There is a video titled “1975 16mm Machine Shop Educational Film - THE TOOLMAKER'S ART” wherein you can see these used in their native habitat (the machine shop) - jump to 9m5s and see also 9m56s to 10m19s. Give it a watch, it is fascinating to see much of what you said in this video ring true
That's an awesome find Devin - thanks for sharing it! So great to see the height micrometers in use along with all the other classic tooling. I'll pin this comment so that others can check out the video and enjoy a trip back in time 👍
When I started as a co-op student at Ford’s prototype engine build shop (1963), each big surface plate had a Pla-Chek. They really sped up laying out cylinder block & head castings. The granite surface plates were big. In a pinch we could have two layout inspectors simultaneously working two V8 cylinder blocks on one surface plate. Watching those expert inspectors equalize a casting for core shift with a Pla-Check and a scribe was fascinating. And confusing. In those days, a cylinder block drawing was completely hand-drawn on a roll of paper 42” tall and maybe 40 feet long. When the first casting was up on the surface plate, the layout inspector had the design engineer, his supervisor, the designer who drew the thing up, his boss, the casting engineer , his boss and the engineering manager all watching. Then the machinist who operated the big boring mill would join the crowd. Back in those days, the Chief Engineer’s mantra was “You are not a full fledged automobile company 2:11 unless you manufacture your own engines. Ford made everything except fasteners and tappets. Then, as the finance people outsourced various components like water pumps, oil pumps, etc., the list of parts that “had to” stay in-house dwindled to the “Five Cs”: Cylinder Block, Cylinder Head, Crankshaft, Camshaft, Connecting Rod. Today, I think they assemble engines from all purchased parts. When I started, I was in Engine Production Engineering, Engine& Foundry Division, Ford Motor Company. Ford got out of the casting business a long time ago. The EPA has made it almost impossible to build a foundry…
Thank you for sharing your story Steven, this is what TH-cam comments are all about. I really love getting to learn more about our industrial heritage and that the comments here prevent all those memories slipping into history! Fascinating stuff 👍
I've used this Cadillac type gauge many times, to get a "better than calipers" reading from an inside mic. The inside mic is good to a thou. The Cadillac gauge is first calibrated using a stack of calibrated gauge blocks, then the indicator is used to transfer the measurement to the Cadillac gauge. This lets you put your expensive gauge blocks to bed, and then check the readings from multiple bearing races, in succession, as you say, plus or minus to nominal. Saves having all those different mics. Being calibrated, and works a treat.
I'm a journeyman machinist; I was taught how to use one in my apprenticeship program. I used one in the tool maker shop. They are wonderful for accurate measurement, odd-shaped parts, and open setup checks.
I used one for years, in the high precision manufacturing process. We had precision height gauges from a few suppliers. I worked very closely with Frenco many years ago, they were an excellent precision company.
I have two of the Cadillac Gage Pla-Chek units. Their factory was very close to where I live in Warren Michigan. Your unit says Detroit 5, Mich. The code was changed to 48205 I believe in the mid 1960's. At any rate they are a handy height checking standard. Much faster than stacking gauge blocks. Biggest problem is wear on the micrometer screw that drives the shaft up and down. Enjoy your find and use it well.
Nice. Do you know if Cadillac Gage Co was related to the Cadillac car company? I see Cadillac Gage still make military vehicles so wonder if they are related?
I've used these alot but never actually used them as a height gauge. The ones I've used always had an anvil with them that can lock in between the disks with some knobs built into the anvil and you set it for whatever size bore your part requires and then use the anvil to set a bore gauge that you then use to check your part/work in the size to what you want.
The bottom of the rings can be used to measure the distance from the surface plate to the underside of a feature. That is where i find these very usefull.
I used them when working at a tool making company as an Inspector during the 1970s. We were measuring to 1/10s thou on cold rolling racks and various gear cutting tools. I can't remember the make of them though.
I have one of those antiques on my surface plate.....use it from time to time and its as accurate today as it was when it was made...which was in West Germany per the ID plate.
