Slip Gauges

There are the occasional bargains, we got a Coventry Gauge set of Tungsten Carbide Imperial slips (with one missing) for £6.50 plus post recently:

Being carbide was a bit of a bonus. A Metric set, albeit smaller, went for £3.75 or so at the same time (different seller)

I'm after a 0.007" tungsten slip gauge to make the set complete.

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Luton, UK snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

'Slip Gauges', 'Gauge Blocks' and 'Slip Blocks' are one and the same thing - it just depends who taught you what they are.

There are three 'qualities' or 'grades' . . . Workshop, Inspection and Reference. Unfortunately I can no longer tell you the precise difference in the tolerance between each grade but even 'Wokshop' Grade are calibrated to 0.000001" with the deviation noted in a table pasted into the box lid so that when you 'wring' a number of them together you can calculate the total deviation from 'nominal size' and take account of it when comparing with the workpiece.

As I've said above there are three grades.

Why would you need slip gauges to set your mikes? Surely you have the reference pieces that were supplied with the mikes in the first place - unless the mike starts at zero in which case you don't need even a reference gauge.

JG (Wishing I'd noticed those Metric ones on eBay :(( )

I'm sure that I'm probably the least experienced guy here, but my small set of tungsten carbide gauge blocks told me that my "antique" but "interesting principle"(?) Microball height gauge had suffered either damage from being dropped, or from relaxation over the years in the asymmetrically machined column. Whatever the cause, the column was slightly bowed. So I bought one of these new digital height gauges, and I now found total agreement between height gauge and gauge blocks (to whatever discrimination the display offered).

I was amused at the:-

"Bid early to avoid last minute sniping"

statement.

Mark Rand RTFM

Modern mics and digital calipers are so good that the linear reference accuracy of gauge blocks is rarely needed.

The same is not true of angle measurement. Angle setups using a sine bar and a stack of gauge blocks are vastly more accurate and convenient than the best vernier protractor even if you're lucky enough to own one. The gauge block/sinebar system is particularly useful for setting up the precise tapers in the lathe which are often needed when cutting morse tapers or collet holders.

Sine bars are not expensive and once you've got one a precision level is a useful aquisition. If your milling facility is properly levelled it's often convenient to use a sine bar and level to properly orient the workpiece.

For general purpose home use dimensional change from wear on second hand gauge block is very unlikely to be a problem. However, unless the blocks have retained their original highly polished surface it may be difficult or impossible to wring them together.

Jim

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Thanks to everyone who responded to my "do I need a set of slip gauges" question. I certainly know more about these than I did a few days ago. As I feared the answer seems to be that I don't really need them but they would be nice to have, especially if I can get a good deal like Peter (why do I never get these bargins).

Sorry Jim L. I don't think I will have a set to loan you unless I also catch E-bay while you are all asleep.

Malcolm, thanks for your comments, I haven't yet bought a height gauge thinking that I would just pick up a cheap secondhand one when needed. I think I will now go straight for one of the digital ones. That will solve the "what should I have had for fathers day" that the kids keep moaning about.

Jim (Pentag), Thanks I had completely forgotten their use with a sine bar and will not take them off the wanted list altogether just move them down a bit. I do have a precision level and will have to get to know that a bit better as well.

Thanks again, best regards

Keith

It was on for a normal 7 days, I just watched it and bid. There were no others bids either, so it was either a sporting evening on TV or everyone was outside having a barbie! :-))

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Luton, UK snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

Well done Peter, don't tell anyone but I'll need to look and see if there are any finishing on World Cup Final day. We will be playing won't we?

Regards

Keith

I think my search that found them wasn't for slip gauges.....

More interesting things turn up from mis-spellings of headers than you can find when looking under 'milling' or 'myford'.

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Luton, UK snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

Peter, I'll bet it was that England vest the seller also has for sale!!

I do agree though that mis-spelling can lead to some interesting items. Almost my first experience with Google was looking for watercolour landscape paintings to prove to the wife the internet was safe for the kids. I tried Devonshire as the Americanization of Devon and opened a page mistaking Simone for Simon (our sons name). My use of the internet was almost still born.

Regards

Keith