Considering making my own pin gage set

[erikmannie]

So I just got my first lathe all set up, a PM-1030V with a PM DRO. I don’t own a pin gage set, and I currently have more time than money.

Has anybody ever heard of somebody making their own pin gage set? Really the only question I have is about material and heat treatment.

I also have a mill, a PM-25MV. I imagine that I would make the base for the pin gauge set with the mill, perhaps out of aluminum.

I just do this for fun. I’m just looking to learn how to hit a length and diameter.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i have not heard on a hobby guy making his own pin gauges, but there is nothing stopping you from trying!

do you have a range of measurement in mind?
what accuracy do you intend? .001", .0001", metric?
thousandths will be easier, tenth's not so easy

do you have means to grind the pins?

you may wish to consider a steel that doesn't oxidize quickly, otherwise 303 stainless comes to mind

go on one end & no-go on the other end type gauges would be a cool addition to the plan

 

[benmychree]

Another question might be, what would be the intended use for them? I have been at the trade all my working life (going on 75 years soon) and have never seen a need for pin gages; transfer punches are perhaps more useful, and step gages are also handy for setups and I mostly use them in conjunction with the lathe carriage stop, a set of two of them have steps from 1/8" to one inch by sixteenths of an inch.

 

[erikmannie]

i have not heard on a hobby guy making his own pin gauges, but there is nothing stopping you from trying!

do you have a range of measurement in mind?
what accuracy do you intend? .001", .0001", metric?
thousandths will be easier, tenth's not so easy

do you have means to grind the pins?

you may wish to consider a steel that doesn't oxidize quickly, otherwise 303 stainless comes to mind

go on one end & no-go on the other end type gauges would be a cool addition to the plan

I was thinking Imperial and thousandths. For example, .010” to .500”. That range would be 491 pins.

That is a good idea to use 303 SS.

I have no means to grind the pins.

 

[Liljoebrshooter]

I can't imagine how aggravating this would be. I guess you would get lots of practice trying to hit a specific size.

Joe Hynes

 

[erikmannie]

Another question might be, what would be the intended use for them? I have been at the trade all my working life (going on 75 years soon) and have never seen a need for pin gages; transfer punches are perhaps more useful, and step gages are also handy for setups and I mostly use them in conjunction with the lathe carriage stop, a set of two of them have steps from 1/8" to one inch by sixteenths of an inch.

I had to look up step gages. I don’t even own feeler gauges.

I would use the pins to check the diameter of a drilled, bored or reamed hole.

I do not currently own an inside micrometer or snap gauges. I will be buying some snap gauges soon, however.

I also do not currently own any transfer punches or transfer screws. I bought a mill & lathe and about 50 tools to accompany them. I ran out of money before I got the above as well as a sine bar, gage block set and .0001” graduation test indicator (0-4-0 type).

I bought four used Starrett items on eBay, but the overwhelming majority of my auxiliary equipment is from Shars and Precision Matthews. It was either that or going without.

Generally speaking, I find the import tools to be barely good enough. I only do this as a hobby, so I am tooled up enough to make a lot of things for myself, family and friends.

 

[erikmannie]

When I went to school, they recommended spending a lot of time practicing being able to hit a dimension. A pin gage set would be a lot of practice turning to a diameter and facing to a length.

 

[erikmannie]

When I went to school, they recommended spending a lot of time practicing being able to hit a dimension. A pin gage set would be a lot of practice turning to a diameter and facing to a length.

The beginning of the project would be easy because I could just turn some round stock to a smooth finish (I may use a smooth file or emery paper), measure it, and odds are that I would need that diameter for my set. Chamfer, part, face to length (1”?), chamfer the second end and repeat that process.

At the end of the project, it might be challenging to nail the remaining diameters.

I wonder if I would be able to successfully make the base with 491 holes in it on the first attempt. Talk about drilling practice!

 

[Bob Korves]

Pin gages are used for checking small hole diameters. They are about the quickest accurate way to do that. Building your own set may be possible if you are young enough and live long enough that you won't die before getting them done. Imperial small holes gages typically go in .001" increments. I have pin gages from .010 to .500" -- 490 separate gages. If you buy stock, it will likely be 36" long for each diameter. That will cost WAY more than buying a set of pin gages. How would you grind them down accurately round to an appropriate accuracy and lack of taper -- all properly tested, of course. Unverified pins are essentially worthless.

They are somewhere around 2" long. The sets are laid out in order in nice boxes to make them easy to deal with. With holes over .500", other methods can be faster and about equally accurate. I can think of a whole lot of projects I could do that would be easier, quicker, cheaper, more accurate, and more likely to be completed than what you are asking. I could make a Crescent wrench copy, but why would I want to? I think I have well less than $200 in my 4 sets of gage pins, only use them a few times per year, and consider them a bargain and a good resource.

 

[extropic]

How can I approach the subject in a positive manor? . . .
Where are you going to get your raw stock?
Lets say you want to make 500 pins, each 1 inch long (damn short), .250 max diameter, from 303 stainless.
That's 42 feet of raw stock.
From McMaster-Carr, 1 each of the 7 smallest diameters (3/32 to 5/16 x 6 foot long sticks), of the cheap 303, adds up to $63.73+S&H & Tax. With cut-off allowance and some stock left in the chuck, 42 feet won't be enough.
A 1/16 wide cut-off blade will waste 31.5" in 500 cuts. Add another stick of raw stock.
Of course, you're already set-up to grind and freshen the HSS tool bits you'll need.
How much wet-or-dry abrasive paper will you need (about $1 per sheet) to polish those pins?

You can buy a chicom set on eBay (.061-.250, delivered to your door) for less than 303 raw stock. The chicom pins won't be (very) hard, but harder (more durable) than 303.

When I was about 12 YOA I built a go-cart frame using 3/4" pipe and fittings. It was what I could get my hands on. To finish the rectangles, I ground out the female thread from the last fitting, slip fit the pipe and only had to pay for a small amount of welding to secure it. That old welder was kind to the little kid. That thing was crazy heavy but made it around the block many times. I understand having more time than money but I only made one of those, not 500.

Please think of a different project.