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Looking for a Nice Old style Decimal Equivalents Chart

rivett608

Diamond
Joined
Oct 25, 2002
Location
Kansas City, Mo.
I am looking for a image of a nice old style (big numbers, only to 64ths, no thread sizes) to copy for my little machinist chests. Now I would have thought I of all folks I would have lots to chose from and I do.... but none are good enough! So what might you have? Also the more square in shape the better.... I know most are rectangular.

A decent digital image will be fine.... I am going to reduce this to about 5/8"th square......

So far the best I have found is the one by American Machinist in about 1908..... here is a picture of it....

DSCN3930.jpg


Got anything better??????

Thanks
 
I have only one old chart that looks good on the wall, but I dont think this will reduce to what you need. Pic 1, Union Twist Drill. No circles, and fine print. I can send it want to borrow.

2nd is an idea. Could you get someone handy with some computer graphic or photo editing program it seems like an easy easy job for the right person to make circles with fractions and decimal line. Or for less skilled, start with a card something like pic2. (pocket size car was all I could find to illustrate my idea) Naturally the data could be organized as a square, which maybe imposable to find?

Why square?

I just noticed something interesting, all the decimal equivalents end with a "5" ! Hmmm, ... funny.
 

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This is funny even 1/256 or 1/512 or 7/512 all have the decimal equivalent end in a "5"

OK, time to get productive.
 
Magnavox Chart 1.JPGMagnavox Chart 2.JPG

This chart is way too new for the little chest, but it is a really cool chart. It is reverse printed on glass with a flocked back. I think it was an advertising piece from Magnavox in the 1930's when they used this process for dials on their radios. Magnavox began making radios in Fort Wayne in 1925. The rectangle outline of the chart is 3.70 x 4.95 inches.

I think the image could be stretched to make it square, and the colors could be changed to black and white and then made negative. The result would be black on white and as square as you wish, considering distortion of the numbers.

Page 479 of the 1914 second edition of the American Machinist Handbook has a chart that is about 3.3” wide by 2.8” high, including title. It is just typeset numbers with no artistic flourishes.

Larry
 
Thanks for all your help...... I even had someone offer to create one for me from South Africa, got to go there sometime.....

Anyway I ended up reducing the one I had done for the Edison shop pictured above..... helps to have a friend that is a printer.....

DSCN9584.jpg


And the photo of the two, as my one friend called them, "fetching" girls is my Grandmother and her sister..... and then I copied some trade cards I had....
 
View attachment 50229View attachment 50230

This chart is way too new for the little chest, but it is a really cool chart. It is reverse printed on glass with a flocked back. I think it was an advertising piece from Magnavox in the 1930's when they used this process for dials on their radios. Magnavox began making radios in Fort Wayne in 1925. The rectangle outline of the chart is 3.70 x 4.95 inches.

I think the image could be stretched to make it square, and the colors could be changed to black and white and then made negative. The result would be black on white and as square as you wish, considering distortion of the numbers.

Page 479 of the 1914 second edition of the American Machinist Handbook has a chart that is about 3.3” wide by 2.8” high, including title. It is just typeset numbers with no artistic flourishes.

Larry

Why would have Magnavox made these charts? Neat idea, just curious.
 
Decimal Signs

I have always thought that the larger old metal decimal charts are pretty neat. I currently have a student in one of my graphic design classes working on a screen printing project to make some new metal charts of a wall size. The examples that have been posted have helped us come up with some ideas for an appealing design. I would welcome additional chart examples that anyone has. Making the small chest sized charts will probably be out, as we intend to use enamel based screen ink on either steel or aluminum painted sheet. The process is not too condusive to very fine detail.
 
I actually have a version of that same chart, but it is customized for a machine tool sales company, and has engravings of various early teens machine tools on it, along with the name and address of the dealer- but its not in pristine shape- I tore it off the wall of a machinery supplies distributor, where it had sat for 60 year or so while they were in business, another ten after the building was abandoned, and then its been nailed to the wall of 4 of my shops since- so its a bit worse for wear and tear.
Still, its interesting that the basic format of the numbers and graphics appears identical- kind of like calendar printing, where you can have your company name printed right under that photo of the scenic barn.
 








 
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