my gage blocks. I just
CNC machine an angle plate with a stop. I have a cheap B grade set, and
I miced them (I have Starret standards), and they are as good as I can
measure except the 4 inch which for some reason is almost exactly 4.001

I have a set of gage pins too. Most of the time I just use my set of
drill blanks because its faster and most holes I'm checking are nominal
standard sizes anyway. If they aren't I measure them with an inside mic.

[Snag]

   Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
   I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth mike
project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can also
use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have been
calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than that .

You will probably be fine.  I hardly even use my gage blocks.  I just
CNC machine an angle plate with a stop.  I have a cheap B grade set, and
I miced them (I have Starret standards), and they are as good as I can
measure except the 4 inch which for some reason is almost exactly 4.001
I have a set of gage pins too.  Most of the time I just use my set of
drill blanks because its faster and most holes I'm checking are nominal
standard sizes anyway.  If they aren't I measure them with an inside mic.

I'll probably only use them for calibration checks . And only because
one of these days something I make is going to have to be a pretty
precise fit for something somebody else makes . Gauge pins are on my
wish list too . I got a set of thread wires a while back . Haven't used
them yet but then I haven't needed a precise thread fit . I have a
couple of projects in mind that will require a fairly precise thread ...
OBTW , I did order that set of Shars blocks . Under 110 bucks , and
there's no doubt that if I waited I'd be paying more .

[Bob La Londe]

Post by Snag

   Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
   I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth
mike project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can
also use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have
been calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than
that .

You will probably be fine.  I hardly even use my gage blocks.  I just
CNC machine an angle plate with a stop.  I have a cheap B grade set,
and I miced them (I have Starret standards), and they are as good as I
can measure except the 4 inch which for some reason is almost exactly
4.001
I have a set of gage pins too.  Most of the time I just use my set of
drill blanks because its faster and most holes I'm checking are
nominal standard sizes anyway.  If they aren't I measure them with an
inside mic.

I'll probably only use them for calibration checks . And only because
one of these days something I make is going to have to be a pretty
precise fit for something somebody else makes . Gauge pins are on my
wish list too . I got a set of thread wires a while back . Haven't used
them yet but then I haven't needed a precise thread fit . I have a
couple of projects in mind that will require a fairly precise thread ...
  OBTW , I did order that set of Shars blocks . Under 110 bucks , and
there's no doubt that if I waited I'd be paying more .

Yes. Everything always goes up and lately very quickly. I've been
bringing in some cash the last couple months, so I have been buying
things I need and stocking up on materials so I'll have it when things
inevitably crash again.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message news:v5l11p$2vbdc$***@dont-email.me...

Yes. Everything always goes up and lately very quickly. I've been
bringing in some cash the last couple months, so I have been buying
things I need and stocking up on materials so I'll have it when things
inevitably crash again.
Bob La Londe
-------------------------------
Usually I was working overtime during booms and unemployed during busts, R&D
runs on venture capital. I saved some cash when I had it and bought
temporarily unwanted stuff when it became available, such as the steel for
my sawmill and gantry hoist.

[Snag]

Post by Snag

   Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ?
I'm looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the
deviation table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest
variance is .000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I
can't see any project that I might get needing that kind of
precision ...
   I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted
some and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming
depth mike project . Since they can trace back to a national
standard I can also use them to check all my other micrometers ,
none of which have been calibrated for at least 40 years , and in
some cases longer than that .

You will probably be fine.  I hardly even use my gage blocks.  I just
CNC machine an angle plate with a stop.  I have a cheap B grade set,
and I miced them (I have Starret standards), and they are as good as
I can measure except the 4 inch which for some reason is almost
exactly 4.001
I have a set of gage pins too.  Most of the time I just use my set of
drill blanks because its faster and most holes I'm checking are
nominal standard sizes anyway.  If they aren't I measure them with an
inside mic.

I'll probably only use them for calibration checks . And only because
one of these days something I make is going to have to be a pretty
precise fit for something somebody else makes . Gauge pins are on my
wish list too . I got a set of thread wires a while back . Haven't
used them yet but then I haven't needed a precise thread fit . I have
a couple of projects in mind that will require a fairly precise thread
...
   OBTW , I did order that set of Shars blocks . Under 110 bucks , and
there's no doubt that if I waited I'd be paying more .

Yes.  Everything always goes up and lately very quickly.  I've been
bringing in some cash the last couple months, so I have been buying
things I need and stocking up on materials so I'll have it when things
inevitably crash again.

I'm lucky , we're debt-free and have enough in the bank that I can
pretty much buy what I want within reason . I ain't gonna be buying a
new Corvette , but if I want a beer ... or a set of gauge blocks . Well ...
I can see Bad Shit coming down the road . If y'all have read The Mote
in God's Eye , I'm trying to position our "Holler" as one of those
warehouses out in the fields . I have a unique position as a volunteer
with the Friends of the Library which gives me first access to all kinds
of material that would be useful for rebuilding society ... for free ,
and one of my neighbors has agreed to host the library .

[Jim Wilkins]

"Snag" wrote in message news:v5l5ro$34lll$***@dont-email.me...

