Show your neat stuff

[rkepler]

I've reached in the back of the tool cabinet for some of the tooling I don't use much (honestly, "at all" would be closer) but keep around because they make "that one job" easier.

Here's one of those tools - a direct reading vernier dovetail caliper, a Starrett 438.

It will read inside and outside dovetails of 45, 50, 55 and 60 degrees directly. I haven't seen many of these. I think I've used it a dozen times and really gage pins or dowels and an adjustable parallel are usually more convenient, but there's some cool factor in this tool.

 

[mgbrv8]

Wow! , That piece would really get you out of a bind. I image your friends remember you have that one in your cabinet.

Dave

 

[rkepler]

Wow! , That piece would really get you out of a bind. I image your friends remember you have that one in your cabinet.

I don't think anyone's ever wanted to borrow it, likely no one knows (until now) that I have it. A professional machinist friend just shakes his head at the stuff I've gathered over the years, he's probably close to the "if you don't use it in a year toss it out" philosophy but at the 5 year point (personally, I'm at the "keep it if it's cool" point). Other than that there are a couple of locals who machine that I would call friends, neither would ever have call for this.

I oiled & cleaned it and it'll go back in the cabinet on top of the other one (missing the pin for the left side, gotta make that sometime).

There are some more oddities in there, I'll try and get some out again. Probably good for me to find them again, sort of an industrial archeological dig:

 

[BillTodd]

Here's one of those tools - a direct reading vernier dovetail caliper, a Starrett 438

Ooooh I like that a lot

Bill

 

[steamer]

Starrett Vernier Gear calipers....small?

Dave

 

[Dan Rowe]

Dave,
That is a gear tooth vernier. It is used to measure the width of a gear tooth at the pitch line. The blade is set for the pitch depth and then the tooth thickness is measured.

I have seen a few on ebay but not in my price range.

Dan
Edit

Starrett Vernier Gear calipers....small?

I was so excited that I knew what it was I forgot to read the words. ;D
Dan

 

[steamer]

It's the only set I actually have held. The question mark was more a question...ar these "normal" size or are they normally this small?

Dave

 

[rkepler]

It's the only set I actually have held. The question mark was more a question...ar these "normal" size or are they normally this small?

There are 2 sizes to them, the 456A and 456B - the A model will measure from 20-2 DP and the B 10-1 DP. I expect that you have the A, but they're fairly similar in size.

I have some similar ones from C. Stiefelmayer in Germany, likely pre-WWII production and possibly turn-of-the-previous century:

 

[rkepler]

While I was looking for the C Stiefelmayer gear calipers I ran into these taper micrometers:

The principle is that the mic is on a little sine bar, indicating movement. The other side of the sine bar and a bar on the opposite side than can be adjusted for the taper diameter when closing on the work. Here's a detail of the sine bar:

This is a "Taper Micrometer Corp" mic In practice it's fairly hard to measure with - the work is almost always between centers and measuring it always feels like you're slipping around as the tool tension changes with slight movements up & down the taper. You can reduce the measured diameter using a gage block but that makes it even trickier. I finally found a smaller one and was able to stop dancing around trying to measure small diameters.

All in all if you're doing a standard taper it's a lot easier to simply gage it.

 

[mgbrv8]

I have wanted one of those for quite a while. That is real nice.

Dave

 

[mgbrv8]

When I bought a small lot of tools at a auction there were a few Mul-T-Anvil Micrometers in it and one them was missing the anvil parts so I machined and then precision ground a base I then had to machine the barrel of the mic to compensate for the slight increase in material on the base. There is also a machined stud with a large round head that I made that isn't pictured that holds the base on. Its handy little piece when you need a small precision height gauge.

Dave

 

[kcmillin]

Here is something not so rare, but rarely used. An indicating micrometer. It is incredibly nice to have when making multiple parts to the same dimension, like valves, or pistons.

Kel

 

[Lakc]

Here is something not so rare, but rarely used. An indicating micrometer. It is incredibly nice to have when making multiple parts to the same dimension, like valves, or pistons.
Kel

Rarely used because in the shop if I am within a thou I usually give up cutting. ;D

 

[kustomkb]

I made a few of these at the request of a friend, who did the inlay. It's an adjustable square meant for transfering layout lines around corners;

This is a Starrett No 86 hand vise I inherited from my wife's grandfather;

This one is quite old but as it turns out they still make them;

http://www.mytoolstore.com/starrett/86.html

 

[kcmillin]

That hand Vice is pretty Neat, and very handy, but at 200 bones no thanks.

Here is one I made a couple years ago. I utilizes three forms of mechanical advantage. First twisting the handle in with a screw, forces the levers up the wedge as it rotates, then the pivot point is off center to give more torque. It can hold the smallest screw for grinding without slippage.

And of course, a walnut handle.

Kel

 

[mgbrv8]

These are right angle indicator attachments. There are different style of replaceable ends to get a measurement out of tight spots.

Dave

 

[krv3000]

HI I have sum of those don't no if I have posted this before but fix a old drill chuck to a file Handel its brill for all sorts of things I yous ed chemical metal to bond the chuck in to the file Handel

 

[Mosey]

I posted this in the wrong place, and I apologize for that. Anyway, here are some neat little small (or medium) size hole gages. I would like to know who made them, or were they some talented guys' project. I like them a lot, and enjoy using them.
As you can see, I don't know how to get the pictures to show along with the file name. Help!?





http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l603/Tiepinkraider/

 

[mgbrv8]

The are expanding transfer punches. Now these are handy. They are made by the Kelly tool Co. I pick them up at the pate swap meet in TX years ago.

David

 

[Mosey]

David,
My gages are different from the ones you show, in that they have no punch at the end. They are mostly flush, and seem to be only for measuring the circular hole in the work.Maybe my pictures could better show that.