Squareness Comparator

[@ThisOldTony]

(rigid tapping) -- "You want to be careful [bottoming out] .. I stay away... 0.5 mm" You're my hero, Stefan.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Haha, yeah, thats plenty of clearance - You can see on the dial how slow it moves down.. :)

[@lowcashranch1412]

They have pills for that now.

[@duesing6]

Hey Tony you should make a video of you making me one of those :)

[@sibalogh]

By hand you can do that, but driving a tap with machine at that speed....my goodness me!

[@luisryf7359]

This Old Tony, my thanks to all of you.., I am in china, but I am not from china.... I thought you don’t watch KZbin videos, I also enjoy your videos. Two years ago I have not real knowledge about cnc, and now I have 3 machines , I have learnt some g code and metal working thanks to a bunch of you that also seem to be friends, nyc, old Tony. Eve, smarter everyday, the g code tutor, haas tips of the day, the older guy from suburban tools, and a few more machinist and lately Stefan and other great people sharing.. I live and work in China, but I am from Honduras, and a lot of the learning about machines and metals have been via KZbin. Now I start to share what I can, also. my Chanel is with my name. Take care and thank you all for your great work.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Quote of the day .......... ‘That is a sign of a hint of precision. (33.12)’. And that is why we watch Stefan. Thank you sir.

[@brushybillroberts2654]

I have been cutting chips for a living since Sept. of '75'. (still at it) That sir, is a fine piece of kit. I would be proud to pull that out of my box and use. That fine adjustment is probably as smooth as you will find. Thanks for sharing it.

[@arnljotseem8794]

There are three types of tools: cheap Chinese, expensive Swiss (or other) and self made. The last is of course the best. You have totally opened my eyes when it comes to self made tooling. As a beginner, there is so many things on my wish list with regards to tools, and at the same time I am in need of projects. What better projects than to make your own tools? I have followed you for some time now Stefan, and almost every one of your videos is a build project for a great tool. Some might be a bit advanced for a beginner, but many are great learning projects. I just made your "better threading gage" from way back, and its my first "real" project where I actually make something useful. Thanks for all your great videos Stefan, you are a great inspiration to me an probably many others. BTW. I found that the "Mechanical and Metal Trades Handbook", that I discovered in one of your earlier videos, is also available in English. I purchased it directly from the publisher some time ago. Its a Great reference book. www.europa-lehrmittel.de/suche-0/quick_search?search_term=1910X

[@sharkbaitsurfer]

I've watched a few videos on the construction of these, yours is by far the simplest design to brilliant effect

[@danielwerger5641]

Wonderful video Stefan...! I learned 3 things from your video. One, the hardness testing files. Two, the air hardening tool steel. Three, the blackening compound. Very useful information. Thank you very much...! Cheers, Daniel.

[@jenskapmeyer2579]

33:15: The good ol' vacuum cleaner Vorwerk Tiger 250? At least one tool that we have in common 😀

[@luisryf7359]

Hello Stefan, here from China,, I am from Honduras (pero) but I work here with some factories, and I am constantly learning from videos online, I came across your videos a few days ago from NYC CNC, , good work. I really appreciate the work and organization of the Germans, Thanks for your time to share your knowledge.

[@Dans-hobbies]

Excellent design Stefan, the spring steel fine adjust is genius!

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

You always do the most remarkable work. Precise and very nice in appearance as well. Keep on keeping on.

[@charrontheboatman]

Terrific Video Stefan, just when I think I can't be anymore amazed at your precise immaculate work, you post another piece of your art.. thank you for encouraging all of us to be more than we begin as.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thank you :)

[@francescomidknight8621]

I really love the design and the remarkable attention that you always have in your work. Didn't know about you site, I will read it all, I really love the section with your resurces! Can't wait to see the next project!

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thank you! Glad you like the site too :)

[@jimmilne19]

Super build. Watching your videos raises the bar each time. Humble efforts here seem not to be dampened by your expertise, but inspired by them. I suppose we are all humbled by striving for perfection. Thanks for sharing. Much enjoyed here.

[@James-fs4rn]

Nice work! I like the rigidity and absence of unnecessary joints. thanks for sharing.

[@rallymax2]

Thx for the inspiration. I’ll have to use your spring steel hinge idea and use of ball bearings. And I gasped as I couldn’t stop you breaking the end mill. Been there before.

