# Ever Heard Of A Sine Micrometer?



## hman (Jan 18, 2016)

The Jan/Feb issue of Home Shop Machinist includes an article about sines, starting on page 58.  Photo 2 in that article shows a tool called a sine micrometer.  Looks extremely handy for precisely measuring small angles.  I tried several searches for sine micrometers, but came up with diddly nothing.

Does anybody know where I might find one new/used?

Then again, this might be a fun project.  I do have a micrometer head kicking around someplace, and it would be a nice exercise in precision machining!


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## joshua43214 (Jan 18, 2016)

Can you post a pic of the magazine?

Starrett makes a sine level. It can be used to either measure how far something is out of plumb, or to set things off plumb.
It suffers from having a very narrow range though.


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## brino (Jan 18, 2016)

That magazine article was the 1st time I'd seen one as well.

Not sure the legalities of posting a magazine page, but here's another picture of one:
http://s65.photobucket.com/user/Dinsight/media/Books/IMG_1455.jpg.html

I found from here:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...or-sale-or-wanted/taper-micrometer-fs-233926/

-brino


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## John Hasler (Jan 18, 2016)

brino said:


> Not sure the legalities of posting a magazine page,


That would be fair use.


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## chips&more (Jan 18, 2016)

Geez, I can’t believe this! This is the second time today I have been stumped! I have never ever seen this taper micrometer before. Thanks for sharing…Dave.

Update: looks like eBay does and has had a few but $$$.


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## David VanNorman (Jan 18, 2016)

That was the only time I've seen one as well.


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## hman (Jan 19, 2016)

Thank you, Brino!!!  You unraveled the mystery for me when you posted the links to *taper* micrometers.  I went back to eBay, searched for taper micrometer, and got three hits (all from the same seller).  As chips&more said, they're kinda pricey!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAPER-MICRO...345531?hash=item2a5f6908fb:g:uoAAAOSwX~dWjNJ-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAPER-MICRO...481956?hash=item48889aa6e4:g:5toAAOSwZ1lWgyhE
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAPER-MICRO...345533?hash=item2a5f6908fd:g:RgcAAOSwa-dWjN5Y

... and just for fun, here's the original patent:
http://www.google.com/patents/US2746158?dq=2746158

... and a more recent one:
http://www.google.com/patents/US4589214

Again, thanks to all!  I may yet decide to try making one of these.


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## Billh50 (Jan 19, 2016)

First time I have ever seen one also. But I sure could have used on a few times through the years.


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## Holescreek (Jan 19, 2016)

I don't get machinist magazines but thought they sounded familiar so I did a google search. The first hit was a pretty detailed thread on them on the PM forum in 2009. Given that no one else has made any since the company went out of business and none of us have been clamoring for a solution in the decades since that pushes them into the "novelty" category for me.  Pretty hard to replace the simple bevel protractor for quick checks.


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## joshua43214 (Jan 19, 2016)

very cool.
not $350.00 worth of cool, but still very cool.
Definitely would be a fun project. It would see more use sitting on the coffee table than in the shop though.


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## hman (Jan 19, 2016)

joshua43214 said:


> very cool.
> not $350.00 worth of cool, but still very cool.
> Definitely would be a fun project. It would see more use sitting on the coffee table than in the shop though.


I'll agree to the extent that it would not be a frequently used tool.  Definitely not worth $350 to me.  But just recently, I was trying to fabricate some 0MT tapers.  Trying to measure them (to figure out just how much to take off where) was pretty tedious.  A taper (sine) micrometer would have been exactly right for such a job.  When you need it, you need it!  

And yes, it would do well on the coffee table between uses.  Especially one I'd built ... and could brag about.


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