Starrett telescoping gage repair?

[mikey]

That's cheating! I don't use my micrometer stand for that but it is very useful. Speaking of which, the HF micrometer is pretty damn nice for the money.

I purchased it years ago cause I needed it right away withbthe intent to get a better one later. Well that never happened cause I'm pretty happy with it.

Yup, I cheat! I think its the perfect use for a stand. Maybe its because I don't like to over-tighten my telescoping gauges and I need a light touch to read them accurately. I cannot hold the telescoping gauge and spin the mic barrel and get the gauge in the center of the anvils and just touch the anvils to the gauge without something moving or potentially moving. A stand makes this a simple job. My mics read a telescoping gauge very accurately when the anvils juuuust touch; any more than just touch and you run the risk of the gauge collapsing a tiny bit.

I can set a telescoping gauge in a ring gauge and read the exact ring ID this way. I hone my telescoping gauge technique with the ring gauge before every boring session so I know my skills are up to the task. Then I can bore. For me, it's stupid to have to bore a piece all over again because I was too lazy to pull out the stand.

Oh, as for ring gauges, how do you know that your technique is accurate if you don't have a standard? Telescoping gauges can read in the tenths but at that resolution your technique matters - a lot. If you want to know if you're using the gauge properly, like Bob mentioned above, then you need a way to verify it, right? That standard is a ring gauge calibrated in tenths if that is the resolution you're working to. It will also tell you if you're moving the arm of the gauge because you're not using a mic stand or at least a padded vise.

So, yeah, I cheat but I usually only have to bore a piece once.

 

[Rustrp]

Especially at first, until you get repeatable results that give confidence, measure multiple times, not for an average, but for consistent results to within a couple tenths. Do not look at the mic dial until you are done measuring. It is very easy to get outlier results while starting out, later on you will be able to predict them at times.

Very good points on the telescoping gage, especially attention to the fixed points and where to place them. Although sounding redundant, this same measure of being comfortable applies to all the measuring tools, especially those requiring a little finesse.