[@campbellmorrison8540]

Such a pleasure watching you creating such beautiful precision gear. So far from the sort of thing I do in my workshop so Im pleased you actually showed how this comparator is used. Just so you understand my ignorance on this subject, my flat surface is a large piece of polished marble. Better than nothing and equal to anything instruments I have.

[@normanfeinberg9968]

Another fine tutorial from a top quality engineer

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thanks :)

[@KnolltopFarms]

Thanks Stephan, the ideas you share are always interesting and the results always have "...a hint of precision", LOL! I really appreciate you showing us your methodology and set-ups, that is an area that helps me to learn a great deal. Your videos always stimulate my imagination and lead me to draw up all sorts of crazy stuff. I don't think you can teach creativity in the design process, and I believe everyone who thinks mechanically should have their own ideas and designs. However, the framework you share provides an excellent skeleton for any project one could dream up, and the tips concerning order of operation are priceless. Thanks Again, Aloha...Chuck

[@BuildSomthingCool]

I really like your design on this project. I might have to make one.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thank you Dale! Get it on, its a good project for a couple of rainy sundays :)

[@garyc5483]

Excellent Stefan. Great project. You make some of the best video's on the net'. regards from the UK

[@fjidsewff]

Stef, a tool maker friend of mine recommended using Crisco (vegetable shortening) as a grinding lubricant for grinding hardened steel. He says it's the best and cheapest alternative to wet grinding. I have not tried it yet but I trust his experience.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Interesting, never thought of that - I am going to try that!

[@tcarney57]

Use Flora margarine instead. It's lower in saturated fat.

[@firstmkb]

Stefan Gotteswinter how well did the shortening work for grinding? I don't think I've seen you used it, but may have missed it.

[@therealstubot]

So I'm watching and thinking "I'd probably run that expensive looking carbide end mill into the parallel and bust it". I feel your pain.

[@Thunderbelch]

Another epic project, great design and workmanship!

[@howder1951]

Good video Stefan, the comparator finished up really nice with the blackened finish. Great smooth action with those balls, cheers!

[@CJ_LEGAN]

You gotta love that stuff with the dead fish in it, it is always better than the rest. Very nice job! Thanks for the video, CJ

[@jaywilliams8882]

I can't wait to finish my machining school! Thanks for sharing your work and the knowledge that goes along with it! I've already been able to use it on some of my projects.

[@sibalogh]

Good on ya, mate! Do you use CNCs mainly, or have plenty of opportunity to work on manual machines also?

[@centurialinc]

Very nice work. I feel your pain when it comes to lost video. It has happened to me plenty of times. Mostly form the cards going bad or a hard drive going down. It especially sucks when there is little chance of a re shoot. It happened to us while poring our castings and there was no time or money to redo those shots. Keep it up Stefan! And I'll keep watching. Best Matt

[@ChrisB257]

As always, your precision approach is just awesome. Lovely work. Milling that small dovetail for the indicator holder must have been quite difficult. May have missed that bit. Like the convenient hardness check. Seems to work well.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I made a tiny carbide dovetailcutter - Worked without much trouble, I have some pictures of the dovetail cutter in the link down in the description :) Thank you for watching!

[@glennfelpel9785]

Very good idea on the hardened area with the ball bearing for the screw, good one there Stephan. I can see other uses for this idea, thank you.

[@cnc-ua]

22:10 You could use rotary table on surface grinder for grinding by the side of the wheel. Much safer and save you some endmills

[@ParsMaker]

love the shape and design

[@tobyw9573]

Is there some reason you did not mount the curved bumper on the comparator base plate and machine the assembly as one? You could even grind the curve with a Dremel-type stone on the mill. Guess you should pivot on the axis of the column. Thanks for showing how it is done, I saw TOT with one and wondered how it was made. Wonderful sliding mount for the DTI, someone with a eye and touch for ergonomics is rare. Well done!

[@bstanga]

Another top notch build Stefan

[@pierresgarage2687]

Nicely done, something that's been on my list of to do or to find stuff, need longer days. Did a lot of hardening and heat treatment, still need to try the air hardening, just that I find it less predictable for the final hardness.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thanks! Yeah, with my makeshift setup the airhardening is total unpredictable...

[@VinceSaluto1]

Another very helpful video. Really like The usage of ball bearings for hard surfaces. I will be using that idea on my projects thanks.

[@KnolltopFarms]

Me too, and everything I scrap gets searched for ball-bearings to incorporate in projects :)

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I cant throw away ball bearing balls - They are just way to nice :D

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thanks! I got the idea with the balls that get ground down from Tom Lipton - But he even used carbide balls.