Well ...
I can see Bad Shit coming down the road . If y'all have read The Mote
in God's Eye , ...
--------------------------------------

I identified with the engineer who realized that everything in the museum
was broken, it was a personality type test. That resembles my second-hand
shopping trips, the trick is to figure out what's wrong and if and how I can
easily fix it before negotiating a deal. (Clean the carb?) The narrow nerdy
stereotype of electronics people the book magnifies is common among liberal
arts types, who were visibly annoyed that I could also discuss art and
literature.

Jerry Pournelle's blog was very intelligent and interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pournelle
"He was one of the founders of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National
Space Policy, which developed some of the Reagan Administration's space
initiatives, including the earliest versions of what would become the
Strategic Defense Initiative."

The only thing I caught him on was the argument that an eye is too complex
to have evolved.
https://earthlife.net/nautilus-anatomy/
"The nautilus eye is a simple pinhole style eye, similar to a pinhole
camera."
It's not much more than a snake's heat sensitive pit yet it can form images.

I don't have a can seam mike, but my vehicles carry compact 4" dial calipers
that can stay within a shirt pocket when rummaging through industrial
"stuff". The 4" may fit under the mill head when 6" is too bulky. The can
mike could be useful like my miniature 0-0.5" Fowler mike when picking
through unlabeled sheet metal.

[Jim Wilkins]

"Snag" wrote in message news:v5keu4$2sp2r$***@dont-email.me...

Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth mike
project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can also
use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have been
calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than that .
--
Snag
It's great to be straight !
-----------------------
I've never need to use my or a company gauge block set, even when I was
building prototypes for the Air Force. They were nice to have for checking
and calibrating used micrometers etc, but usually I made one part fit
another instead of holding a tolerance range on a batch, and when I did
0.001" was close enough for electronics packaging.

A couple of micrometer setting standards have been enough for me.

[Snag]

  Am I really going to need to allow for millionths of an inch ? I'm
looking at an 81 piece set from Shars , a grade B with the deviation
table for under a hundred bucks . Looks like the biggest variance is
.000034" , or about a third of a ten thousandth . I can't see any
project that I might get needing that kind of precision ...
  I'm considering buying the set just because I've kinda wanted some
and I think they'll get me closer to perfect in my upcoming depth mike
project . Since they can trace back to a national standard I can also
use them to check all my other micrometers , none of which have been
calibrated for at least 40 years , and in some cases longer than that .

I could have done this without them , but I never let an opportunity
to buy tooling go to waste . Already told the wife , her response was
"Well , if you need them you need them ." because she knows how much
money I've saved us over the years by doing repairs to "stuff" .

[Jim Wilkins]

"Snag" wrote in message news:v5kuvs$2vope$***@dont-email.me...

I could have done this without them , but I never let an opportunity
to buy tooling go to waste .

---------------------------
I rarely pass up on measuring equipment, especially second hand. And
sometimes, years later, I really do need it, like a Mitutoyo 146-102 Groove
Micrometer I got cheap from a seller who didn't know what it was, and I
needed a week or two ago. IIRC I was the only bidder on the gauge block set
with a couple of common sizes missing. MSC had them for ~$16 each, accurate
to better than 10 microinches.

[Bob La Londe]

  I could have done this without them , but I never let an opportunity
to buy tooling go to waste .
---------------------------
I rarely pass up on measuring equipment, especially second hand. And
sometimes, years later, I really do need it, like a Mitutoyo 146-102
Groove Micrometer I got cheap from a seller who didn't know what it was,
and I needed a week or two ago. IIRC I was the only bidder on the gauge
block set with a couple of common sizes missing. MSC had them for ~$16
each, accurate to better than 10 microinches.

I have a Starrett can lid micrometer. Never know when I might need it.
I could wind up at Libbey chopping green beans and sealing lids. LOL.

[Snag]

   I could have done this without them , but I never let an opportunity
to buy tooling go to waste .
---------------------------
I rarely pass up on measuring equipment, especially second hand. And
sometimes, years later, I really do need it, like a Mitutoyo 146-102
Groove Micrometer I got cheap from a seller who didn't know what it
was, and I needed a week or two ago. IIRC I was the only bidder on the
gauge block set with a couple of common sizes missing. MSC had them
for ~$16 each, accurate to better than 10 microinches.

I have a Starrett can lid micrometer.  Never know when I might need it.
I could wind up at Libbey chopping green beans and sealing lids.  LOL.

Ummm , we can green beans ... and tomatoes , and peaches and ... but
not in tin cans , just Mason (tm?) jars . My paternal grandmother had a
"canner" that actually used metal cans . I don't remember details but I
know she was using metal cans and lids .

[Snag]

  I could have done this without them , but I never let an opportunity
to buy tooling go to waste .
---------------------------
I rarely pass up on measuring equipment, especially second hand. And
sometimes, years later, I really do need it, like a Mitutoyo 146-102
Groove Micrometer I got cheap from a seller who didn't know what it was,
and I needed a week or two ago. IIRC I was the only bidder on the gauge
block set with a couple of common sizes missing. MSC had them for ~$16
each, accurate to better than 10 microinches.

I'm a Tool Whore ... and she understands me . But after being married
for over 50 years she's still a mystery to me .