Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

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revrnd
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Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by revrnd »

A friend was able to save the caliper from the scrap bin @ his workplace & dropped it off to me today. Is there any reason that they would produce a caliper of that length. Wouldn't it be typical to jump from 24" to 36"?
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Harold_V
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Harold_V »

Are you sure it measures 26"? The scale on a vernier is longer than the capacity, as there must be a place to the right of the jaws for the vernier scale. I suspect what you have is really a 24".

In Starrett's example, I think you'll find that the vernier scale is divided in 50's, (not 25's), so the scale is longer, which would account for the extended length. In satin chrome, they're very easy to read.

H
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liveaboard
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by liveaboard »

A shop where I used to buy steel had a couple of 1 meter [3'] vernier calipers on the wall.
Apparently they were scraped by an aircraft maintenance firm, as they failed accuracy testing. I don't know how big [small] the error was.
Mr Ron
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Mr Ron »

I can understand why a caliper or any other precision measuring tool would be retired from use, but certainly not to the scrap bin. I'm sure it can be remanufactured to bring it back to accuracy.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Inspector »

It might have been tossed because the jaws are no longer parallel or are worn and the cost of repair doesn't justify the work but the likely reason is it doesn't get used very much if ever and the cost of keeping it in calibration isn't worth it to the company. They likely do their checks with a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM). The company I worked for had vernier calipers to 10 feet and inside micrometers to 10 feet too. With the big CMM able to measure 20' x 10' and a Faro Laser Tracker that had a measuring volume of a few hundred feet they just gathered dust. They never tried to sell that sort of thing on eBay because in their eyes the time to put it on line and then package and ship wasn't cost effective.

Harold is correct (as usual) about the extra length.

Pete
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Mr Ron »

Inspector wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:13 am the cost of repair doesn't justify the work but the likely reason is it doesn't get used very much if ever and the cost of keeping it in calibration isn't worth it to the company. They never tried to sell that sort of thing on eBay because in their eyes the time to put it on line and then package and ship wasn't cost effective.

Pete
In this particular case, will you be able to use it?
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Inspector »

Check it and see. Close the jaws and see if there are any gaps showing light. Measure some gauge blocks, micrometer standards or even 1/2/3 blocks to see if the measurements are good and also when closed. If they are all good then enjoy the tool. If there is a gap in the jaws at the tips from wear, that's hard to fix at home. Unless you have a surface grinder. If the jaws are straight but not worn adjust the two screws on the top to bring the tips together or apart as needed. Then check the vernier scale and loosen the screws holding it to zero it. They are a straight forward tool and simple to fix if not bent. If it is for commercial work you would want to send it to a proper calibration outfit for the documentation if the work requires it. I wouldn't hesitate to use it. I have a couple height stands, micrometers, and calipers work didn't want awaiting the same when I get a chance to play with them.
SteveM
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by SteveM »

Harold_V wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:34 amAre you sure it measures 26"? The scale on a vernier is longer than the capacity, as there must be a place to the right of the jaws for the vernier scale. I suspect what you have is really a 24".
That's exactly it - you can't use those extra 2" at the end, but they probably put them there so it didn't look blank. I have a 6" (that goes to 8) and a 12 (that goes to 14).

I suppose if it went to 11, it would be the "spinal tap" caliper.
In Starrett's example, I think you'll find that the vernier scale is divided in 50's, (not 25's), so the scale is longer, which would account for the extended length. In satin chrome, they're very easy to read.
Exactly why I have them. I will never again buy a vernier with 25 divisions.

You can read it so fast that it's almost as fast as a dial indicator.

And it has no dial or gears to go out of whack - it just reads.

Steve
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wlw-19958
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,

I consulted my Starrett catalog and the 123 series come
in several lengths but they are in typical ranges like:
0-6", 0-12", 0-24", 0-36", etc. If there is a catalog or EDP
number, I can look it up but if it is just in Inch increments,
it is probably Cat # 123Z-24, EDP # 50528. There are 123's
in metric and 123's with both inch and metric measurements too.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
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Harold_V
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by Harold_V »

SteveM wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 6:11 pm
Harold_V wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:34 amAre you sure it measures 26"? The scale on a vernier is longer than the capacity, as there must be a place to the right of the jaws for the vernier scale. I suspect what you have is really a 24".
That's exactly it - you can't use those extra 2" at the end, but they probably put them there so it didn't look blank. I have a 6" (that goes to 8) and a 12 (that goes to 14).
While they don't measure inches with the extended scale, without it you couldn't read thousandths. That's the area used by the vernier scale, and is necessary. I can see how folks get confused, though.
In Starrett's example, I think you'll find that the vernier scale is divided in 50's, (not 25's), so the scale is longer, which would account for the extended length. In satin chrome, they're very easy to read.
Exactly why I have them. I will never again buy a vernier with 25 divisions.

You can read it so fast that it's almost as fast as a dial indicator.

And it has no dial or gears to go out of whack - it just reads.

Steve
Exactly. I don't understand the obsession with digital stuff. If you're at the mercy of a battery, and you don't happen to have a spare, you're dead in your tracks until you do. That would be a deal killer for me, as it's a 25 mile drive to the small city where we do our shopping, with almost nothing at our disposal any closer. Add to that the fact that I am a night person, so I spend a lot of my time awake while others are sleeping, and an issue such as that would be a show stopper.

I was trained to work with vernier scales and dials. I'm not suggesting, not for one moment, that anyone who doesn't is doing anything wrong, but I'm very pleased that I learned to do things the "hard way". So long as I have electricity, I can operate my equipment without fearing failure of electronics (everything but my Haas mill, which just happens to be down, thanks to electronic failure).

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
K. Browers
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by K. Browers »

Hello All.
A friend of mine who owned a machine shop had a 43 inch vernier caliper. I remember asking him about the unusual measuring range. He commented it was do to a clumsy fork lift operator it used to measure 60 inches. :cry: Perhaps you have a custom by crash vernier too. :wink:
Cheers
Karel
mikeehlert
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Re: Starrett #123 26" Vernier Caliper

Post by mikeehlert »

custom by crash, fork lift operator.... That just hurts.
Mike
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