# Starrett Height Gauge - a tad too big!



## wquiles (May 12, 2009)

I have been looking for a really good height gauge to use with the granite surface plate I got from Enco a couple of months back, and since I really like the Starrett 50-division vernier scales, I have been trying to find a good buy on an used Starret 50-division height gauge on Ebay.

After a couple of months I found this one on Ebay, listed as 36" long. Worth well over $2K, since I got it for $101, I figured it should be a very nice unit for my small shop:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250415802953


Unfortunately for me, with nothing to show the scale, I did not appreciate how BIG this thing was until it showed up today on my door at home. My wife said: "what the hell is this large box!?" :devil:

Not only was the package close to 80 pounds, it was HUGE. Note how big the shipping box was compared to the door!. The empty wood box was about 32 pounds, and the main gauge was about 45 pounds by itself, and I only paid like $13 for shipping!:







This is the top of the Starrett Wood Box. That knife that looks so small, is actually a LARGE Sebenza knife:






Here is the side:






and after carefully opening the box, I found this massive tool inside:

















The height gauge looks brand new. Not a spec of rust anywhere, and you can hardly see any wear from the sliding surfaces:












This mechanism in the back is the quick adjusting setup. Press it and it dis-engages the screw, so that you can move it quickly up and down the main shaft. It still works very smoothly:






I don't a picture yet of the height gauge standing on the granite plate yet, but to give you guys an idea how big this thing is, here it is on one of my work benches. The large dial on top and the small one on the base are connected together, and allow fine movement of the sliding part up/down the shaft, to allow great control over small movements. Both dials move incredibly smooth:






Just a short while ago I finally got it on the granite plate, and using a steel block, I checked it accuracy-wise against my calibrated Starrett #123 8" 50-division vernier caliper, and it was still dead-on to 0.001". Not too bad for $101 

Will


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## StrikerDown (May 12, 2009)

Hahaha. That is a big one! 

Look on the bright side, you can always get get a job at the local elementary school measuring how tall the kids are!


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## Mirage_Man (May 13, 2009)

Holy Moly! That thing's huge.


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## wquiles (May 15, 2009)

Now that I have been playing with it a little, I realize a side benefit of this gauge is how heavy it is - makes for a very "stable" setup 

Will


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## StrikerDown (May 15, 2009)

How much room is left on your surface plate with this on it?


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## wquiles (May 15, 2009)

The base takes about half of it, which for the stuff I am working with is fine. I will try to post a picture soon - I am actually using the gauge on my current Super Barbohost project 

Will


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## darkzero (May 15, 2009)

Holy crap that is huge. I bet you could measure the length of my lathe with that! I would think just that wood case alone is well over $100.


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## wquiles (May 15, 2009)

This is what I mean by taking about half of the granite surface plate:






Will


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## StrikerDown (May 16, 2009)

We have the same size surface plate so that give me a better idea of the size... Damn it's huge! I'll bet it is typical starrett excellent quality though.


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## PEU (May 17, 2009)

I wonder if such a tall height gauge is the right tool for small pieces.


Pablo


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## jhanko (May 17, 2009)

Nice catch, but damn that thing's huge! It looks like a bumper jack...


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## wquiles (May 17, 2009)

Except for taking a good portion of the granite table, it is working really well for the small parts I have used it so far, and the smoothness and quality of the Starrett brand are very easy to notice while using the gauge.


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