Surface Plate & Gage Blocks

abrace

abrace

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All,

How essential is a surface plate in a beginner's shop? Is it something I can wait on, or is it something that I should have immediately?

Same question goes for gage blocks.
 
I would venture to say that they are not essential until you actually need them, as silly as that sounds. It's been my personal experience to get what I need, as I need it.
 
Last edited:
wrmiller said:
I would venture to say that they are not essential until you actually need them, as silly as that sounds. It's been my personal experience to to get what I need, as I need it.
Click to expand...

Yogi Berra would be proud of that response ;)

No, that makes sense to me.

I just don't know what I need, and don't want to have to hold up a project for 2 weeks waiting for an enco discount.
 
Never needed one at home. Had one given to me years ago and I stored it at the shop. Actually uncovered it the other day, after about 7 years! Unless you are doing a lot of layout type work, may never need one.
 
What I do is this: As a idea for a project starts forming in my mind, I will start mentally going through the steps that it will take to do what I need. When I run across a setup, or measurement, or cutting operation that I don't have the parts for, I identify what I need and start setting aside money to get 'em. :)

I recently bought a set of radius/corner rounding end mills for a upcoming project. Never thought I'd need them. Now I do. :D
 
abrace said:
Yogi Berra would be proud of that response ;)

No, that makes sense to me.

I just don't know what I need, and don't want to have to hold up a project for 2 weeks waiting for an enco discount.
Click to expand...

In machining it is very easy to get sucked into "Wow! I have to get me one of those!", when in reality thinking about what your task at hand is and problem solving it with what you have will very often get you by.

Example: Everyone should have a collet closer for their lathe. Well while that would be nice, your 3-jaw chuck will handle a great deal of small work very well. Is loosening and tightening a 3-jaw chuck as easy as popping a handle back and forth? No. Does the 3-jaw chuck have the "Oooo & aahhh" factor of a collet closer when all your machinist buddies come over? Nope.

But the 3-jaw will hold a 3/16" bit of brass rod while you face, turn, and drill it, just as the collet will.

As to a surface plate, we rarely used them unless doing a QC setup for checking tolerances of 0.004" or less. In those cases we would set a height guage with Jo Blocks, the check the datums as they came off the machine. Even on the "manual side" of the shop, surface plates were just not in use very much.
 
I use the cast iron surface top of my table saw. I know it's not optically flat, but it's smooth and large enough (by about 6) for anything I do. Another possibility is the mill work surface. it's probably flatter than my table saw, but not as large.
 
I know any of the purists here will scold me for saying this but if you want a poor mans surface plate you can often get one for free by stopping into a Granite Counter WORKSHOP not Sales Facility and asking for an Old Sink Cutout. they keep big pieces of slabs and sell them as remnants but the sink cutouts they just throw away.

I'm on a VERY Limited Budget and until the day when I can float a Real Surface plate past the CFO (make that wife), the old sink cutout will just have to do for layout work.
 
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