Measuring Things

[david pierce]

Magnafication is frequently used in manufacturing environments to aid in measurment. The reason for this is when something is made larger, the error is reduced by that amount. If something is .0001 inches and it is magnafied 100 times, it now appears to be .1 inches or a little less than 1/8 th of an inch. When magnafication is used in conjunction with a controlled measured movement, extremely accurate measurments can be made. If you watch some of the watch manufacturing videos on Youtube, you often see an enlarged picture of a watch part, typically a gear, blown up on a large round screen. Error reduction is the reason this type of process is used. As far as a home shop repair situation is concerned, ANY amount of magnafication used in conjunction with a controlled measurable movement will produce amazing results.
david

[willofiam]

Hey David, good subject, I had read on one of the threads in the past about using a “amscope” (not sure if that was you or not) I found one for real cheap and rigged it up over the lathe, it has 20x and 40x with binocular eyepiece. after practicing with it for awhile I find that it is so much easier to get accurate results, watching even the finest of cuts AND I dont knock my teeth on the lathe bed anymore as I did while using a higher powered loupe, now with everything sitting over and around my lathe work I am finding it more difficult to measure. I would be copying a broken balance staff and can use the balance parts themselves to get diameters and lengths but besides that I am thinking that a small calipers to get sizes off the piece in the lathe and then being able to move aside and get the actual dimensions. Any thought on this. have a fantastic day, William

[david pierce]

Willofiam,
Yes, that was me. I am glad it worked out for you.
david

[tmac1956]

@willofiam wrote:

Hey David, good subject, I had read on one of the threads in the past about using a “amscope” (not sure if that was you or not) I found one for real cheap and rigged it up over the lathe, it has 20x and 40x with binocular eyepiece. after practicing with it for awhile I find that it is so much easier to get accurate results, watching even the finest of cuts AND I dont knock my teeth on the lathe bed anymore as I did while using a higher powered loupe, now with everything sitting over and around my lathe work I am finding it more difficult to measure. I would be copying a broken balance staff and can use the balance parts themselves to get diameters and lengths but besides that I am thinking that a small calipers to get sizes off the piece in the lathe and then being able to move aside and get the actual dimensions. Any thought on this. have a fantastic day, William

How did you manage to get the thing into position – it doesn’t look as though it extnds up very far.

Thanks!
tmac1956

[david pierce]

Tom.
I believe you are refering to positioning a microscope over a lathe. My background was robotics design, manufacturing engineering and machine design and I use a different approach to making parts. I have made parts this way for so long I do not believe that at this stage in my life I could change even if I wanted to (which I don’t). I admire the artistic skill someone has using a graver but my approach is to form a mathematical construct of the part and cut to the numbers. I have not mounted my microscope over a lathe because in my case it was not necessary. I think Willofiam did and he can provide more information on this matter than I can. As far as measuring extremely small, delicate and high precision parts, I have a UNITRON STAGING MICROSCOPE that can accurately determine the size of a part to 50/1,000,000 of an inch. With this tool I can accurately determine the part dimensions. By using dial indicators on the cross slides I also can accurately determine the cutter location when I machine a part. This also means that the 1st part is exactly like the 2nd part and the 3rd part………the last part.
david

[tmac1956]

WOW! I’ll bet that microscope costs a lot of money. I teach computer science so my approach might be similar to yours.
tmac

[willofiam]

Hey Guys, David I like the idea of having a crosshair or some kind of overlay with magnification for measuring, something I need to look into as I am really new at some of the machining techniques. tmac1956 here is how I set up the amscope, its all temporary but gives me good ideas on what I would want in the future when I become a millionaire 🙄 . I would love to find a large articulating arm and be able to swing a microscope over several different areas, I took out 3 of the 4 screws that hold the binocular part so I can swing the head over the lathe, made a wood platform to get height and a slight angle, I kept the scope together only so I can use it on the bench also.

[david pierce]

Willofiam,
Your set up is ingenious; I like it. As far as measuring the part while it is still in the chuck, I was amazed at how well a Dozume guage workes. I bought some from Uncle Larry’s Watch Shop that were used and later found a brand new one for $10.00 from a company on Ebay that sells watch tools. I cannot remember the name of their online shop but they are in England. I also bought a set of excellant tweezers from them for $30.00 for the set. Since cutting a part with a graver is a cut and feel process, the Dozume calipers should tell you what you need to know ie. part a little over size, take a little off. They are very repeatable so you can calibrate the diameter you want for your finished part with feeler gauges.
david

[david pierce]

Tmac,
Actually it did but please don’t tell my wife. I think she figured out that it did not come with a box of Cracker Jacks so now I am going to have to think up a new story.
david

[willofiam]

thanks David, yes I do have a gauge (dozume?) I got in a recent watchmakers estate I bought, have not had the chance to use it yet. Also thinking of a way to hold a broken staff in place next to the new one I would make, using it as a reference to rough cut the new one. I have done that alot in the past with wood-turning but thats on a whole different scale, I know alot of diameter and length dimensions while making a balance staff can be made and checked by useing the balance / hairspring collet / roller table but other projects would require measuring. HEY Bob, I think we should have a section here we all put in our “stories” told to our wifes so we can have fresh ones each tool purchase. you could store them and we could purchase the stories from you on a as needed basis, I would pay $50.00 for a good one, William

[david pierce]

William,
If you pull up ENCO (1-800-USE-ENCO) on the internet look at the FOWLER POCKET SCOPE part number 325-1356. It is a 40 power pocket microscope with a reticle graduated in incraments of .001 inches. This will allow you to measure your part on the lathe without touching it. The price they have listed is $27.95.
david

[tmac1956]

@willofiam wrote:

Hey Guys, David I like the idea of having a crosshair or some kind of overlay with magnification for measuring, something I need to look into as I am really new at some of the machining techniques. tmac1956 here is how I set up the amscope, its all temporary but gives me good ideas on what I would want in the future when I become a millionaire 🙄 . I would love to find a large articulating arm and be able to swing a microscope over several different areas, I took out 3 of the 4 screws that hold the binocular part so I can swing the head over the lathe, made a wood platform to get height and a slight angle, I kept the scope together only so I can use it on the bench also.[attachment=2:1reoktw0]DSCN4473_01.JPG[/attachment:1reoktw0][attachment=1:1reoktw0]DSCN4474_01.JPG[/attachment:1reoktw0][attachment=0:1reoktw0]DSCN4475_01.JPG[/attachment:1reoktw0]

Very nice setup. Thanks for providing the info.

tmac

[tmac1956]

@david pierce wrote:

William,
If you pull up ENCO (1-800-USE-ENCO) on the internet look at the FOWLER POCKET SCOPE part number 325-1356. It is a 40 power pocket microscope with a reticle graduated in incraments of .001 inches. This will allow you to measure your part on the lathe without touching it. The price they have listed is $27.95.
david

David:

While I couldn’t find the model you listed, I did find another model at Amazon. Is this possibly a newer model?

http://www.amazon.com/Fowler-52-662-040-Pocket-Magnifier-Magnification/dp/B00B5HQV6E/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360297802&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=FOWLER+POCKET+SCOPE+part+number+325-1356

Thanks,
tmac

[willofiam]

Thank you guys I may have to get another story ready so I can buy one, William

[david pierce]

Tmac,
That is the scope. The reason the number is different is the number I gave you was an ENCO stocking number. The other number is an AMAZON stocking number.
david

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