Huge dial gauge

six inch diameter bezel dial gauge with tenth of an inch increments. What on earth would it have been used for in industry?

Picked it up for a fiver just to save it from extinction.

Machinists with poor vision

Most likely for a measurement indication point that was relatively distant from the adjustment / setting location position. Now we would just use a electronic sensor with a remote display.

I've got one of these but I almost never bother with 10ths.

Brian

Exactly that, I spent some time working in an engineering laboratory testing various structures. These structures would be festooned in these large DTI's, easy to read. Could get a bit tedious with 30 - 40 of them to read and record. We were delighted when electronics made them, for us, largely obsolete. I remember boxes of them going in to a skip when electronics became cheap and easy!

just the thing for us oldies , if anyone is disposing of one
regards

We had a checking fixture festooned with Sangamo Weston LVDT transducers which produced a tolerance report of each Rolls Royce body shell we produced, would have taken a long time to take manual readings and do the calculations.

Mike

Many thanks for the information. It's the only one I've seen and it will take its place in my collection of unusual old tools.

Mick

Excellent save.

With 6" of travel and 10 thou resolution it would be useful on the quill of a pillar drill as quick way of consistently countersinking or drilling holes to depth.

Ian P

When I was till in gainful employment I designed a machine to check the flatness of the base of waste drums. It had an array of what amounts to electronic DTIs and a means of rotating the drum past them. As these things go it never got used, so when they decided to get rid of it I asked politely if I could have them. Sure says the big chief, but guess what, some other light fingered so-and-so had already had them. Never mind, plenty of other useful stuff came my way as there was a policy of if you haven't used it in 2 years throw it out.

If it only reads to a tenth of an inch then I would find it easier to use a ruler.

Possibly used to measure Land Rover Discovery pistons

* Danny M *

I've got a similar one, a John Bull from memory. A useful instrument, IF there is space to use it! (Usually not enough )

Howard

I think it's a 10th of a thou, or 0.0001", not 10 thou, 0.01".

If the dial had 1/10" increments it would have five feet of travel!

States quite clearly on the dial itself that is has 0.01" increments. The OP made a typo. It definitely not tenth of thou's either.

Ian P

Ian P.

Well spotted! My deliberate mistake, hem hem...

Yes its 0.01 inch increments. Should have gone to specsavers ha ha.

SWMBO insists it now goes on the living room wall along with some of our other engineering salvage.

Regards