As you say EPA, they are happy to have the foundries in 'some other place than the US' most western countries are the bloody same. NIMBYs every one of them.
It's make a great talking point. We just had the inlaws visit and the father in law used to be a machinist. He was quite fascinated by it - had never seen one before 👍
I used these extensively as an apprentice in the late sixties and they were always known as Hommels even when made by other companies, probably because Hommel Werke were the inventer and therefore the 1st to appear in engineering shops. They are a superb piece of kit and beautifully made but sadly like most things have been made obsolete by digital products. There really is nothing like the feel of a piece of kit made with such precision. In engineering, all measuring tools have to be checked and calibrated regularly to ensure accuracy. Later in my career I worked in the Metrology Dept calibrating tools and had to check these digitally - they never failed or needed adjusting whereas for example digital calipers where often found to be out of spec and often scrapped. It's a changing world and will never be the same.
The big deal was that they were a time-saver. Use a Height Master to set your height gage in a few seconds, or find the gage block set, clean and wring together the proper stack, and then set your height gage, then put the gage blocks away for protection, and then take your measurement. Then do it all over for a different size. Cadillac gage for the win!
I have two, one of them a Cadillac brand. I have a theory- Henry Leland who, founded Cadillac, bought the first set of Johansson Blocks purchased in North America. Someone at Cadillac had the idea for this Cadillac gage to eliminate the stacking of the gauge blocks, ergo the Cadillac gauges.
I have one, by Hommel as well (mine is metric). Do you also have the little part that clamps in between the disks so the measurement surface sticks out a little further to the front (and is a little larger)? I haven't really used mine, since I also have a Mitutoyo Linear Height that is accurate to .5 micron. Mine seems to be brand new, though. It even came with the wooden case. It is very much out of calibration (a few mm off from a stack of gage blocks).
Nice one. I don't have the finger attachment with mine, it was one of the reasons the guy sold it cheaply. AFAIK the finger attachment is useful for calibrating bore gauges. Calibration is easy as I had to give mine a tweak when I got it. Loosen the grub screw on the micrometer dial and you can adjust the calibration as well as slide the knob up and down to get it to align on the 0.25" graduations nicely. As you say, probably not much point if you have the Mitutoyo 😂
@@radboogie Well, to be fair, there really is not much point to any of the machining related tooling I have. I make no money with it whatsoever. Its all for fun...
We used to call them lighthouses for obvious reasons .. when I worked for Starrett Uk we made the big micrometer heads for Frost enginering in the 1960s .(. not all of them looked like lighthouses but the ones we had did)2
That's really interesting Dougie. "Lighthouses" I like that 👍 Interesting that parts of the Frenco's were made by Starrett, seems similar to Cadillac Gage farming out work to Hommel Werke.
I have seen those before… but never really had them on my radar up until now. But yeah… now there’s one on the way to me. Thanks for making me spend money;)
@ Thanks mate! It’s a great tool to have! But seems like they are a bit more expensive in Germany. Most of the ones I saw where between 200-400€. Nevertheless I managed to get mine for 70€ shipped and it turned out to be in basically brand new condition, with the box. It’s only 175mm version but that enough for 99% of the work I do. I’m pretty happy with it :)
I’m starting to get the feeling you’re what we in the states would call a ringer. That’s someone who knows more than they’re letting on or can do more than they admit to. (Think pool shark) Don’t get me wrong Richard. I think it’s great. It’s always a good idea to let people underestimate you, even if it’s just a little. Keep up the good work and know this…I’m enjoying your videos.
Thank you for this very interesting video. Excellent explanation. I haven't seen this design before. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a "Trimos Höhenmikrometer Height Master 1779" for about 100 $. The basic principle is similar, but the Trimos has some kind of height adjustable "ladder" to which e.g. a DTI can be attached.
I've heard of a Cadillac gauge but had no idea what it was until now. Pretty sure they would be easier to get hold of in Britain compared to USA? (same as manual shaper, saw those in 1990's Model Engineers Workshop but never actually seen one )
Prices certainly seem lower in the UK. All I can imagine is because many of them are Imperial and the UK had been using metric since the 1960s they aren't so desirable here in industry. In the USA imperial instruments are still the mainstream.
