Universal 1-2-3 blocks

[fcs]

What makes them “universal”? Must be really cool, cuz it adds about $50 to the price…

 

[Chewy]

If you are talking regular 1-2-3 blocks. the universal is in their use. I use them on the lath and mill all the time. I started with one set and ended up with 3. I buy them when they are on sale. KBC had them for $15 a pair last year. They get cheaper also if you buy a big set of them at once. They are on Ebay at $19 a pair and 2 pairs of Shars for $27.50 and 5 pairs for $90.

 

[lens42]

Not sure what “universal means”, but there are differences between blocks. The Chinese ones, that seem to be sort of a standard, don’t allow you to pass a bolt through the untapped holes to thread into the tapped holes. The design is kind of idiotic if you think about it. Better blocks have pass-though holes drilled to the correct size, and are a bit more expensive and harder to find, but a lot more useful.


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[woodchucker]

Not sure what “universal means”, but there are differences between blocks. The Chinese ones, that seem to be sort of a standard, don’t allow you to pass a bolt through the untapped holes to thread into the tapped holes. The design is kind of idiotic if you think about it. Better blocks have pass-though holes drilled to the correct size, and are a bit more expensive and harder to find, but a lot more useful.


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yep, my mitutoyo's all bolt thru to the others so I can make extension or angle blocks.
I don't know what universal means either.
nicer finish too than my chineese blocks.

 

[Dabbler]

Universal blocks have threaded holes. Regular blocks have one, many or no holes. That's the only difference.

I have a pair of one tenths blocks for my surface plate, but for regular shop use I use offshore ones a 15$ a pair. (I do check them when I buy them for parallel and square, but not for size) I mark my offshore ones so they are different from my 150$ set. By eye, there is no difference otherwise.

For a typical hobby shop, cheap 123 blocks work well.

 

[Uglydog]

...I have a pair of one tenths blocks for my surface plate, but for regular shop use I use offshore ones a 15$ a pair. ... For a typical hobby shop, cheap 123 blocks work well.

As a champion of the notion that this hobby can be affordable, fun and safe.
I'd like to humbly suggest that depending on the tolerances your projects require, and your budget. You might be able to get away with a chunk(s) of as is cold-rolled steel.

Understand that my first assignment at my 1st machine tool class was to use a hacksaw, file and micrometers to make 123 blocks from a bar of cold rolled. It was never hardened. Later we drilled and threaded these blocks. We learned heaps. It was labor intensive. And took alot of time. And I'm guessing the tolerance was huge significant relative to precision blocks. It was cheap. And they really were good enough for use on that huge learning curve we had. Think about making two similar blocks which are square, flat on all sides, and the same measurement in all directions.

They won't replace precision blocks. Well at least mine have not....
Again it all depends on your available funds and time.

Daryl
MN

 

[fcs]

Yes it seems that the design to bolt them together in different configurations is the difference. How this makes them universal I don’t know. Anyway Shars has a set of 11 hole blocks for only $20 — you have to read the reviews to see they bolt together (and supply your own bolts.) Travers Tool has ordinary 23 hole blocks starting around $20 but universal blocks are $70.

40 or 50 years ago I might have considered making my own but those days are a distant memory.

Thanks for the answers.

 

[RJSakowski]

A few years back, I bought five pairs of 1-2-3 blocks to add to my existing pair. While they are not truly precision, they are more than adequate for various setup tasks. To permit more accurate measurements of the individual block I serialized them. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/etching-steel-using-a-2-5-watt-diode-laser.76262/ I have yet to make the calibration chart for them but it's on my to-do list.

I dealt with the problem of not being able to utilize the threaded holes in the blocks by making custom threaded studs with a 3/8-16 thread on one end and a 5/16-18 thread on the other. This allows a pass through the unthreaded holes. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/leggos-for-machinists.81623/

The blocks are still not universal in that they can't be bolted together in all configurations. Tom Lipton (OxTools) did a video on a universal 1-2-3 block that can be bolted in any configuration owing to the fact that each hole is threaded on one end and counterbored on the other.

 

[Dabbler]

You might be able to get away with a chunk(s) of as is cold-rolled steel

@Uglydog You're right - there's no need to have tenths equipment if you only need to be +/- .005.

That's why my shop blocks are the cheapest I can find. I wish I could find a cheap pair of 4-6-8 blocks!

 

[woodchucker]

@Uglydog You're right - there's no need to have tenths equipment if you only need to be +/- .005.

That's why my shop blocks are the cheapest I can find. I wish I could find a cheap pair of 4-6-8 blocks!

me too. a set of those would be great for big setups, and verticals.