Vintage Browne and Sharpe Combination Square

[addertooth]

I picked up a vintage Brown and Sharpe Combination Square (four piece set) and I am very pleased. I had tried to find a decent set in my "small town USA" location to no avail. The best I could find was "imitation milled edge", as versus truly milled (they ran the edges over a sander, and there was a .005 error in the last two inches of it).

The Vintage was made very precisely. Over the full 12 inches, the greatest variation found was far less than 1/10,000 of 1 inch. It reads exactly 1.0000 inches width over the entire blade; you could use it as a bloody 1 inch standard.

Years ago, when I was a machinist by trade, I had a full set of tools (over the years, they were sold off). I am back to acquiring good tools again. I learned long ago that a good tool does a lot to make any job easier. Yes, I know it is only a square, but with a very true and flat ruler, it will make it easier to examine the flatness of my incoming lathe.

 

[mikey]

Nice set, and hardened to boot! Great start to the re-acquisition quest ...

 

[benmychree]

I have two of those sets, acquired NOS at an estate sale for not much money, one resides in my Gerstner box, the other in my wood shop, also in a very vintage Gerstner box, I look on EB with a favorite search for B&S tools, most sets are not so cheap, but occasionally one comes along for a quite reasonable price.

 

[addertooth]

Yep, have the basics now, Combination Square, Micrometers, magnetic v-block, Indicator, Multiple dial/digital calipers.

 

[benmychree]

A good start! 100 or so more items, and you will be there!

 

[addertooth]

BenMyChree,

OH, don't I know.... 40 years ago I worked as a Machinist. I had a rather lovely set of tools. Fortunately, I fully understand which tools are most essential, and have the luxury of avoiding doodads until the most commonly reached for tools are acquired.