@@radboogie I'm actually British and was taught in inches when 240 pennies were a pound 😁You may well be right about America though, probably why people who have access don't list them for sale or if they do want crazy prices
My work uses something very similar for a tool presetter. On those uhhh... Knobs? we set a depth mic in between those notches. Works wonders, we can easily hold 0.0001". Just depends on the operator though.
Thanks, yes I'm working on a machinists cabinet - hoping to move my precision tools into it to free up space in my main tool chest 👍 Looking forward to getting the new woodwork bench fitted so I can continue with the chest.
I definitely appreciate your enthusiasm and attempting to explain this - but I can honestly say I've never been so confused about a piece of equipment in my life. I have less than zero of an idea about what moved on the micrometer - I've watched it 6 times and it still makes no sense. Girlfriend says she's as confused as I am, my neighbor has no clue, and I'm afraid to even ask my dad to make sense of it. I feel like this is April 01st and you're about to release the follow up to this one titled "Yes, I am joking":Like what is the point of this thing? Measure something with a dial test indicator, but you have to be absolutely certain of the height of that - and then touch off on the piece, move your indicator over to to the mystery tool with the largest micrometer dial in the world and spin the knob until something moves, no idea what. And at some point whatever moved touches the indicator, but didn't move it, and then somehow something touches zero and you're at 5 inches. Awesome tool - I'm going to keep mine next to my arsenic sandwiches and my newborn pufferfish snacks
Thanks Matthew! They can vary in price quite a lot, the bloke that sold the one I bought sold it as spares because it was missing the "finger" attachment, which isn't actually needed for a lot of measurements.
I don't know. I suppose you could zero a dial gauge onto it and move them both around the surface but that wouldn't be much different to just putting the stylus of the gauge straight onto the plate.
And the biggest drawback for these devices is that they come in either Imperial or Metric............I had the opportunity to buy one when I retired in 2000 but I plumped for a Shardlow height gauge as it had both Imperial and Metric rules on it's faces and you cam mount either a scribing piece or a dial indicator if you are checking measurements etc..
You can’t use calipers to measure accurately. Most high quality calipers are only plus or minus 1.5 thousandths. More expensive models can be 1.2 thousandths and a few very high quality ones are plus or minus 1 thousandth. The same thing is true of digital height gages, because all they are, are caliper gages on a vertical beam. The only way to use a caliper for accuracy is to use gage blocks to a certain length, carefully get the jaws to fit it and then lock the jaws in place. If you want a high accuracy digital height gages, prepare to pay about $7,000, or more
The cheapest ones are listed by people that don't know what they are. The problem is they don't know what to call them so list them as things like "vintage measuring tool" so they are hard to find. Browsing facebook market place occasionally throws up a bargain if you use it.
They are all over eBay in the USA for 50-$500. Brown and Sharpe and Cadillac brand are the cheapest, about $50-$100. Starrett and Mitutoyo are $200 to $500. I bought a Brown and Sharpe last year.
He did say they are used in conjunction with a surface plate at the beginning...one would hope anyone trying to measure to within 0.0001" would already understand that anyways though...
2135316 Point or plane finder, Lawrence V Whistler, Sanford A Whistler, 1938-11-01, - probably sold to Cadillac Gage 2440710 Micrometer height gage fixture, Russell E Bauer, Cadillac Gage Co, App: 1944-10-30, W.W.II, Pub: 1948-05-04 - 2544004 Height gauge fixture, Clarence H Bauer, Cadillac Gage Co, 1951-03-06, - looks like the one in the TH-cam.
There is a video titled “1975 16mm Machine Shop Educational Film - THE TOOLMAKER'S ART” wherein you can see these used in their native habitat (the machine shop) - jump to 9m5s and see also 9m56s to 10m19s. Give it a watch, it is fascinating to see much of what you said in this video ring true
That's an awesome find Devin - thanks for sharing it! So great to see the height micrometers in use along with all the other classic tooling. I'll pin this comment so that others can check out the video and enjoy a trip back in time 👍
I never knew those existed. I have no need for one. But now I want one.