[@BickDE]

Very nice project Stefan. Thanks for posting. Bob

[@juanrivero8]

I am only sorry that some video got lost. Wonderful video, and some neat stuff with the ball bearing surface.

[@alexkern9134]

Nice job Stefan. The bluing looks great!

[@LikeFactoryMade]

Love the passion that you put in what you do!

[@nickp4793]

Great project! Thanks for posting it. I assume the leaf spring is used for more accuracy, as compared to a pivot? (a pivot will have some clearance). Or is it used for ease of manufacturing?

[@TheHhilm]

Nice Stefan - I always like your videos and your search for perfections :) Keep up the good work.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Very nice project. Nicely done. Thank you for sharing.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thank you Randy!

[@pearcemachineshop5200]

Hi Stefan another great film and great attention to detail as usual, I look forward to the next one, one thing I keep meaning to ask you is what is the make of your power scraper you have I remember watching your film on the straight edge you did for your friend, I keep looking for one but I've had no look so far then I remembered you had something different to a Biax and it seamed pretty good, any info would be good, keep the films coming.

[@ApukEldar]

Excellent job! Well done Stefan. Bravo!

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

How did you hold the knob when you turned it down? Did you thread a piece of metal bigger than the end and hold that? I bet I know who gave you the thumbs down.

[@DDBerlin]

Great work Stefan, Just an idea: could the bumper not alternatively be made in the lathe together with stand and column - already mounted. That should always give You the perfect radius in reference to the column.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thats right, I think Chuck/Outsidescrewball has done it that way. But the radius of the bumper does not need to match the distance to the column :)

[@DDBerlin]

Oh yes, You're right - my bad. Thinking about it again, I see that You need a unique reference point, but the bumper does not necessarily have to follow the radius of the column. A smaller "nose" would do as well.

[@janspoerri6402]

It is not as critical as I also first thought when seeking a minimum distance while making a sweep, but I assume it is good practice to have the indicator as perpendicular to the work as possible to remove lateral forces/friction, etc. Having an identical curve on the bumper would assure that. I wonder how much of an error that might cause in practice.

[@lawrencelamb9601]

As always, another excellent video. I love watching your work. I noticed your bench vise. I am wondering what make it is. My father was a watchmaker and he had a vise very much like that. his was about a quarter of the size. I would like to get one like yours. Can you tell me what brand it is? I think his was a Boley. That's what brand his lathe was. It might have been a Bergeon. There are no markings on it, but I can tell you that it is of extremely high quality. He purchased it in 1937 and it is still like new. Thank you for all that you do.

[@HM-Projects]

Hello Stefan, I'm thinking about making a surface gauge & squareness comparator and going over various designs I can find online. I was wondering if there are specific advantages to having the flexure / fine adjust in the base (e.g. Hermann Schmidt MG-1) vs having it on the dial indicator clamp like yours. I managed to find an archive of your linked blog post, might be helpful to starters like me if the link was active on your site. I can't seem to find the old blog posts on your new wiki. Thanks for making these videos, hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy 2023.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Hi! I think the position of the flexture is a bit depending on personal taste. I did it that way, because i liked the design. If i built another one, I would replicate something like Herman Schmidts base, just to get a comparisation :) As for the links/website, well, thats a work in progress :\

[@HM-Projects]

@@StefanGotteswinter thanks mate, appreciate the quick response. I'm going try the MG-1 design and see how I go.

[@sickboymech92]

You might consider getting some aluminum flashing like the kind used in HVAC ducting. It can be bought at any hardware store in the states. I would assume it is readily available there as well. I use it for the same things i see you use copper and brass shim stock for. If a precision shim is not needed the aluminum flashing is a lot easier on the wallet.

[@sblack48]

Great work. How did you decide on the radius for the front bumper? So I'm not the only guy who snaps endmills by crashing them into things! :-) cheers to you for not editing that out!

[@JoggingWithForks]

Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing.

[@MatthewTinker-au-pont-blanc]

Thank you for another well made and interesting video! Regards, Matthew

[@egx161]

Great work. Have you ever used a magnetic cylindrical square? Like an old Murkens? ST makes one too, very $$$

[@CruiserMac]

Great attention to detail.

[@tobyw9573]

If you are using that bag of ball bearings you bought a few videos ago, you are sure getting good mileage out of them! Hmmm Apologies if I got your episodes out order. KZbin is parsimonious with their date info.

