I bought this as a gage block holder but I am not sure about ir

Hi,
Some time ago I bought this holder which is 283mm long.
I heard that it is a gage block holder. However, I did not figure out which gauge blocks this is for and how they are used. There would be space for blocks that are 25mm long.

Can someone give me a hint?

I found an identical one on eBay.
RFK Limbach stabile Endmassspanstuck , Raporter | eBay

This won't be of much help, but fwiw? It seems there's a whole lot more gauge block accessory tools available for the square gauge blocks than the rectangular. Since I don't have any metric square gauge blocks and can't seem to find there size dimensions with a quick online check other than there individual height, I can't be sure your 25 mm dimension is in fact what metric square gauge blocks are made for there standard size. Show some pictures of each end of that holder. I suspect at least one end is very well finished and exactly square to that longitudinal slot. Another feature and maybe more likely is there may be 3 smaller lapped feet on the bottom to do the same.If it has either it's meant to hold the (probably) square gauge blocks in a vertical orientation on a surface plate and then used much like a more rudimentary version of say a Mitutoyo Height Master. If one of that tools end isn't like I think it might be, then I'm out of ideas for it's actual intended purpose. Even if that's in fact what it is and depending on your requirements, it still might be a seldom used tool.

I'm not familiar with that specific item, but here's a similar looking image from Wikipedia. Is it set up to work in a similar fashion?

Gauge block - Wikipedia

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry for the sparse information I provided in the first place.

The first photograph below shows a rectangular gauge block and a holder that fits for scale.
The gap above the ground shoulders, on which the hardened steel tensioner rides, is 35.5mm wide. The rectangular gauge block is shorter than that. (I apologize neanderthal mach, I wrote in my original post it was 25mm - a typo where there really should not have been one.)

The left knob of the two is tensioning the sledge down to the rail. The right one is pushing the hardened steel fork to the right. The fork is spring-loaded, so it will retract when the right knob is loosened. The fork has slots on the top of its ends.

The bottom is flat, and the distance from the bottom to the shoulder is 74mm, which I find entirely arbitrary in metric and imperial (3 inches would be 76.2mm). There aren't any references on the device to any dimensions.

The end of the holder is ground (horizontal lines are visible) but not lapped.

I add the text on the label here so that it can be found by the search function:
Richard Knauthe KG, Feinmessgeräte, Limbach Oberfrohna 1. Feinmessgeräte translates to precission measuring devices.

I also can't quite figure out what that row of holes are for, obviously for some kind of round shank tool or gauge pins to be used with this, but I've no idea how they might be used. Your first picture in your latest post shows what looks to be a gauge block holder that can be removed from the main tool. It's somewhat like what you see in what are normally referred to as gauge block accessory kit's, Mitutoyo 516-601, Rectangular Gage Block Accessories Set, Metric, 22 Pieces : Amazon.ca: Industrial & Scientific The rest of your tool may simply be a horizontal method of gripping the gauge block holder in a more stable way. But that's mostly a wild guess on my part. A few uses for those gauge block holders is there used to check and set two point hole gauges and to hold a stack of gauge blocks during further measurement checks. With the correct accessories they can even be set up to scribe parts to very high levels of accuracy. But those gauge block holders are made for either Imperial, Metric, Square or Rectangular gauge blocks. So the holders and the rest of the accessories has to match what type and size of gauge blocks you already have. I went back to your first post and used the RFK Limbach company name shown in the listing for a search. It leads to what (I think) is a high precision products company in I'm guessing Germany, Austria or maybe even Switzerland who seem to produce gauge blocks and gauge pins. It's tough to do a decent search using only English when your not fluent in the language where any item is made. Trying to do a Google image search using a few different company names still doesn't seem to pull up what you have. Again a guess, but it might be a tool that's no longer produced and hasn't been for quite some time? If it were me, I think I'd try an email to that RFK Limbach company including your pictures and ask them how it was meant to be used and with what parts you seem to be missing. If you do so, please update this thread with any answers you get. Overall the tool appears to be really well made with at least ground surfaces on the important areas. My guesses for what it was designed to do seem a bit too simple and I don't think really match up to it's appearance.

Thank you neanderthal mach!

The company is in the eastern part of Germany.
I will email them, probably translate, and then post their response.

FWIW, I think this is their web page: Längenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach :: Home

Yep that's the same website I found Ballen. Since there's no actual mention or pictures of the same tool on that website, my guess is it's not something in current production.

The mystery has been solved: It is a gap gauge measuring device.

Yesterday I wrote to Längenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach with two attached photographs of my device.
About 90 minutes after I sent my message, I got a call from Germany (I live in Finland). It was the company founder (of the Längenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach) Heidrun Grimm herself. She told me that my device is a gap gauge measuring device with which gap gauges can be calibrated.

She told me that she made these devices during her apprenticeship at Richard Knauthe KG and was designed by Richard Knauthe.
She promised me that her daughter Kerstin Grimm, will scan some more info and send it my way, which I got in the evening.

Before I go into the technical details, I want to express how awesome it is that companies are still proud of their history and open to providing information. It was lovely and interesting to chat with Heidrun Grimm.

The device is out of production, but the gauge plugs and the recommended gauge blocks are still available.


Image from their PDF about the device.

- The vertical spindle is mounted in one of the holes and supports the gap gauge. This prevents damaging it.
- The correct gap is measured with a combination of gauge blocks and gauge plugs (Längenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach :: Messdorne).
- The over- and undersized plugs are being changed to determine that exact gap.
- The gauge plug is mounted on the outside of the end but in contact with the gauge block. (I wondered why a part of it was made of spring steel.)



I always liked to collect old and weird-looking devices and then figure out their purpose and how they work. I know, many here are also about that!

I asked for permission to share the two PDFs here and will do that as soon as I get the OK.

With the permission of LÄNGENMESSTECHNIK GmbH Limbach here the Descriptions as JPGs
I could not upload PDFs because the file size is restricted to a few KB.

PDF: Rachenlehrenmessgerat Beschreibung : Langenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

PDF: RLM Zubehor : Langenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

OK! When I saw your question, I was tempted to say that the device reminded me a setting master for bore gages. But it didn't have any jaws/anvils to set the gage, so I kept my mouth shut.

This is somewhat relevant: a specialised Studer grinder meant for finishing snap and go/no-go gages:

Studer Snap-Guage Grinding & Lapping Machine

If you can post the actual PDFs to some form of server, that would help a lot. I can't quite read the images.

And I agree with you that it's terrific that the company and founder are so responsive to a customer's questions about an obsolete piece of tooling.

I uploaded the PDF files to archive.org, which I frequently use for finding old documents.

Description:
Rachenlehrenmessgerat Beschreibung : Langenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Accessories:
RLM Zubehor : Langenmesstechnik GmbH Limbach : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Many thanks for posting the answers they provided. Mostly for use as checking fixed gauges, I'd never have guessed that. The design does make a lot more sense now. I doubt anything like that would be out on the shop floor and instead it most likely was for use in a company's own in house metrology lab. That would explain it's very good condition.