Thread: 1-2-3 Blocks as Parallels?

Originally Posted by Machtool

I'm just amazed any one , any where in the world can sell a set of blocks like that for $7.35 US

Considering that they are nearly a kilo of steel. Some thing with enough carbon to harden. I count 18 thru drill hole's in each one, plus tapping. And they have seen some sparks from a surface grinder. Assuming China, then they are packed up and shipped to Huntington Beach Cali no less. Rent there cant be cheap.

And when they get there, there's still enough profit margin to offer them at $3.67 each. That's remarkable. I'd be hard pressed to buy the material and rough saw cut it for that.

Regards Phil.

Whats even scarier is the price you need to pay for them locally. The same ones will fetch $25 a pair on ebay.

I put a link up for Josh of o-1 direct from China, i can't remember exactly but the price was something like $1.5k per ton.

Originally Posted by Machtool

I'm just amazed any one , any where in the world can sell a set of blocks like that for $7.35 US

Considering that they are nearly a kilo of steel. Some thing with enough carbon to harden. I count 18 thru drill hole's in each one, plus tapping. And they have seen some sparks from a surface grinder. Assuming China, then they are packed up and shipped to Huntington Beach Cali no less. Rent there cant be cheap.

And when they get there, there's still enough profit margin to offer them at $3.67 each. That's remarkable. I'd be hard pressed to buy the material and rough saw cut it for that.

Regards Phil.

Hi Phil,

Perhaps you need to work harder for longer and not spend so much time complying with OH&S and other annoying/counter productive legislation. Then you may find yourself better placed to compete!

Oh, and not live such an extravagant lifestyle!

On a more serious note, there is every chance that they will turn up as an expensive, well travelled paper weight. Funny thing is, even then they were still made for $3.67 each which still would not pay for the materials and the wages to pay for someone to drill the holes in the paperweight!

In any case, according to PC they will still be more than accurate enough for anything I turn out!

OK that's probably enough cheek from me for now

Looks like I have been sucked into buying their imperial parallels to:
1 8" High Precision Machinist Parallel SET 0002 Steel 10 Pair Thin Parallels | eBay

I contacted them and they said they will do a "deal" on combined shipping. I'm a bit dubious as they said hit the "buy it now" but don't pay and they will send me a revised invoice. That's all good and well but if their combined shipping does not blow the wind up my skirt and I change my mind, I'm stuck with an ebay purchase that I'm now refusing to pay! Not sure how that will work. Oh well lets see what happens overnight!



Cheers,

Simon

Edit: Added more cheek at PC expense!

I was going to say to get a 1/8 set, but you worked that out on your own.

He is pretty good from what I know of him, and if you didn't buy it, it would take him to complain about it to get a ebay strike. You get three strikes and then I am not sure what happens.

I purchased a rear window for my 4x4 last year and had bought another one a few years before from another seller, well the USPS have changed there sizes and I could no longer get it over here for $60, instead they wanted $180. The ebay listing just said it was bought and then disappeared after a while as me and and the seller worked out it was not reasonable price to send it over.

Dave

I'm leaning in Peter's direction here.

Most of my milling is to a scribed line and given the nature of most of the stuff I've milled creeping past or falling short a whisker means nothing. I have a pair of Brown and Sharpe "Ultra-Precision" 123 blocks. Might have B and S etched on them but they look mighty like the rest of the cheapo Far Eastern imports. I've never bothered to measure them because their main use has been in convoluted, even whimsical setups.

Stuart made a comment some time back about how, realistically, with a mill the best you could hope for was "thou" accuracy. That's stuck in my mind ever since. Too many variables affecting accuracy on a mill to be hopeful of much greater accuracy. Of course we need to keep the odds in our favour.

BT

Bob, your machine pics are always amazing. Are they done in a studio?

You remind me of Donna Hay (but in machine tools) she's a food stylist and anyone who has looked in one of her books will know what I mean when I say her food photos are amazing. Well Bob, you are a machine stylist!

Oh, thanks for your comments on the parallels. If mine turn up with B S on them, I bet it doesn't stand for Brown & Sharpe

Update:
I'm not sure what is happening with my parallels, I hit the "Buy it now" for these parallels and they were supposed to send me a combined shipping invoice, still waiting. I bet they stuff up and send me the blocks, and then wonder why I don't pay for the $26 + $70 shipping for the parallels

Simon

Originally Posted by simonl

Bob, your machine pics are always amazing. Are they done in a studio?

You remind me of Donna Hay (but in machine tools) she's a food stylist and anyone who has looked in one of her books will know what I mean when I say her food photos are amazing. Well Bob, you are a machine stylist!

Oh, thanks for your comments on the parallels. If mine turn up with B S on them, I bet it doesn't stand for Brown & Sharpe

Update:
I'm not sure what is happening with my parallels, I hit the "Buy it now" for these parallels and they were supposed to send me a combined shipping invoice, still waiting. I bet they stuff up and send me the blocks, and then wonder why I don't pay for the $26 + $70 shipping for the parallels

Simon

Donna Hay hey! Because I've sided with PC you reckon that gives you licence to be cheeky to me too. You young blokes !

For an old bloke I still have a steady hand and the little Coolpix does an OK job. Sadly the thing is held together with lackey bands at present while I wait patiently for a fake battery cover to roll up from China.

Seriously, for parallels I have a small collection of Starretts and a pair of Brown and Sharpes, 1/2 x 1/4, 3/8 x .....small rectangular stuff , a set of Enco 1/8 thick parallels, same as everyone else and a set of Schleuniger wavey parallels. Some people reckon the latter are useless but I've found them handy for positioning odd stuff in the mill vice.

Don't brace yourself because I paid nothing like the price of these. Same set as mine. Schleuniger Precision 9-PR Wavy Parallel set SPi 1 1/2 - 1/2 steel w/ oak box | eBay

BT

Probably a bit rough for the majority of tool room workers on this forum but have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Probably a bit rough for the majority of tool room workers on this forum but have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

You can't help yourself.

Bits of tool steel along with rooted ball bearings.

Originally Posted by pipeclay

have you you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

Sure I have, but its pretty much only parting blades that have been any use. My largest full HSS blanks other than those are only 5/16" so not useful very often.

Stuart

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Probably a bit rough for the majority of tool room workers on this forum but have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

Only for the last 30+ years, since you ask so politely... in fact I keep some sets together just for that purpose.

PDW

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Probably a bit rough for the majority of tool room workers on this forum but have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

I have, actually. And you are quite correct in that it does not always afford the level of accuracy that I strive for! Does this make me an eggspert?

Simon

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Probably a bit rough for the majority of tool room workers on this forum but have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

Yes, been doing that for some time, but then every so often part of me says "Hell, why not use the right tool for the job..."

Michael

Originally Posted by pipeclay

... have you eggsperts ever thought of using different size hss.

No, usually I try to use the same size.

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by PDW

Only for the last 30+ years, since you ask so politely... in fact I keep some sets together just for that purpose.

PDW

As most would I would have thought,but the more pedantic eggsperts would only have the best .00000micron type they could find or possably scrape.