[@das250250]

Stefan you have built up a great workshop , how long have you been building it up and is it your work or hobby workshop?

[@turningpoint6643]

LOL, has dead fish in it, good one Stefan. As always over the top on design and machining. I like that very much. There's a few square checking bases around a bit like yours and they use the spring steel sheet metal as a hinge for the fine adjust.But its on the base. All of them are well over $200. I think yours is a much better design.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Yeah, I did my research on those square checking bases - I didnt like the hinge at the bottom, I think its better to have it close to the measuring tool for more sensitivity. Be aware of the dead fish!

[@5b4aezmarinoscyprus71]

As always you are doing excellent job. It will be nice if make a video comparing the cheap Chinese dial indicators with the expensive one's. Thanks again.

[@alt-w7130]

You said you lost the video clips of most of the project which would be very interested to watch, if you did not format the drive your footage should still on the drive under a different name, if you remember the date and time you created the video you can find it.

[@joelevi9823]

I always wonder how stable is the fine tune with steel spring and screw is.. if you can say i would appreciate.. like when measuring with this device another test indicator is put on this test indicator to see if it is displaced during measurement.. if so it means the reading will have error

[@lorenlieder9789]

Very nice work Stefan

[@tcseacliff]

love those ruby stones. $$$$$$$ ! wish I had the bucks!

[@sunppaa]

Awesome work!!

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Thanks :)

[@tobyw9573]

I wonder if there is a rosebud tip for those small torches. Rosebud = tip with flat front and a group of holes for the combustible mixture to flow from. (LOTS of heat)

[@What-is-thehandle]

How did you ensure that the vertical shaft was straight up and down?

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I didnt - This tool is meant to be set to zero on a master square for each use/height/setup. Thats more reliable than trying to make the vertical shaft be dead straight and keep the head vom rotating while going up/down.

[@littleworkshopofhorrors2395]

You are right to go with four feet, three feet are only needed on rough, or uneven, surfaces not surface plates, after all you are not building a milking stool.

[@GarethJefferson]

As usual, Stefan puts his engineering prowess on display for all to marvel at. I certainly did. However, I don't understand the purpose of the round buffer squareness comparators always have at the front. If the vertical bar that supports the dial indicator were to be mounted in an accurately ground steel or granite block with a straight, square front *without* a rounded buffer, why wouldn't that work? I'm clearly missing something fundamental about the math here. I understand that even a ball bearing would do the job, albeit a bit less conveniently. Can anyone explain the necessity for the round front bumper?

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Oh a flat front would totaly work, but it would average out the surface if the vertical surface of the part was not perfectly flat. Sometimes you want that, sometimes you dont want that. A ball bearing ball would work too, but the small radius results in a very small anglechange to find the highspot - It feels more precise (and probably is), when the radius is bigger and you have a larger angle to sweep..

[@whitecaps775]

Thank you sir, very nice to learn some new things from such an impressive project. Cheers from California

[@noelmorales1371]

What is the bumper radius? Great video. It come out very nice. I’m trying to make one myself. I need the radius.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

The radius is super-non-critical, just make it look nice. Its probably about 60..80mm in radius, if I remember correctly.

[@sibalogh]

What grinder or method do you use to remove most of the stock material of a steel ball prior to reaching the desired size? I suppose you finish it with the surface grinder, but there's plenty of materials to remove before, eh?

[@tcseacliff]

so nice! you could retire, making and selling these one-off Stefan Indicators!

[@kirkcrawford8862]

Stefan, I would think that the you would use the post between centers to make that Radius.

[@63256325N]

A well built tool to be sure. Thanks for the video. Did you curse yourself when you broke the end mill? I had no idea they broke that easily.

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Nice build Stefan! Have you used it much yet? If so, how do you like it? Steve

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Yes! I use it all the time when grinding parts and for scraping. It works very well with a 2/1000mm indicator :)

[@pascalriedlmaier2495]

Hello, is it still possible to get the hand drawings?

[@flugschulerfluglehrer]

Kann ich so eine Schnellbrünierung auch für Gusseisen verwenden?

[@das250250]

With this unit : is it built to maintain vertical precision as its slid high and low once it has been adjusted off some reference like a precision square? how do you test the precision of the reference square ?

[@Tome4kkkk]

A question regarding machinist squares with base. Is the upper surface of the base square to the longer arm to the same tolerances as the squareness of the arms to each other?