Well worth keeping an eye on eBay, you never know when it will come in handy 👍
I have a very hard rule that I don't buy any of this goofy stuff from these videos. Can I borrow your height master? :)
I’ll have two please.
@@aukeykema9689 I could have used two the other day for a measurement I was setting up. But would need a bigger surface plate 😂
When I started as a co-op student at Ford’s prototype engine build shop (1963), each big surface plate had a Pla-Chek. They really sped up laying out cylinder block & head castings. The granite surface plates were big. In a pinch we could have two layout inspectors simultaneously working two V8 cylinder blocks on one surface plate. Watching those expert inspectors equalize a casting for core shift with a Pla-Check and a scribe was fascinating. And confusing. In those days, a cylinder block drawing was completely hand-drawn on a roll of paper 42” tall and maybe 40 feet long. When the first casting was up on the surface plate, the layout inspector had the design engineer, his supervisor, the designer who drew the thing up, his boss, the casting engineer , his boss and the engineering manager all watching. Then the machinist who operated the big boring mill would join the crowd.
Back in those days, the Chief Engineer’s mantra was “You are not a full fledged automobile company 2:11 unless you manufacture your own engines. Ford made everything except fasteners and tappets. Then, as the finance people outsourced various components like water pumps, oil pumps, etc., the list of parts that “had to” stay in-house dwindled to the “Five Cs”: Cylinder Block, Cylinder Head, Crankshaft, Camshaft, Connecting Rod.
Today, I think they assemble engines from all purchased parts. When I started, I was in Engine Production Engineering, Engine& Foundry Division, Ford Motor Company. Ford got out of the casting business a long time ago. The EPA has made it almost impossible to build a foundry…
The good old days...
Thank you for sharing your story Steven, this is what TH-cam comments are all about. I really love getting to learn more about our industrial heritage and that the comments here prevent all those memories slipping into history! Fascinating stuff 👍
So just to be clear:
- this all was for a prototype
- 40 feet would be needed to describe the block's features in its entirety
Right?
I've used this Cadillac type gauge many times, to get a "better than calipers" reading from an inside mic. The inside mic is good to a thou. The Cadillac gauge is first calibrated using a stack of calibrated gauge blocks, then the indicator is used to transfer the measurement to the Cadillac gauge. This lets you put your expensive gauge blocks to bed, and then check the readings from multiple bearing races, in succession, as you say, plus or minus to nominal. Saves having all those different mics. Being calibrated, and works a treat.
Update. This method is traceable to about 20 millionths, depending on your equipment, and environmental controls!
Thanks for the extra info Trajon - a great way to preserve the gauge blocks 👍
Thank you for asking me if I've seen something and not telling me I haven't like so many others.
You're welcome 👍
I'm a journeyman machinist; I was taught how to use one in my apprenticeship program.
I used one in the tool maker shop. They are wonderful for accurate measurement, odd-shaped parts, and open setup checks.
It's really interesting to hear how many people have used these and the different things they were used for. Cheers 👍
We called them Cadillac Height Gauges.
I had not used them since I left Sundstrand Aviation.
Thanks for sharing. 👍
I used one for years, in the high precision manufacturing process. We had precision height gauges from a few suppliers. I worked very closely with Frenco many years ago, they were an excellent precision company.
I purchased a mitutoyo on ebay for around $100 and its a heavy duty piece of precision equipment. Thank you for uploading. Now i know how to use it!
Nice one, that's a great price! The Mitutoyo is a beautiful bit of kit too 👍
I have two of the Cadillac Gage Pla-Chek units. Their factory was very close to where I live in Warren Michigan. Your unit says Detroit 5, Mich. The code was changed to 48205 I believe in the mid 1960's. At any rate they are a handy height checking standard. Much faster than stacking gauge blocks.
Biggest problem is wear on the micrometer screw that drives the shaft up and down.
