What is this tool from Autometric Corp?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

My Dad said "Can you sell this for me?" and I said "What is it?" Well, neither of us know what it is. The tool is from a tool and die maker that is now dead (I miss you Grandpa).... I expect that the purpose is to accurately measure the height of things.

234063

The tool says "Autometric Corp, Detroit Michigan", and it is in a box that reads "Brown & Sharp MFG., CO., Providence, R.I., U.S.A.".

I would like to figure out what it is, what it is used for, where I can sell it, and what might be a price that will cause it to move quickly.

My guess is that I could use this thing to set things such as saw height, but I have a 10" table saw... and an even smaller router.

[Keith Outten]

Andrew,

Your right, its a height gage.
I don't know what its worth these days, the new models are all digital.

[Mike Heidrick]

12" Vernier caliper with zeroing device
Measures the outside width of something under 12"
ebay or craigslist
sub $50 will be sold fast - around $100 will allow it to sit on ebay as mitutoyo and starretts are in that range

[Ronald Blue]

It is a height gage used primarily on a granite surface plate. It can be used to measure and also for layout work. Usually common in metal working (machine) shops. It has a vernier scale on it which will measure to within .001. You can zero off the base and measure to a step or use the sharp edge on the point to scribe a line horizontally. We also would mount a dial indicator on it and use it for special measuring tasks. I wonder how many people these days know how to read a vernier scale when most things have digital readouts on them these days.

[Scott T Smith]

Guys, although it looks similar to a height guage, I've never seen one that did not have an offset base. The device in the photo does not have an offset base.

I believe that Mike H hit the nail on the head about it being an older vernier caliper.

[Myk Rian]

It is a vernier height gauge.
It is NOT a caliper.
I spent 20+ years fixing those things.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Excellent, thanks.... I even heard off list from a tool and die maker that lives close to my Father. He will stop by next week and explain what many of these things are.... and he has an outlet for them. It seems that my Father has many different sizes of these along with extra dials and attachments. Wish I was going to be around next week to be in on the discussion...

[Chris Damm]

I don't know anyone that uses those old things anymore. Digital is so much faster and more accurate (less math). At our patternshop back in the early 70s, we were having ELM install readouts on some of our big machines and my dad asked the owner if he could install one on a Starret height gauge. He said sure if he could find a rack and pinion small enough.(pre digital). He took a guage back to Chicago with him and returned a couple of months later. They worked perfectly so my dad ordered 3 more conversions. The owner borrowed the converted guage amd visited the other shops in town and had orders for a couple of dozen of them. I believe he bought new gauges right from Starret and was their biggest customer. I told my dad he should have patened the idea!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I don't know anyone that uses those old things anymore. Digital is so much faster and more accurate (less math). At our patternshop back in the early 70s, we were having ELM install readouts on some of our big machines and my dad asked the owner if he could install one on a Starret height gauge. He said sure if he could find a rack and pinion small enough.(pre digital). He took a guage back to Chicago with him and returned a couple of months later. They worked perfectly so my dad ordered 3 more conversions. The owner borrowed the converted guage amd visited the other shops in town and had orders for a couple of dozen of them. I believe he bought new gauges right from Starret and was their biggest customer. I told my dad he should have patened the idea!

Very cool!

[Myk Rian]

I don't know anyone that uses those old things anymore. Digital is so much faster and more accurate (less math).
There isn't any math involved, it's all in reading the position of the scale. Quite simple actually.

[Bruce Page]

Guys, although it looks similar to a height guage, I've never seen one that did not have an offset base. The device in the photo does not have an offset base.

I believe that Mike H hit the nail on the head about it being an older vernier caliper.
Scott, many of the older height gages we're made with the post centered in the base like this one.
FWIW, Brown & Sharp is top quality equipment, every bit as good as Starrett. I prefer many of their measuring tools over Starrett.
A good Hispanic machinist friend of mine's nick name is Brown & Sharp:D

[Scott T Smith]

Scott, many of the older height gages we're made with the post centered in the base like this one.
FWIW, Brown & Sharp is top quality equipment, every bit as good as Starrett. I prefer many of their measuring tools over Starrett.
A good Hispanic machinist friend of mine's nick name is Brown & Sharp:D

Bruce, thanks for the insight. I'm glad that Myk jumped in and corrected my error.

I concur about B&S being as good as Starret, as is Mitutoya. When I was coming along in the late 70's and 80's these were the brands that all others were measured against (pardon the pun...). I too have some of all three, along with some more modern lower cost dial caliper alternatives. Starett calipers are still my "go to" ones in the machine/welding/automotive shop side of my farm, but I like the digital ones in the wood shop.

[Jim Koepke]

I wonder how many people these days know how to read a vernier scale when most things have digital readouts on them these days.

I have seen younguns who can not tell time with an analog clock. Imagine if they had to use a dial phone to call someone.

Funny how a slide rule didn't diminish my ability to do math like a calculator did.

My shop doesn't have any digital readouts. Mostly because I am too cheap to buy much of anything new. It is also because they all take batteries to work.

jtk

[John McClanahan]

The height measurement pointer is in the storage position. It needs to be turned around for use. I have one of those.

John

[Ronald Blue]

+1 on Brown and Sharpe and Mitutoyo being equal to Starrett. I loved B&S micrometers with the "slant line" markings. Of course if you used a micrometer that read to .0001 then you once again were using a vernier scale. John is correct the one pictured is in storage position.

[Chris Damm]

There isn't any math involved, it's all in reading the position of the scale. Quite simple actually.

If you're working off a centerline on a casting then every dimension has to be added or subtracted from that centerline dimension. Our layout engineers had reams of paperwork for laying out castings in our patternshop. With a readout you just pick up the centerline and zero out the readout and direct read off the blueprint. It saved lots of time and mistakes!

[Mike Heidrick]

Re-reading the first post - the box is B&S - is the gauge?

The tool says "Autometric Corp, Detroit Michigan".