What do I use to make a height gage scriber?

Ken from ontario

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H-M Supporter - Silver Member
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Hi all.
I'm working on a height gage (very similar to Ralph Patterson's plan) ,it is a simple design, I'll be using my digital caliper to attach the gage to so I can zero it at any height I want but I'm kind of stuck on what to use as a scriber, I was thinking of using a broken carbide mill or HSS even but the shaft diameter is 3/8" which maybe too big, my other option is to use a 1/4" blank HSS cutting bit.
I'm wondering if anyone of you has a better idea ?
 
I would use a hardened scrap piece of tool steel. Looks like 3/16" thick plate or square stock would be possibilities in the drawings, though there is a lot of flexibility to alter those plans as needed or wanted. Carbide will also work, and will tend to stay sharp better, but is more expensive if you have to buy it, and more difficult to shape if you don't have the proper tooling. Edit: Your HSS bit idea is a good one.
 
Bicycle spoke. They're hardened and they're cheap. Edit- ok, better for a surface gauge than a height gauge. oops.
 
I have a Dremel Diamond wheel and also a Diamond cup(made in China) that made arbors for so they can be used in a lathe, I have used both to grid /sharpen inserts, I thought maybe I could that to shape carbide bit I have but I'm not sure if Carbide is an overkill for my occasional hobby use.
 
Bicycle spoke
That's the type of ideas I'm after, I was also hoping to hear ideas like making the part and then hardening it or gluing a flat piece of Carbide at the tip, ,but to keep it simple a piece of tool steel or a 1/4" cutting bit will do the job and most likely that's what I'll do.
Thank you all.
 
Hi Ken,

Zeroed-01.JPG
I made mine from a cheap digital caliper a few years ago. I used the blade I cut off the caliper and fastened it to the existing one.
I needed to make a 2mm thick spacer so that the gauge would zero at the point where it touched the table. The screw is M6 and gives 1 mm per turn. The acetal nut is molded around the threads so it is backlash free.

Assembly-01.JPG
 
Hi Baron, that's one clever design, so the black nut is also used for fine adjustment? or is it just for getting no backlash? I like the simplicity of the design .
 
Hi Ken,

The whole of the head is moved up and down using the knurled brass knob at the bottom. The M6 threaded shaft is supported in bearings at the top and bottom. The Acetal nut was made by splitting a short length of bar lengthwise and using heat to mould it around the threads. Afterwards it was turned down to be a press fit into the aluminum bar that is moving the readout.

The phosphor bronze bearing pressed into the aluminum bar sliding on the chromed steel rod, was salvaged from a scrap HP ink jet printer.
The base was an off cut from a 100 mm diameter continuously cast Iron bar 20 mm thick. The bearings supporting the threaded rod are precision spindle bearings salvaged from an old hard disc drive.

Bearing-02.JPG

They are secured by means of a circlip, and just push out of the housing.
Bearing-01.JPG

This picture shows how the adjustment arm goes together. You can see the PB bearing at the right hand end.
Adjustment_Arm-04.JPG
 
Thank you Baron for posting the pics and also for the explanation, to tell you the truth I'm a little slow today but after reading your post a couple of times the penny finally clicked:).
One question still hangs around my head, let's say if you were marking two spots on a workpiece, 1" and 3", after marking the one inch, do you keep tuning the brass knurled disc to reach the 3" point or is there a quick slide feature somewhere?
Sorry for being a pest I just want to fully understand how the gage functions .
 
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