Buying A Used Height Gage

[mikecwik]

I have been getting along famously without one but buying dozens of combination square scales was one of my better moves of 2012.. so you never know how its going to turn out.

A lot on ebay do not have scribes and i was thinking that you really need to have them special for that specific tool? Do not they have to be specific dimensions to be at 1" when you're reading 1"?

Another goofy question is if youre sliding the gage doesn't it wear the base? i would think the wear would be more consequential to a height gage then to a gage block set and they have wear blocks for that. Am i misunderstanding the use of the tool or what?

[sasquatch]

Good questiom Mike. Looking forward to the comments.

[doubleboost]

Hi
I have a digital height guage
The base is a heavy iron casting i do not think you could cause a measurable amount of wear on this in a life times use
John

[f350ca]

I have a digital one that lives in the cabinet shop and a dial one in the machine shop, both have to be zero-ed so the exact dimensions of the scriber aren't critical.
As for wear, as Doublebost said it would take miles of sliding on any surface you'd be measuring from to cause any appreciable wear, and you zero it out anyway.

[Bill Gruby]

The bases of height gages will not give heavy wear because they are ground smooth. Actually good ones are smoother that the granite plate. This is why they move so easily.

"Billy G"

[mikecwik]

I love your video's John!

I am going to buy a vernier. I just purchased a bunch of batteries for my digital stuff but i never trust the readings and end up measuring way more than i would with other tools.

I hope I don't get screwed purchasing one.

[PixMan]

I got my dad a 24" Brown & Sharpe vernier height gauge for $65, in it's original wooden case. Looks like it was barely used, and we've not used it but perhaps once in the past 6 years. My dad had also picked up a 12" Mitutoyo vernier height gauge for $20 at a flea market. It's missing the loupe attachment, but a fair price without it.

Here's a photo of the two, with a Starrett Digimatic No.258 and matching riser that I've since sold off.


You can find some incredible deals if you look around. Most of them that have a box in good shape will also be in good condition. Of note is that the Mitutoyo one actually has scale adjustment should it get worn and need to be recalibrated.

[krv3000]

hi well this is my bit on good ones their is a adjusting screw on the mane scale so even if the base did where dawn you can compensate for this by moving the scale on digital ones it ant a problem as you can set the starting point any where that gos for the dale type to as sum of you no I'm on restoring a height gage but i have no luck in obtaining a rule that will fit it so I'm gowning to turn it in to a adjustable DTI gage stand as for the scribe you can mack one with sum gage plat and a peace of tungsten for the tip as for getting one of flee bay unless i can have a good look at it i wood not by it the pic may look good but once you have it in your hand and find out that its bent it may not be such a good by until i was given a Moor and right one from work i was gowning to mack my own I no it wood be cheaper just to by one but by making one you can say you mad it all you need is one of them digital scales that are on offer on most of the tool suppliers

[mikecwik]

The flotilla is gathered but there is work to form an armada.


I was going to start a new thread....Its getting to be a little bit *** damn ridiculous part II but i put it here. No worries, I do have a new part II to post up anyways.

What I am lead to believe (I just got them home so i have not spent much time on it yet) is that any scriber will not do. For these tools-Starrett 454 and Brown and Sharpe 585 I have only found one possible scriber for the Starret and I am not even sure about that. It is only twenty dollars more than i paid for each gage!

Brain start thinking...........if possible.

[PixMan]

Got a milling machine and a surface grinder? If so, start making your own scribers and sell off the extra ones for more than you paid.

Honestly I can't understand why so many of the same type thing, though that is quite a sight to see. What strange is that none of them can take the head down to the surface without a dog-leg style scriber. Look at the photos of mine. The tall Brown & Sharpe has an integral scriber, and it's base has a slot to allow it to go right down to the table. The shorter Mitutoyo has the base all out behind the slider so only a short dog-leg scriber is needed.