Telescoping Gage Expectations

[heli_av8tor]

Thanks to all of you who responded to my original question. Though some have said that they would just use them and get good results that's not my experience with this Shar set.

I saw "This Old Tony's" video years back and followed his methods on another cheap set I acquired. I saw improvement but still had problems with consistent readings.

I realize that all this is loudly screaming operator error. But I don't think so... The proof will come when I get a quality set.

I contacted Shars and they wouldn't help as I purchased through Amazon and not them directly.

The best course for me is not to try polishing a turd. They are going back to Amazon for a refund.

 

[Dabbler]

They are going back to Amazon for a refund.

I think that it perfectly fine to *choose* your hobby, and in this case it isn't "fixing measuring equipment". It is all to easy to get sucked down that rabbit hole of "oh, I can fix this" and not do the hobby that we love. For those with a good income , it may be only a little saving to get the right tool.

 

[heli_av8tor]

You are so right. I've preached for years to "Buy once, Cry once" but have difficulty doing that myself. Life's too short for crappy tools.

Hmmm. The Starretts or Mitutoyo...

 

[tim81]

I have a set of these and for the work you and I are doing these are great and reasonably priced.

https://www.amazon.com/Accusize-Steel-Block-Grade-P900-S581/dp/B00HNU3JDU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=18MT7M1YBWK3C&keywords=Accusize%2Bgage%2Bblocks&qid=1699565042&s=industrial&sprefix=accusize%2Bgage%2Bblocks%2Cindustrial%2C99&sr=1-3&th=1

Yes, just not yet. I am broke

 

[ChazzC]

Do you have 1 to 6 inch size O.D. Mics or Jo Blocks to set the bore gauge?

You raise a good point: in reality, with my Mini-Lathe & Mini-Mill I don’t need more than ~3”. I have 0.2” - 1.2” & 2” - 3” inside mikes, plus (thanks to a deal with @twhite) 0.8” - 2” 3-point electronic mikes:



I did tune up my 3-1/2” - 6” telescoping gauge for practice (was in better shape than Tony’s B&S was), but I think the set is going in the Cabin Fever Consignment box.

 

[OTmachine]

Intra-mics are nice. Used them a lot before Base Realignment & Closure Committee took care of that job. Could not justify the price and got good with telescope gages & spring calipers because that is all my later employers had.

 

[OTmachine]

This is what we used: https://shop.idealprec.com/collecti...rnal-micrometer-2-0-2-4-range-0002-graduation
Needed 3 separate mics to cover an inch of range. And if the piece that you were working on was out-of-round, you would get a false reading. I remember the time where the Q.A. had said that a lot of about 100 thin walled repair bushings were bad because the Intramik was used, and the machinist making the parts had to use a hammer to beat them into acceptable size per intramik. If they had put them on a tapered mandrel, they would have seen they were good.