# Surface Gauge



## Hawkeye (Feb 21, 2012)

I wanted a project to do on the shaper and had just picked up a bar of cast unknownium, so this seemed a natural choice. Now I know you can buy new ones for $20, but having one isn't the point. I'll start with a shot I posted on another thread a short time ago - the rough block of cast.



Cleaning up the block on the shaper. Notice the lug nut holding the block in the vise. The tapered part grips it tightly and allows the flat side of the block to be pushed against the solid part of the vise.






Here's the block roughed out, complete with V-grooves cut on the shaper. First time I've done angled downfeeds.



Time to cut out the fine adjuster. I really like the cheapy DROs I added to the mill. Hit "Zero", crank in the required dimension, mill it and move on. The speed control available with the VFD is pretty sweet, too.



The finished base, side grooves and all, with the adjuster in place.



I got carried away with the construction and kinda forgot I had a camera, so you can fill in some of the steps. A little turning, knurling, drilling, threading, etc. and you get a pile of parts. The scriber is a piece of 5/32" music wire, tapered on a belt sander, curved at one end and hardened at the tips with an oil quench.



The assembled surface gauge. The scriber clamp with also take the small holder that came with my test indicator.


----------



## 8ntsane (Feb 21, 2012)

Mike
 Thats a fine looking tool you built. Nice work!

Paul


----------



## Tony Wells (Feb 21, 2012)

Excellent, Mike!


----------



## Tom Griffin (Feb 22, 2012)

Nice project Mike, and a great write up. Others will benefit from your documentation.

That ingot of cast unknownium must have been a challenge to saw, the top looks might hard. I like the idea of using a lug nut to hold the rough stock. Now I know what to do with that box of misfits that I can't bear to throw away. Are you going to blue or blacken the base? (assuming it is carbon steel)

Tom


----------



## Old Iron (Feb 22, 2012)

Great Mike looks like my store model.

Paul


----------



## lazyLathe (Feb 22, 2012)

Now that is a neat tool to make!!!!

And also a good excuse to carry on my search for a shaper!!!:biggrin:

Andrew


----------



## dickr (Feb 22, 2012)

As all the rest have said. Mighty fine piece of  work. !st rate.
dickr


----------



## Hawkeye (Feb 22, 2012)

The base machined like cast iron, after it ate my bandsaw blade. That would make it very high in carbon, so bluing should work. Just don't have a plan to go there right now. I was thinking of charcoal wrinkle paint for the top and upper sides of the base.

When I cut the grooves on the sides, I made the upper flats narrower (lower) than the lower side flats, so the lower ones could be used for indexing if desired.


----------

