Micrometer Depthing Tool

I picked up a few of these tiny M&W micrometer heads some years back and I've used them for a few projects.

Here are the component parts.

The locking nut knurls are scrap gears. The runner locking screws are M1.6 Allen screws with the head diameter reduced. I drilled them out with a 1mm bit for a couple of mil then loctited brass rod into it and filed flat to length. This prevents any damage to the runners when locking in place.

And here's the tool in action.

Cheers

Steve

Edited By Steve Crow on 06/09/2022 16:51:10

What a super idea makes you wonder how it had been missed for so long, well done.

That’s very tidy, Steve

MichaelG.

Great idea, shows that there's a use just waiting to be found for all the random items that we collect over the years.

Great design, and looks to be superb workmanship.

Colin

Congratulations. Lovely job.

bernard

I don't think the idea has exactly been missed in the past. More likely considered uneconomical given that the standard methods work well enough in reasonably skilled hands and don't require expensive components to be bought. Back in the day micrometer heads were very expensive in real terms. If memory serves me right I was paying around £30 - £40 a pop back in the early 1980's for bare heads to use in various special purpose positioning devices in an optical research lab.

We forget how the cost, in real terms, of quite sophisticated things has plummeted in recent years. Not to mention the ease of purchase now commercial suppliers will accept anyones credit card and are geared up for "just in time" small quantity deliveries.

So much from the heyday of Model Engineering is now, frankly, quite obsolete do to the vast shift from "can't buy / afford, hafta make" to "no beer for a week and I can afford it".

Clive

I think I paid about a fiver each for mine, maybe less.

Steve