What’s this for…no.8?

[beeza650Participant @beeza650]

It took ages to free it all up. I think I needs a special tool to slacker the base but I’ve not seen anything in the other boxes with two little pins. They need to be very little, surprisingly small.

Would be good to look at some videos of how to use this. Interestingly it has no scale.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

It would be a vernier height-gauge if it had the two scales, but I’ve not seen one with that pin in the foot, and no scale.

It suggests being made as some type of comparator rather than absolute measurer, and the pin might be for locating a centre or reference-cylinders.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Height gauge, since it has no scale may be it’s for inspection, simply as a gauge, once set. Noel.

[beeza650Participant @beeza650]

It has no overhang to use as height gauge as it is currently configured

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

You don’t want to remove the base – that’s why there is no spanner. Google “vernier height gauge” and look at the pictures to see the missing bit. Some of the pictures off ebay however will be missing that bit  (like mine). Unfortunately the missing bit is precision, not just a bit of metal which is why I haven’t got round to making a replacement.

[beeza650Participant @beeza650]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Sorry I’m confused. I’m pretty sure theres nothing missing except the ” spanner”. The bottom bit certainly looks like it’s meant to slide in the base. Look at the ground jaw that’s made inaccessible by the base. Why have that unless the plan was to slide it out.</p>

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

Looking at the base and the movable blade it looks as though someone has tried to make a height gauge/comparator from a broken vernier caliper (not an uncommon problem when dropped on the workshop floor).

There is a scriber blade in the clamp.

But I can’t give an explanation for the lack of graduations unless they were ground off just to make a comparator which would be set using slip gauges.

Andy

[peak4Participant @peak4]

It certainly looks to be made from a vernier caliper, judging be the internal measuring ends, both fixed and sliding.

My guess is that it’s actually two items that have been combined.
The base and the scriber + clamp are from the original height gauge, likely a vernier itself.
The main column was a separate vernier caliper, now re-purposed.
If the base was fully hard, which is quite likely, then rather than machine out the groove, the caliper was thinned on a surface grinder to fit the groove in the base.
No need to keep the scale on it, as it would now be completely wrong, since the caliper is mounted end on in the base.

I have a spare base that I’ve been wondering how to utilise, and was thinking about using it with an adapted cheap Lidl digital caliper, but not yet got around to it; mine has a couple of marks on the other side, where a previous owner has tried drilling it, rather than using the clamp bolt.

Again a quick lash-up for a photo, with a small Benson vernier caliper to show the rounded internal measuring ends.

Bill

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

You do not need a spanner. Nobody in the history of vernier height gauges has ever needed to move the column so most of them are fixed anyway. It was made separate originally so that it could be shipped in a flatter box or used by a travelling inspector.

The scriber fitted is currently upside down and back to front so if correctly fitted would work for many uses. However if you google as I suggested you will see the normal scriber is a different shape. (engage schoolmaster mode) See if you can work out why..

[peak4]

On peak4 Said:

No need to keep the scale on it, as it would now be completely wrong, since the caliper is mounted end on in the base.

If a person were making one, it could be useful to make the underside of the base exactly 1″  from the inside of the jaw. Then the scale could be retained.

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