Thread: best practice for tall gauge block stack?

What are some tips for making a Jo block stack over 12"? For setting an indicator on a transfer stand. I can ring them nicely but they are still under 3/8" wide which gets a little wobbly for me over 12" or so. seems a little risky to have a tower of wobbly gauge blocks fall on my nice granite.

Originally Posted by Bluejeep

What are some tips for making a Jo block stack over 12"? For setting an indicator on a transfer stand. I can ring them nicely but they are still under 3/8" wide which gets a little wobbly for me over 12" or so. seems a little risky to have a tower of wobbly gauge blocks fall on my nice granite.

get a set of 1" square

It can be as simple as a spare height gauge with a contact arm reaching over to rest on the top of the stack as an outrigger support (use a small pad of rubber to give a little "adhesive" effect and cushion), to expensive purpose-made G-block accessories made to collect and stabilize stacks of blocks.

Gage Block Accessories--Heavy-Duty Quick Acting Clamps


Here's a good NIST reference on G-block use: https://www.nist.gov/system/files/do...ns/mono180.pdf

Originally Posted by Bluejeep

What are some tips for making a Jo block stack over 12"? For setting an indicator on a transfer stand. I can ring them nicely but they are still under 3/8" wide which gets a little wobbly for me over 12" or so. seems a little risky to have a tower of wobbly gauge blocks fall on my nice granite.

Depending ont eh accuracy you want, can take 3 4" blocks + whatever else you need and lightly clamp to a taller angle plate. I mention accuracy because I believe gage blocks are not perfectly square so it might be slightly not parallel. I would hazard a guess pretty close, but I suppose it depends on each manufacturer for squareness.

^^^^^ This.
Never trust a gage block to be square even the best of them.
Kiss tenths goodbye if side clamp or line up.
Have learned this lesson the hard way.
Bob

You want a gage block base and the appropriate clamps to hold the stack.

The base is ground/lapped as specific size gage block like this that accommodates the clamps: https://www.amazon.com/INSIZE-6881-B.../dp/B01GKV94Y0

I'm not sure it the clamps for the standard style go up to 12"?

You might need a base like the "heavy duty" one shown here so you can use the end holes: https://www.starrett.com/metrology/p...detail/HDA%206.

Consider just getting square blocks, as they are easier to fixture.

One time use or need it right now? Cut a piece of tubing slightly shorter than the stack that will slide over the stack. Weld feet to the base if desired to increase the size. How much clumsy do you need to cover?

Originally Posted by Milland

It can be as simple as a spare height gauge with a contact arm reaching over to rest on the top of the stack as an outrigger support (use a small pad of rubber to give a little "adhesive" effect and cushion), to expensive purpose-made G-block accessories made to collect and stabilize stacks of blocks.

Gage Block Accessories--Heavy-Duty Quick Acting Clamps


Here's a good NIST reference on G-block use: https://www.nist.gov/system/files/do...ns/mono180.pdf

I second the holder idea.
it just seems like a good way, unless of course you make your own holder that just prevents them from falling over and provides a channel to stack them in.

Use two good condition 2-4-6 blocks(validate the height)stacked on each other, then gage block/s on top of that.

How big do your OD mics go? I’ve used mic standards before, but not at 12”.

Thanks for all the ideas, I've decided to just get a "gauge block accessory" set, it has a clamp and base setup and some other useful stuff.

Originally Posted by Bluejeep

Thanks for all the ideas, I've decided to just get a "gauge block accessory" set, it has a clamp and base setup and some other useful stuff.

Scout them on eBay.

I have more than one. So many folks are using "modern" means they go cheaply.

Same with the extension sets. Also dirt-cheap.

12" for me is a single gage block. So are 16" and 20". Smallest in THAT set is 5". I have another set that covers 6" on-down. "etc"

Another handy "Old Skewl" system is not all that expensive, used, either.

B&S Hite-I-Cator (inch), Cadillac Gage Pla-Check with 9" riser (inch), Starret-Webber Digi-Chek (Metric).

See also a good set of micrometer "standards" and obsoleted sets of rods/tubes for jig borers surplused inexpensively.