Enjoy your find and use it well.
Nice. Do you know if Cadillac Gage Co was related to the Cadillac car company? I see Cadillac Gage still make military vehicles so wonder if they are related?
The two companies are not related to each other.
I've used these alot but never actually used them as a height gauge. The ones I've used always had an anvil with them that can lock in between the disks with some knobs built into the anvil and you set it for whatever size bore your part requires and then use the anvil to set a bore gauge that you then use to check your part/work in the size to what you want.
Interesting, mine was sold as "missing parts" as it didn't come with the anvil attachment. I might make one for it one day 👍
The bottom of the rings can be used to measure the distance from the surface plate to the underside of a feature. That is where i find these very usefull.
That's a very useful feature 👍
I haven’t figured out how to read a measurement using the underside.
The underside of the rings can also be used.
Thanks, a great tip 👍
You can also put a 1" gage block in it and transfer to heights on the under sides of work pieces
I used them when working at a tool making company as an Inspector during the 1970s. We were measuring to 1/10s thou on cold rolling racks and various gear cutting tools.
I can't remember the make of them though.
Got two of them on my surface plate. Also have a 6" riser and a 12" riser for them. Super handy.
Thanks for sharing, I picked one of these up in a lot of inspection equipment at work and hadn't yet worked out how to use it.
Nice one, many of them seem to get overlooked but still a useful tool 👍
When I worked in Coventry 🇬🇧 we had them on the inspection department.
I have one of those antiques on my surface plate.....use it from time to time and its as accurate today as it was when it was made...which was in West Germany per the ID plate.
As you say EPA, they are happy to have the foundries in 'some other place than the US' most western countries are the bloody same. NIMBYs every one of them.
Nice one. I was thinking earlier that the "West Germany" plate puts these firmly in the cold war era.
Would be a cool display piece to have in the shop 😎
It's make a great talking point. We just had the inlaws visit and the father in law used to be a machinist. He was quite fascinated by it - had never seen one before 👍
I used these extensively as an apprentice in the late sixties and they were always known as Hommels even when made by other companies, probably because Hommel Werke were the inventer and therefore the 1st to appear in engineering shops. They are a superb piece of kit and beautifully made but sadly like most things have been made obsolete by digital products. There really is nothing like the feel of a piece of kit made with such precision. In engineering, all measuring tools have to be checked and calibrated regularly to ensure accuracy. Later in my career I worked in the Metrology Dept calibrating tools and had to check these digitally - they never failed or needed adjusting whereas for example digital calipers where often found to be out of spec and often scrapped. It's a changing world and will never be the same.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge David, it's great to be able to record the history here and learn more about our industrial heritage. 👍
They are commonly used in shops with more antiquated machinery for measuring tool offsets. Definitely handy and cool
An excellent way of achieving precision on a budget these days.
The big deal was that they were a time-saver. Use a Height Master to set your height gage in a few seconds, or find the gage block set, clean and wring together the proper stack, and then set your height gage, then put the gage blocks away for protection, and then take your measurement. Then do it all over for a different size.
Cadillac gage for the win!
Yes, it's a genius design really. The ability to adjust the height so easily compared to gauge blocks - a winner indeed 👍
I have two, one of them a Cadillac brand. I have a theory- Henry Leland who, founded Cadillac, bought the first set of Johansson Blocks purchased in North America. Someone at Cadillac had the idea for this Cadillac gage to eliminate the stacking of the gauge blocks, ergo the Cadillac gauges.
Interesting theory, I reckon you could be onto something there - thanks for sharing 👍
I have one, by Hommel as well (mine is metric). Do you also have the little part that clamps in between the disks so the measurement surface sticks out a little further to the front (and is a little larger)?
I haven't really used mine, since I also have a Mitutoyo Linear Height that is accurate to .5 micron. Mine seems to be brand new, though. It even came with the wooden case. It is very much out of calibration (a few mm off from a stack of gage blocks).
Nice one. I don't have the finger attachment with mine, it was one of the reasons the guy sold it cheaply. AFAIK the finger attachment is useful for calibrating bore gauges.
