Unusual (to me) Comparator Gauge

[projectnut]

I stopped by one of my favorite used equipment dealers earlier today and found a type of comparator stand I'd never seen before. I'm not sure if it's a shop made tool or from a major manufacturer. There doesn't appear to be any identification marks on either the steel or granite portions.

It looks like a well-built tool. Coarse adjustments are made by loosening both the thumb wheels on the right side and raising or lowering the indicator and hardware on the post. Once the coarse adjustment is made the upper thumb wheel is tightened. The fine adjustment is then made by rotating the horizontal brass thumbwheel. Once the desired height is set it's a simple matter of tightening the lower thumb wheel and passing the part under the indicator to determining the actual height.

The indicator position can be adjusted using the knurled ring closest to the solid fixture on the post. It will swivel 360* and approximately 15* off vertical or horizontal. It must have been used to measure parts that needed a fair level of precision since the indicator measures in .0001" increments.

I see both Federal and Starrett made similar comparator stands. However, there are enough differences between those and this one I doubt it was made by either company.

 

[darkzero]

Looks like a comparator stand to me.

 

[projectnut]

Sorry bad terminology on my part. I'll make the changes.

 

[mmcmdl]

Looks like a comparator stand to me.

And a good one at that . It could be a shop made tool PN , but it looks to be very useable and in great shape .

 

[ChazzC]

Agree with Dave, well made and in VG condition, and with some unusual features. Maybe a little too nice to be shop made; perhaps from an obscure German company?

 

[extropic]

I'm having some difficulty imagining how those angular degrees of freedom (for the indicator) could be more useful vs troublesome.

A conventional comparator stand is pretty much idiot proof, if well maintained. That looks like it would take a lot more attention.

It's possible that the granite base is gage quality (precisely orthogonal) on the top as well as front, left and right faces. That would allow the ability to reference a fixture precisely from the faces, relative to the indicator travel. But, . . . ????

Wouldn't it be great to know the story of the intent and success/failure of the unusual capabilities.

Regardless, you've got yourself a rare specimen to add to your collection.

 

[projectnut]

The last time I stopped at the dealer (several weeks ago) he said he was negotiating on some tooling and instruments he thought I'd be interested. When I visited earlier today and saw the comparator, I thought it might be one of the tools he was referring to.

When I pointed it out he said it had actually been setting in the same spot on the same shelf for more than a month. I was a bit surprised in that I hadn't seen it before. I asked what he needed for it. Having seen several different models on eBay and other auction sites with asking prices as high as $325.00 I was prepared to be disappointed. When he said he'd let it go for $25.00 I couldn't get my hand in my pocket fast enough.

 

[mmcmdl]

$25 bucks ? That's 3 coffees these days ! Well worthy of a