Calibration costs?

Depends on your needs and what ELSE you have to vet stuff in-house. Collect enough of it, you can at least do enough cross-checking to know if you have a "problem".. or just the need to be aware of a range of uncertainty .... and find it "good enough for now". Or NOT.

Thermite,

Lets see pictures of your longer gage blocks....

Originally Posted by 4GSR

Thermite,

Lets see pictures of your longer gage blocks....

I have yet to see any post of Thermite's with pictures, so good luck with that.

Originally Posted by rimcanyon

I have yet to see any post of Thermite's with pictures, so good luck with that.

I believe we should count ourselves "blessed" for that aspect...

Originally Posted by rimcanyon

I have yet to see any post of Thermite's with pictures, so good luck with that.

More than 30 had been pulled a-purpose. 17,000 posts vanished.
There are still a few out there anyway.

Otherwise? "Look how pretty I am" show-and-tell? Not my bag.

Useless until/whenever I am to sell, trade, or donate, and those go by 1:1 email.. "direct".

What a seeker can actually USE for THEIR needs is what has value HERE:

Ex: LINKS AND NOT photos:

I have this set, but bought for waaay less money:

Dearborn Ford Rectangular Steel Large/Long Gage Block Set - NN41 5.0" To 20" | eBay

And this one. Also bought at a far lower price than the ask showing here.

C.E. Johansson Gage Block Stand Clamps Set-Sweden | eBay

But made at Ford, not in Sweden, so the listing may be in error?

And a DoAll clamping set, not the same. Might be one on Ebay. The two above are the most general-purpose though.

Chase whatever matches the shape and size of the REST of your gages set(s)

NATURALLY .. what is showing TODAY.. will need a refresh so the search is CURRENT some OTHER day!

Not hard for y'all to find "gage block spacer set", B&S Height-I-Cator, Cadillac Gage Pla-Check, or Starrett-Weber Digi-Chek fotos is it?

I ain't running a "petting zoo" .....for small children, am I?



images: <search term>

.. does it fast and easy.

BFD.

- No PM server space wasted.

- No Bandwidth wasted over and over and over each go..

- Fewer broken fotos

- Less time wasted.

- Fewer infantile nut-cases encouraged to masturbate themselves in public.

- Forever. He can't HELP it. DNA thing.

Meanwhile...

TEXT .. even with a ton of "whitespace.".. takes scary tiny amounts of storage, bandwidth, or transit time.

Graphics are the soaker-upper ball-buster of bandwidth fees to a(ny) server-mavin.

And I am he.

Ingrained aversion to burdening PM when it is ALL "already out there" on somebody ELSE's server, dime, and bandwidth.

Better to use PM WISELY to solve a PROBLEM.. Show a damaged item, ID a rare part. Analyse a failure.

Something that needs shared review and THINKING to put sound minds to helpful work.

AND NOT:

"Look how brilliant I am!"
"I can scrape RUST!"

BFD. Nobody else ever had any rust?

Well. Not to BRAG about, anyway? Too close a resemblance to shit to be all that proud of.

Oh. Lookie! .... There is METAL....... UNDER the rust !!!

F**k's sake?

You were expecting Nova Lox and cream CHEESE?

Or just chopped chik'n liver?

Originally Posted by Milland

I believe we should count ourselves "blessed" for that aspect...

Agreed. RJ Newbould already blessed us once with a photo, I'm not sure we want Thermite to do the same, he has almost as good a sense of humor.

On topic, I tend to put a set of 1-2-3 blocks around the base of the taller block, then handle them gingerly. A proper gauge block base would work as well.
Setting between two angle blocks is my other favorite, but just moved close by hand, not actually secured to them.

Like others, I've found that my gauge blocks are not square. I haven't tried it with the nice set, but for the cheaper sets I've tested by wringing them, then trying to wring them in a way that they can also sit flat on their side on my granite surface plate. Pressing down on the longer blocks always results in them un-wringing, which would not happen if they were square on the end. I haven't bothered to measure how far out they are, but it's enough for me to only trust that the finished surfaces are parallel and at the correct distance per the tolerances on the calibration sheet, but and nothing more.