Starrett Scale

I have an old Starrett catalogue that came with my lathe, circa 1943, #26A. On Page 26 there is your 'Ready Reference Table with handy rule' , #588. It also has brother #589 - Decimal equivalents, #590 -Tap drills, and #591 - Drill sizes. Richard in Los Angeles

Does anyone know where to get scales marked in decimal grads on both sides? I ordered a Starrett 6 inch from MSC thinking it was such, only to find one side blank. I really have little use for fractional graduations.

Me neither ... and yet, although decimal-divided scales are available, the overwhelming default seems to be fractional. I've never really understood why (at least not in recent times).

Just one of my pet peeves. What you have is a "Rule" not a scale. Rulers are for measuring actual distances, Scales are for measuring distances on a scaled drawing or item. As far as the gentlemen asking where to get rules that are marked in decimal increments look in any major machinist tool catalogue. Get your self a Starret 16R for example. A quick look at MSC catalogue

Well Larry, ya got me on that one, and yes I've heard that before, so I guess my transgression is even more acute. As long as we're on pet peeves mine is the common use of 'drill bit' in place of the term twist drill or even just drill. All the shops around here I worked in looked at the use of the term 'drill bit' as the mark of an amateur at best and usually some less flattering label. As it was explained to me early on rock drills use bits, but I'd be willing to bet miners would disagree, having a more proper term of their own.

Paul

Thanks Richard

So I guess they still made them up through W.W.II

A scale with 6R graduations has both edges on one side in 10ths, both edges on the other side in 50ths. For example...

No, rulers are for drawing straight lines, scales (and rules) are for measuring. Just ask Mr. Smith, my 7th grade drafting teacher. Seriously, I don't think there's any universally accepted definition. The OED doesn't make any distinction re whether the graduations are full size or not, and Starrett makes "shrink rules" which have graduations scaled to account for metal shrinkage when making foundry patterns.

BTW, if Mr Smith caught anyone using their scale as a ruler he'd ding the edge by whacking it on the corner of your desk, insuring you wouldn't use it that way again. Unless you were a slow learner, in which case the lesson wouldn't sink in til he had dinged all three edges.

A 6R will give you decimal inches on both sides - 10ths and 50ths - but the 16R is my personal favorite.

Ned Simmons

But maybe not with the same markings. I have a very old drill gage that lists tap drill information for some odd and obsolete threads, similar to those on your rule. There's a newer version with the same part number with only modern threads listed.

Ned Simmons

...Ive been moving the surplus machines in my warehouse yesterday. The topic of "handtrucks" came up. Ive always (incorrectly) called them Dollys, drum dollys, furniture dollys, refrigerator dollys etc...

"Hey,,where is the green dolly?"

Huh?

You know..the thing with two wheels...

Oh..you mean the hand truck....

Gunner

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. H. L. Mencken

I've heard people refer to pallet jacks as "handtrucks", but I'm not sure if that's correct or not. Any opinions?

Pallet jacks are pallet jacks - or 'pump jacks' on occasion. The term pump jack is used for other devices as well though.

Dollies are flat with wheels on the bottom, mostly. Hand trucks have a ledge at the bottom by the wheels, then rise up in back and have handles that stick out towards the user.

Jim

Pallet jacks have a mechanical, generally hydraulically operated, lifting mechanisms that raise/lower the load. Handtrucks lift via a strong back and a weak mind.

Pallet jacks can also be motor driven (forward/reverse), usually electric. If someone puts a motor on a hand truck, I wanna watch.

Snarl... hold m' beer and watch this

Actually hand trucks with motors are available, though more correctly the electric motor drives the stair climbers. We used to use them in the vending machine business for delivering machines. lg no neat sig line

Sorry Ned my poor English hits again. The plural of rule is rules or is it rulers? And as for Mr. Smith if he were to ding my scale I would ding his head. He has no right to destroy personal property. lg no neat sig line

I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Gunner wrote back on Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:39:40 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Hand truck has two wheels.

"Dollies" have (usually) four, pivoting, at the corners. Put thing on top, "dolly" it away. Along any axis, or all at the same time. It's going "forward" but rotating, with a bit of cross drift developing. Real fun with two 8x4 white boards, upright so you can load them on the truck.

tschus pyotr

Ayup. Just the folks I grew up with, always called the two wheeled critters dollys. So I have more than one bad habit

Gunner

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. H. L. Mencken

I know what it says in the catalogue, that's why I ordered 2 6" flex scales 6R style. Both are only marked on one side, .1 and .02. Defects that slipped through?

buckshot

Or inventoried in the wrong bin at MSC? I have a Starrett C606R (rigid 6", 6R grads) right here that is graduated as I described. What's the part number on yours?

Ned Simmons