What's it?

[Dan Andrews]

I don't know if this is for woodworking or not. Tools and hardware in the garage this came from suggest maybe boat building.
Ironically, I saw one of these in a what'sit someplace before. I made my guess and was wrong. Now I can't remember what they said it was.:confused: Get'n older.

The knob can be loosened and the pointer can be slid up and down the vertical shaft, and the pointer can be through the clamp so that more straight end or more curved end can be projected.

I thought it was for checking trueness of wheel runout. It would be perfect for checking for lateral runout with the straight end and radial runout with the curved end.

Sorry abut the sideways presentation. I don't know how to correct it without starting all over.:o

[Anthony Albano]

Model makers, wood carvers use to transfer a clay model to a wooden carving...

[Dan Andrews]

Anthony, Thanks a lot. I never would have guessed that! That must be one tedious process. I suspect I will be using it to check the trueness of wheels instead.

[harry strasil]

its actually an old machinists scribe used to make a parallel line on a surface that has layout die on it and setting on a Granite surface plate.

[george wilson]

Correct,Harry. Used a lot on castings to be planed on the metal planer,like the bottoms of lathe tailstock castings,engine block castings,etc.

This would begin the process of turning castings into precision made finished items. That's a pretty old one.It looks like it still has its color case hardening colors on it.

[James Taglienti]

so its not a clay thingy?

[Bill Houghton]

so its not a clay thingy?

Define "is/is not." There are a lot of tools that started out in one trade and were adopted in others. Combination squares and engineer's squares are just two examples of machinist's tools that migrated over to woodworking. And my wife used a lot of tools from other trades when she did pottery - one Christmas, I gave her a Horrible Fright starwheel bench grinder wheel dresser, and it turned out to be a dynamite decoration tool for thrown (wheel-turned) work.

[Dan Andrews]

Would love to know the history of this old tool. I am affraid that is not the black of case hardening George, that mottled look is the result of deep pitting and oiled rust. I had to shoot the clamp part with PB Blaster 2X per day for about 4 days before I could break it loose from the vertical shaft or the scribe.

So, it is a machinist layout tool that could be used by a wood carver in copying a clay mold, and probably will be used to check car wheels for true.

I'll bet Bill's wife could find a good use for it in thowing pots.:D

[Neal Wells]

It's called a surface gauge and is used primarily for bench layout work for machine tools. Do a search on "surface gauge" and you will find lots of pictures and info. This looks like a rather primitive one but they are pretty handy. When not in use around my lathe, I use mine for checking the accuracy of model radio control planes while building them.

[george wilson]

It certainly could be used in sculpture,no need why not. I think I have noticed them in pictures of sculptors at work.

[harry strasil]

It can be utilized by many trades and/or hobbies. Basically its a means to transfer a very accurate measurement from one item or place to another item or place.

[Dan Andrews]

Neal, I will go find some to look at. Thanks.

[Marv Werner]

Because of it's smallish base, I'm going to go with Harry's description. I have a more sophisticated tool that is used in a similar manner that machinists call a height gauge. It's like a vertical linear caliper that measures in thousands and has a heavy base and is used on a surface plate. I've seen this type of tool as big as 3 ft. high. There's probably bigger ones even.

Marv

[harry strasil]

this is what a new one looks like, from Enco, its a Starrett.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/odd/8641183-11.jpg

[george wilson]

In earlier days,tools were often the most economical ones a machinist could buy. You could set the simple scribe with gage blocks if greater accuracy was needed.

I've also seen cast iron gages made to measure 1 measurement,like 1",which were used by machinists presumably making just one part over and over. I do not mean the more recent "go-no-go gages." These looked like open end wrenches with just 1 end. Their contact surfaces were ground somewhat convex.

Old time machinists were able to "feel" .001" with calipers. I learned to do that early on,being interested in old technology.

We were checking the accuracy of an original 18th.C. microscope's sliding barrel in collections,one day. Before I became toolmaker,the curators had bought a reproduction microscope made in England. It would not stay focused. The tubing the barrel was made of was over .010" out of round,and not the sam diameter. On original microscopes,it was the only means of focusing. No rack and pinion. The barrel was freehand turned,checked with calipers,and was much less than .001" out of the same diameter. I think the repro was made from brass bed tubing. Looked o.k. from 10' away!!

Often,things were fitted that way. Rather than being a CERTAIN diameter,items had to just slide into holes that fit them,like the microscope barrel. This was before standardization!!

Machinist's (and wood workers) were required to have a certain number of tools. If he needed something like gage blocks,he checked them out of the tool room. The same if a woodworker needed a metal plane.(I am talking about EARLY times.) Those dovetailed metal planes cost as much as we might pay for a machine,back then.

[Jaze Derr]

well, as plain as the nose on your face, it's a thingymabob! :D

haha, I would have had no idea what that is, either. Sounds like it could be used for many things. Myself, I'd put it on the mantle and call it modern art!

[Marv Werner]

Jaze,

You really must like that plane you have in your picture... looks like you are kissing it? :p

Marv

[Jaze Derr]

Jaze,

You really must like that plane you have in your picture... looks like you are kissing it? :p

Marv

Haha, I am!! It was my new scrub plane, and I had just used it to help level out the top of my (badly) glued-up workbench.

Sadly...it's probably got a bit of rust on it by now...haven't been down in my workshop since March, but I'm getting itchy to get my hands working on some projects again.