#1975

Episode 1975 tool time
how to measure a hole
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[@TonyBarr99]

I have the same set of Starrett. I use them all the time as well. I didn't know about the bottom hole gauges. Thanks for that!

[@iainmcculloch5807]

Those are cool tools. I have a complete set of metric drill bits from 0.3 to 10mm in 0.1mm steps. I find that the chuck-end of the drill-bit is also great for checking the size of a small hole (and perfect for anyone who doesn't have the specialist tools). Just remember to use the chuck-end so you don't damage the inside of the hole with the flutes.

[@marcseclecticstuff9497]

Keep in mind that the drill shank is smaller than the cutting end. There has to be a slight taper to prevent the drill from binding in the hole. It's not a lot, but it's there. For most purposes it won't matter. The more you know....

[@iainmcculloch5807]

@@marcseclecticstuff9497 I generally measure the shank that's the closest fit for the hole to double-check the size. After all, the hole may not be a metric size. But that method should get within about ±0.05mm, which is good enough in most situations. 🙂

[@wilhelmvonn9619]

​@@iainmcculloch5807 Me too

[@captainboing]

Nice tools! I want them! 😆 I have never had a use case but if I did i would use the back end of drill bits and successively approximate like you showed with the blanks

[@mikem5043]

You can also use the shank end of standard twist drills

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

I bought that exact hole gage set in 1992 from Sears. Very handy.

[@tylerlloydboone]

Starrett makes great tools. Love seeing them.

[@johnjohn-ed9qt]

These are amongst my most used precision measuring tools, after calipers and micrometers, the humble steel rule being my most used of all (mm and .5mm scales on each side preferred. Why both sides? One side reads L to R, the other R to L. Dashedly convenient) You might also look to matched taper gauges like the B&S 672. They are used similarly to how an adjustable parallel is used to transfer a slot width. For the smallest holes that have sharp edges at the surface, tapered gauges are quire useful. Kwik-chek are my favourite, but they seem to have shut down about ten years ago (I have the original Hamilton Watch versions).

[@lmamakos]

More amazing tools that I didn't know were a thing, to solve problems that I've not considered!

[@tvelektron]

Very interesting tool, did not know it exists at all...

[@ludmilascoles1195]

Ah yes drill blanks and sizing rods, they only come in three sizes, too small, too big and missing from the set😅😅

[@chodnejabko3553]

You can use a sharpened stick, screw it in, and then measure the width, where the thread sorched the wood. This way you also get the idea baout the kind of thread you are dealing with. Unless you are a machinist who needs those pins for calibration or transfer, you are deffinitely better off without them. Too much tools is always a bad habit to have in your shop.

[@farqhart9642]

I would give that both a thumbs up and a thumbs down. You can never have too many tools before you have too much.

[@rksg2003]

Or you could just poke someone in the eye with the sharp stick lol. Seriously I like your idea though.

[@lo2740]

twenty three sixty fourth 😅, what the hell, just use millimeters guys.

[@hughgilbert390]

about nine and one eighth mm

[@rorymacleod8488]

"less expensive " not "cheaper"

[@humidbeing]

who the heck needs precision machinist tools to figure out what screw size to buy? way overkill

[@IMSAIGuy]

it wasn't for the screw size, it was for the washer used to distribute the load.