Both pin gages and gage blocks have their place and both are very useful in checking different parts. If you have to have precision holes, you need a set of pin gages, normally on the -.0002 side. Reason being you need the pin gages on the minus side is that a .750 pin gage will not go in to a .750 diameter hole, size for size. So for any small hole boring jobs, pin gages are almost an absolute must.
Gage blocks also have their place for setting up sine bars and sine plates. Checking slot sizes, checking slot locations, and dozens of other things I can't think of right at the moment. I use gage blocks at home all flr the fact that what I do, I use more setups using sine bars and sine plates. That, combined with the fact that I don't have any pin gages yet:rofl:
But any home shop should have a good set of gage blocks, Johnny blocks, Jo blocks, whichever name you want to call them. As far as the accuracy is concerned, you don't need a set that measures to the .000005 tolerance. The reason being that a home shop is not climate controlled like a lot of inspections shops in the workplace. On place I worked the temperature was set at 70 degrees with a certain amount of humidity year round and never changed. Most home shops are in a garage or in a basement where temperature fluctuates and relative humidity fluctuates on a daily basis.
Here is a good little article explaining the different grades: http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/84769-quality-measurement-graded-gage-blocks-serve-a-purpose
A grade A is used for inspection and a Grade B is for the shop floor or workshop. One thing to remember is the higher Grade you go, the more expensive the set. You start going from hundreds in $$$ to thousands in $$$. If you are just building a general tool in your garage shop, a Grade B will be more than adequate. But is you are building another Hubbell Telescope in a climate controlled area, you want the best there is.
Gage blocks also have their place for setting up sine bars and sine plates. Checking slot sizes, checking slot locations, and dozens of other things I can't think of right at the moment. I use gage blocks at home all flr the fact that what I do, I use more setups using sine bars and sine plates. That, combined with the fact that I don't have any pin gages yet:rofl:
But any home shop should have a good set of gage blocks, Johnny blocks, Jo blocks, whichever name you want to call them. As far as the accuracy is concerned, you don't need a set that measures to the .000005 tolerance. The reason being that a home shop is not climate controlled like a lot of inspections shops in the workplace. On place I worked the temperature was set at 70 degrees with a certain amount of humidity year round and never changed. Most home shops are in a garage or in a basement where temperature fluctuates and relative humidity fluctuates on a daily basis.
Here is a good little article explaining the different grades: http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/84769-quality-measurement-graded-gage-blocks-serve-a-purpose
A grade A is used for inspection and a Grade B is for the shop floor or workshop. One thing to remember is the higher Grade you go, the more expensive the set. You start going from hundreds in $$$ to thousands in $$$. If you are just building a general tool in your garage shop, a Grade B will be more than adequate. But is you are building another Hubbell Telescope in a climate controlled area, you want the best there is.