What’s this for?

[beeza650Participant @beeza650]

I’m not sure the best way to do this. I have bought loads of stuff and I don’t know that a lot of it is for. I will probably do one long thread unless anyone has a better idea.

OK first up..whats this. It feels old and jolly well made. The pins do move, we’ll one does a bit.

What’s it for please, what are the pins and fine tilt for. Is the v to go on a lathe bed? Thanks

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Use it on surface plate, for scribing lines on your workpiece.

… I’m going out now, but confident that others will fill-in the details

MichaelG.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Marking gauge. Missing the scriber so an early project for you. The pins are let down and act as a limit enabling it to be run along the edge of a table for marking parallel lines.

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

It’s a scribing block for marking out work, at the moment it is incomplete but in some of your earlier photos the other part which fits on long round bar and holds the actual scriber is there.

Andy

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Hi Beeza   It is a surface gauge. There should be a knuckle clamp which would hold a dial indicator or a scriber. It is used to check flatness or height and with the scriber in place mark out lines parrallel to the base. It is used on a suface plate usualy or a machine bedway with a flat surface. The two pins are used to run along the edge of a piece or surface plate to check parallelism         I have one I made at collage and although I dont use it very much it is a usfull piece of equipment.

David

[beeza650Participant @beeza650]

Thanks for the replies. What’s the fine tilt screw for and the v in the base? There are actually two. The larger one is not shop bought. Surely I will never need two?

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

2 sizes always useful. Or set them to 2 different heights for repetitive work. Tilt screw for fine adjustment

He who dies with most tools wins

[Nick HughesParticipant @nickhughes97026]

The ball ended rod is also upside down, the ball end should be down in the bases front “V” notch and is used in conjunction with both a finger DTI and a reference square, for checking vertical faces for squareness.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Michael Murray has a YouTube video giving a useful introduction as to what can be done with these devices in the modern era when paired with a dial gauge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYJhXPHp4tU&t=216s

There are others but that was the first decent one I found.

Originally designed to be used with a holder to carry a deeply engraved ruler exactly perpendicular to a surface plate so these crier point could be set in the appropriate division to make a marking out line at exactly the right height.

This YouTube video is very brief but shows the use of scriber and rule

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk5ylDM5yEI

The Vee in the bottom lets the base sit squarely on a rod or shaft if needed.

Perhaps somewhat overlooked these days when magnetic bases for dial gauge holding and digital or vernier height gauges are readily available at affordable(ish) prices. I pretty much much don’t use mine but I have a decent amount of the flash gear.

Objectively not a device to be overlooked when tooling up on a tight budget.

Concerning the ball end at the top of the main rod it is said that this can also provide a safe parking spot for the point at the bent end of the scriber when stored.  Set the rod and scriber vertical and arrange things so the bent end point is tucked neatly into the groove formed by the junction between ball end and rod. Mine has been that way for “not telling you how many” years.

Clive

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