# How did we invent measuring precise tool.



## Koi (Jun 24, 2020)

I saw a video of a machinist using a selfmade indexing plate for cuttimg gears and he used a a microscope to make sure the lines line up perfectly in the microscopic level so it kicked a thought inside me is this how we made measuring tools or should i say standard  high decimal measurement since microscope's invention was quite a long time ago .


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## ttabbal (Jun 24, 2020)

I thought this was an interesting video on the subject.


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## Bob Korves (Jun 24, 2020)

Dividing machines of many types made highly accurate parts and reference tooling a long, long time ago, and continue to be used today.  Microscopes would be used more for one off parts and measurements.  We make highly accurate parts and tools without fancy metrology equipment in production environments, except for keeping the shop standards in calibration.


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## DavidR8 (Jun 24, 2020)

I highly recommend this book!




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						The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World: Winchester, Simon: 9780062652553: Books - Amazon.ca
					

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World: Winchester, Simon: 9780062652553: Books - Amazon.ca



					www.amazon.ca


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## Janderso (Jun 24, 2020)

I agree David, great read.


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## benmychree (Jun 24, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> I thought this was an interesting video on the subject.


One thing that got up my nose in the video was the person using a dial caliper to scribe a line on a rotating part in the lathe; calipers are measuring tools, not scribeing tools, and such use is clearly abuse of a precision tool.


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## ttabbal (Jun 24, 2020)

benmychree said:


> One thing that got up my nose in the video was the person using a dial caliper to scribe a line on a rotating part in the lathe; calipers are measuring tools, not scribeing tools, and such use is clearly abuse of a precision tool.



I see that on half of YouTube. I get what you are saying and would never do it to a nice precision instrument. But for a rough measurement with HF level calipers, I can't say I've never done it.


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## Boswell (Jun 24, 2020)

It seems to me that if all I am doing is scoring a line in Dychem that is not going to damage the caliper. That is what most Videos I have watched do.  Calipers are easy to confirm that they still accurate so any wear can be quickly identified.


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## Tozguy (Jun 24, 2020)

Me too. One of my calipers was redundant and unreliable for precision so it became a scribing tool.
But no I would not need to or want to treat my good calipers like that.


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## ErichKeane (Jun 24, 2020)

I do it too, even with my good ones. That said, I manage to break my calipers way before the tip wears down from the occasional layout.


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## Bob Korves (Jun 24, 2020)

I have a cheap Harbor Freight electronic caliper that is only used for rough work.  It is quite useful in that way, and I doubt most people could tell any difference between the one I have used for rough work over a couple decades and the one only used for nicer work.  I also have much nicer calipers and other metrology tools, and I try to use them all carefully and keep them clean and properly put away after use.  I consider a caliper that I paid less than $10 for can be considered expendable over the long run...


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## Dabbler (Jun 24, 2020)

I guess that my view is very simple:  Do what you do.  Don't tell me what to do.  I won't tell you what to do or judge you.  I'll learn whatever I can from you (both positive and negative)  and apply it as best as I can.  But I might kick you out of my shop for judging me


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## Koi (Jun 24, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> I thought this was an interesting video on the subject.


I've seen it but it didn't expalain anything about how we got to measure with such high decimal like 0.001mm for example.


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