Calibration is easy as I had to give mine a tweak when I got it. Loosen the grub screw on the micrometer dial and you can adjust the calibration as well as slide the knob up and down to get it to align on the 0.25" graduations nicely. As you say, probably not much point if you have the Mitutoyo 😂
@@radboogie Well, to be fair, there really is not much point to any of the machining related tooling I have. I make no money with it whatsoever. Its all for fun...
It's so much nicer to make things when you don't have to hit a deadline or a budget!
We used to call them lighthouses for obvious reasons .. when I worked for Starrett Uk we made the big micrometer heads for Frost enginering in the 1960s .(. not all of them looked like lighthouses but the ones we had did)2
That's really interesting Dougie. "Lighthouses" I like that 👍 Interesting that parts of the Frenco's were made by Starrett, seems similar to Cadillac Gage farming out work to Hommel Werke.
We had them in the physical calibration lab at Red River Army Depot in the 80’s and 90’s..
I have seen those before… but never really had them on my radar up until now. But yeah… now there’s one on the way to me. Thanks for making me spend money;)
Haha, sorry about that!
Nah I'm not sorry at all - enjoy your new tool mate 😂👍
@ Thanks mate! It’s a great tool to have! But seems like they are a bit more expensive in Germany. Most of the ones I saw where between 200-400€. Nevertheless I managed to get mine for 70€ shipped and it turned out to be in basically brand new condition, with the box. It’s only 175mm version but that enough for 99% of the work I do. I’m pretty happy with it :)
I’m starting to get the feeling you’re what we in the states would call a ringer. That’s someone who knows more than they’re letting on or can do more than they admit to. (Think pool shark)
Don’t get me wrong Richard. I think it’s great. It’s always a good idea to let people underestimate you, even if it’s just a little. Keep up the good work and know this…I’m enjoying your videos.
Haha, thanks David. I wish I could play pool well! 😂
Thank you for this very interesting video. Excellent explanation. I haven't seen this design before.
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a "Trimos Höhenmikrometer Height Master 1779" for about 100 $. The basic principle is similar, but the Trimos has some kind of height adjustable "ladder" to which e.g. a DTI can be attached.
Thanks Harald. The Trimos sounds like a great bit of kit - Swiss engineered too!
I've heard of a Cadillac gauge but had no idea what it was until now.
Pretty sure they would be easier to get hold of in Britain compared to USA? (same as manual shaper, saw those in 1990's Model Engineers Workshop but never actually seen one )
Prices certainly seem lower in the UK. All I can imagine is because many of them are Imperial and the UK had been using metric since the 1960s they aren't so desirable here in industry. In the USA imperial instruments are still the mainstream.
@@radboogie I'm actually British and was taught in inches when 240 pennies were a pound 😁You may well be right about America though, probably why people who have access don't list them for sale or if they do want crazy prices
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
My work uses something very similar for a tool presetter. On those uhhh... Knobs? we set a depth mic in between those notches. Works wonders, we can easily hold 0.0001". Just depends on the operator though.
Nice one. I agree, when you're down to tenths the skill factor really kicks in. 👍
Very interesting thanks, I was unaware of them. Is that a machinists tool cabinet under construction behind you in the video?
Thanks, yes I'm working on a machinists cabinet - hoping to move my precision tools into it to free up space in my main tool chest 👍 Looking forward to getting the new woodwork bench fitted so I can continue with the chest.
I definitely appreciate your enthusiasm and attempting to explain this - but I can honestly say I've never been so confused about a piece of equipment in my life. I have less than zero of an idea about what moved on the micrometer - I've watched it 6 times and it still makes no sense. Girlfriend says she's as confused as I am, my neighbor has no clue, and I'm afraid to even ask my dad to make sense of it. I feel like this is April 01st and you're about to release the follow up to this one titled "Yes, I am joking":Like what is the point of this thing? Measure something with a dial test indicator, but you have to be absolutely certain of the height of that - and then touch off on the piece, move your indicator over to to the mystery tool with the largest micrometer dial in the world and spin the knob until something moves, no idea what. And at some point whatever moved touches the indicator, but didn't move it, and then somehow something touches zero and you're at 5 inches. Awesome tool - I'm going to keep mine next to my arsenic sandwiches and my newborn pufferfish snacks
Glad we cleared that one up 😂
Yes, used them in toolrooms.