[@JC-11111]

I don't understand how these work. Hopefully this vid will help with that. I don't understand how a rounded edge let's you measure flat surfaces for comparison.

[@firstmkb]

One of the things I've noticed about beginning a new hobby is that you learn some things as The Truth, and don't have room for nuance or gray areas. So, please forgive me for really, really wanting this to have three feet. I should make a poor man's copy of this to satisfy that urge!

[@dennyskerb4992]

Hey Stefan, I noticed your machines are clean clean. No oil?

[@noneofabove5586]

Very nice work. I will have to try and copy your design. Mike Gogeek

[@joecnc3341]

Gruess Dich, Stefan. Is it possible to get the sketch for this?

[@marceltimmers1290]

Hi mate. Wonderful as always. I would like to see the "mundane" stuff as well. It might be not very interesting to you but I find work holding fascinating. Shame that you lost so much of what you recorded, you might want to think about a master that will only be erased when all work is done. I don't know how editing software works, but you must be able to copy and paste, instead of cut and past, right? That way the Master copy will always stay unmolested. allegedly ;o)>

[@roleic7246]

Thanks for another nice video. Would mist cooling be a better option for your surface grinder? It puts out only small amounts of liquid. There are commercial and DIY models out there.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I thought about a mister too - To bad I gave my Noga coolmister away...twice!

[@roleic7246]

In order to turn bad luck into good luck you could create your third mister yourself and make another of your cool videos about it. :-)

[@ukrspp21]

Hi, Stephan, could you let me know why you start with the hardest file first? If you started with the softest first and working up, would it not result in less marking of the part? I’m not educated on this subject, it just a query. Best, Phil

[@misterfixit1952]

The point is to not mar the part more than necessary to test. By using the hardest file first and working down, you won't damage/scratch the part until the last file. If you started with the softest first, you would mark the part all the way up leaving a scratch with each step. Also, because all hobby machinists are optimists, we would like the hardening to be as good as possible so there would, of course, be fewer steps down than up.

[@egx161]

Can a radius edge piece be added to a surface gage to do the same thing as this tool?

[@MrMojolinux]

Yes, I lightly super glued a 1" Ball Bearing into the "V" of my Starrett Surface Gage (I can always knock it off if required) for the same effect as a machined radius at the base like Stefan`s. All you really need is a single point of contact with any radius, the zero`d indicator and the part to be checked. The advantage of Stefan`s self made Squareness Comparator over your typical Surface Gage is his fine adjustment design, which is far superior to any fine adjustment provided on a surface gage.

[@manusholm3536]

if you don't have a straight edge and super accurate square, how would you go about finding perfect square and straight?

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I would make a cylindersquare - they are selfprooving and can be made with a lathe and a surfaceplate to proove it out.

[@manusholm3536]

and a straight edge?

[@EmmaRitson]

your messy workbench gives me the horrors. tidy that up! otherwise, thats beautiful job. It raises the bar for tool builds AGAIN, so ill have to just try harder. thanks for another great video!

[@richardwesterfield4578]

is your work bench any better?

[@EmmaRitson]

no mine is way worse. lol. Stefan's is unbelievably tidy. lol

[@cnc-ua]

Thank you for sharing. So interesting. Well done!

[@jimzivny1554]

Beautiful project!

[@isabellaman2545]

Very very nice. Thank u Stefan

[@Ujeb08]

Very Nice gage Stefan! It should last a lifetime. Those damn carbide bits are not very forgiving ! Thanks for not editing it out.

[@MJBEngineering]

Hi Stefan, Is your toolmakers block cast iron which you have scraped? Many Thanks

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Yes, exactly - Should be regular grey cast iron.

[@CarterWHern]

a lapel microphone might help your audio.

[@andywander]

What's wrong with his audio? Sounds fine here....

[@foobar201]

It's good, but could be even better.

[@coldformer1]

sounds fine to me

[@bcbloc02]

I love your videos but I admit everytime I watch one I feel I am further behind on things I need to do. :-)

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Dont worry :) For every project that I finish, five other projects end up dying at the side of the road ;)

[@tuscanland]

Very nice job!

[@jaymachines7587]

Great design I love it!

[@rodeo11]

How did you determine what radius to use on the curved part? Is it based on the distance from the center of the mast to the tip of the indicator?

[@thomasstaubo3115]

I want to know too :)

[@tyhuffman5447]

Thank you Stefan