What kind of accuracy can one expect from older Starrett tools?

Gotta' tell you this story. My son calls and says, "Hey Dad, you want some 2mm lead? You know, the kind they used in mechanical pencils in the "olden days". I said, "Sure, I'll take them. I have a bunch of those pencils that I still use. You sure you guys don't need them?" He said, "Dad, NASA engineers do not do pencils and haven't since the 1960's." He then began to tell me all the ways in which modern men have left old guys like me in the dust. So I asked him, " Then why is it that whenever you need a custom part made for your car or bike, you come to me?" He said, "Because you do custom work for free!"

Damned kids have an answer for everything. I need to slap that boy! :face slap:
 
Funny how old tech makes us old guys feel dated. My only vernier is my Starrett 14" Master Bar height gage. When I realized I couldn't get by anymore without a height gage I started trolling eBay and was shocked to find high end vernier's were dirt cheap compared to digital and dial. At that time there were several vernier just sitting and the choice was how big and how many accessories were included. I ended up paying $120 + shipping (I think $30?) for the gage plus all the adapters and snugs. And thrown in as a freebie was a B&S BestTest DTI! Some of the accessories like the depth gage are are expensive as is the height gage if you were to buy it new. This was obviously used everyday but taken care of. What blows me away is no matter how many snugs and adapters I accumulate I still get stumped and don't have some odd size to do something.

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I got my basic Starrett 454 12" vernier height gage with accessories for $30 on eBay, freight included. It is in beautiful condition, and is all I need if I don't need to go taller than 12".
 
The inch wasn't standardized until 1933, Starrett goes back to the 1870s, so while the precision may be there, it is possible for very old tools to read differently than more modern ones.
 
owl said:
The inch wasn't standardized until 1933, Starrett goes back to the 1870s, so while the precision may be there, it is possible for very old tools to read differently than more modern ones.
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Yes. Any used tool purchase needs to be vetted to see if it is correct, and corrected if it is not. New ones should be, too, and are in industry.
Everybody has bad days.
"Trust, but verify..."
 
For the most part, what I do is mainly for me. So if what I measure with is self consistent, it could be reading in Kopeks and still work out. If you're going to switch back and forth among measuring techniques, or work to satisfy some outside requirement, then accuracy is more important.

I had a situation at the Railroad Museum the other day where we were trying to measure the fit of a piston in a cylinder using both outside and inside micrometers, both good quality. Trouble was, there was a 0.003 difference in readings that fouled up the whole process. Now that's annoying.

So I think "trust but verify" is a good point.
 
C-Bag said:
Funny how old tech makes us old guys feel dated. My only vernier is my Starrett 14" Master Bar height gage. When I realized I couldn't get by anymore without a height gage I started trolling eBay and was shocked to find high end vernier's were dirt cheap compared to digital and dial. At that time there were several vernier just sitting and the choice was how big and how many accessories were included. I ended up paying $120 + shipping (I think $30?) for the gage plus all the adapters and snugs. And thrown in as a freebie was a B&S BestTest DTI! Some of the accessories like the depth gage are are expensive as is the height gage if you were to buy it new. This was obviously used everyday but taken care of. What blows me away is no matter how many snugs and adapters I accumulate I still get stumped and don't have some odd size to do something.
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Trouble with tech and pricing of analog tools are related in an odd way. Those who appreciate form, fit and function gravitate to [or at least don't avoid] verniers, transfer tools, hand ground bits etc...With downfall of vocational training in education, what were basics have changed, so tools that took interpretation have weird names, look weird, and lack familiar controls. Auction sites attract all levels of craft skills, but population tells you the older ages compose a lesser percentage and possibly have a lot of tools. And some guy has a Starrett Master height gauge listed 12 months with no action. I have Starrett Master height and outside calipers collected over the years; admire the design, close to infallible, they make me money, and might be among best ever made. No batteries, no rack to collect chips, easy to verify zero.
So, for all your gauge attachments, sort out which are similar, make a simple record of sizes and find out what you have that fits!
 
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