Thread: Tool makers flats

Hi Stu,

an obvious question, could these be wash ground or better?

Ken

Hi Ken,
"wash ground"? google was no help.
Here is a closer look at the surface.

Stuart

wash ground is a vertical spindle cup wheel surface grinder..

Precision lapped like the gauge blocks

Originally Posted by new_guy90

Precision lapped like the gauge blocks

Well thats my guess but its that long since I saw a gauge block in the flesh I dont know what they look like.
Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

.... I dont know what they look like.
Stuart

Neither do I, but google images does...

gage block sets - Google Search

Regards
Ray

Hi Ray
Most of the ends you can't see(assuming the wringing faces are finished to a higher level than the other faces) and the ones you can see don't seen very reflective..

Ken(to answer your question a little late)
The finish is (or at least I believe it was) the closest thing to chrome plating I have seen.

RC,
I've only seen two vertical spindle, cup wheel grinders. One was a flywheel grinder and one was a tool sharpener. They leave circular grinding marks. These flat show no signs of that, that I have noticed.


I'll try and get some better pictures tomorrow.

Stuart

I have an early picture of a machine used to lap gauge blocks ill try and find a link

Grinding maybe precise for most things but most of the time if care is not taken then it is no more accurate than careful milling, vertical spindle grinders will cut scallops if the spindle is out of all but perfect alignment and regrinding the table fixes nothing ....the point is grinders are held up on a pedestal all the time when they sometimes offer no more accuracy than usual methods

Originally Posted by Stustoys

RC,
I've only seen two vertical spindle, cup wheel grinders. One was a flywheel grinder and one was a tool sharpener. They leave circular grinding marks. These flat show no signs of that, that I have noticed.


I'll try and get some better pictures tomorrow.

Stuart

I was just explaining what wash grinding is.... Those plates would have been lapped...

Here are the pictures finally. They are about the best I can do. Of course taking pictures of a steel surface isn't easy. The lines are 1mm on a rule.

Sorry RC, I was just jabbering, didn't mean to imply that you thought they were a ground finish.

Stuart

Tech talk Stuart, What are you using to get that close? Certainly a smooth finish.

BT

Hi Bt,
Not very technical.
That's my $4 loupe and the camera in my phone.
The leds really help as you can see by the grainy picture of the loupe that was taken with the phone under shed lighting.
The camera phone is handy as it does all its light metering etc through the lens and you can tell it where to focus by touching the screen.
I added a picture of the way on my lathe for comparison,part that is essentially unused and brand new.

Stuart

p.s. something else handy about this loupe, the lens tube slides inside the housing so you can focus. Some of the stand off magnifiers don't have the height spot on so they are a little painful. Of course when you are paying a couple of dollars you cant expect perfection.