Very good video. I wish those gages were that inexpensive around here. Last time I saw one locally, the seller wanted at least $300.
Thanks Matthew! They can vary in price quite a lot, the bloke that sold the one I bought sold it as spares because it was missing the "finger" attachment, which isn't actually needed for a lot of measurements.
We had one of these 60 years ago in Germany
Yes. I've seen them before.
Is there a way to check your plate with it?
I don't know. I suppose you could zero a dial gauge onto it and move them both around the surface but that wouldn't be much different to just putting the stylus of the gauge straight onto the plate.
Thanks mate ; from old New Orleans 😎 !
Cheers James 👍
Can’t use it but I still want one.
Just looked - £150 is a typical second hand price right now.
There's a Frenco on eBay for £20 starting bid or best offers, and that has two 12" risers with it - item 126772569344
Yes…I used to calibrate them 😊
Question - did you calibrate every step or just one of them and assume the rest were good?
Assuming isn't calibration. I have one, it keeps my granite from falling off the bench
@@radboogieEvery step and the vernier..
Yes!
P.S. Trade name was a " Cadillac Gage"
And the biggest drawback for these devices is that they come in either Imperial or Metric............I had the opportunity to buy one when I retired in 2000 but I plumped for a Shardlow height gauge as it had both Imperial and Metric rules on it's faces and you cam mount either a scribing piece or a dial indicator if you are checking measurements etc..
Nice, my favourite mic is a Shardlow speed read - good tools. Is your Shardlow height gauge a micrometer type with disks like the Hommel Werke I have?
You can’t use calipers to measure accurately. Most high quality calipers are only plus or minus 1.5 thousandths. More expensive models can be 1.2 thousandths and a few very high quality ones are plus or minus 1 thousandth. The same thing is true of digital height gages, because all they are, are caliper gages on a vertical beam. The only way to use a caliper for accuracy is to use gage blocks to a certain length, carefully get the jaws to fit it and then lock the jaws in place. If you want a high accuracy digital height gages, prepare to pay about $7,000, or more
So - a slip with a knob?
Adjustable slip gauge? Pretty much 👍
Oh to be in England, the cheapest "American" german Cadillac gauge is over 10x your price. Good video though.
The cheapest ones are listed by people that don't know what they are. The problem is they don't know what to call them so list them as things like "vintage measuring tool" so they are hard to find. Browsing facebook market place occasionally throws up a bargain if you use it.
They are all over eBay in the USA for 50-$500. Brown and Sharpe and Cadillac brand are the cheapest, about $50-$100. Starrett and Mitutoyo are $200 to $500. I bought a Brown and Sharpe last year.
Master Height Gage, used on surface plate with a dail indicator!
You should mention that a surface plate is needed for the most accuracy.
He did say they are used in conjunction with a surface plate at the beginning...one would hope anyone trying to measure to within 0.0001" would already understand that anyways though...
Too much room for error in translating a measure through the dial gauge instead of a direct reading.
Shhhhh. Don’t say “Cadillac” gauge. They far surpass digital gauge accuracy
lol now they are 400 bucks
The bargains still pop up occasionally, just have to try and find one where the seller doesn't know what it is 😂
2135316 Point or plane finder, Lawrence V Whistler, Sanford A Whistler, 1938-11-01, - probably sold to Cadillac Gage
2440710 Micrometer height gage fixture, Russell E Bauer, Cadillac Gage Co, App: 1944-10-30, W.W.II, Pub: 1948-05-04 -
2544004 Height gauge fixture, Clarence H Bauer, Cadillac Gage Co, 1951-03-06, - looks like the one in the TH-cam.
That's a superb find! Thanks for sharing 👍