Have you ever used one of these?

[manofsteel52]

I do own a planer & shaper gage, and I use it all the time, for a variety of tasks ranging from transferring hard to measure dimensions, setting tool offsets, setup tool on cmm's.
They can be invaluable!

[MeTri]

I own 2! Until 5 minutes ago I didn't know what they were, how to use them or where they came from! I bought them from someone who was getting rid of his dad's old tools. I thought they looked like a cross between parallels and a sine plate... I've never used them, just coated them in oil and put em in my tool box. I don't know what I'd use them for (even after reading these posts) but I sure am glad I know what they are called. I also brought them to the machine shop at school and the 3 machinists there didn't know what they were...

The poll needed another option. Have them, but don't know what they are!

[tobyaxis]

Anyone who would stick a Cadillac gage inside a punch press or milling machine to set a dimension would probably be unemployed by the end of the day!
Widgit

This is very true!!!!!

[juergenwt]

A Tool & Die Maker uses these to transfer dim's from the surface plate to a position on a tool or die or a gage. Also to transfer indicator reading from a position on a tool, die or gage to another position by adding gage blocks on top of the planer gage.
You can stand a planer gage on a surface plate using either side of the planer gage. Let's say you want to grind a surface on a gage or jig to a certain dim. from the center of a hole. Set the jig on the surface plate next to the planer gage. Let us say you want this surface to be 1.500 above the centerline of a .250 hole. Insert a plug gage into the
hole and take an indicator reading "0" from the top of the plug. Transfer that "0" reading to the planer gage using an indicator mounted to a sliding indicator stand. Slide and tap (brass)and than lock the table of the planer gage up or down until your indicator reads "0" on both the plug and the planer gage. Now add 1.375 in gage blocks to the planer gage (1.500 - .125 =1/2 plug dia) . This is now your dim. for the ground surface on the jig.
There are many other uses and I could write all day about it. You need to start working with it. It is one of the most important tools for a tool & die maker.
Lately - or should I say over the last 20 years or so many shops have bought Cadilac Gage (google it) that do not require gage blocks to be set. You just transfer "0" to the gage, take a reading, add your dim. and dial it to the new reading.
Have a tool and die maker show you how to use it. Good luck. Juergen

[corndog67]

I run a CNC vertical lathe with a 10 foot chuck. I use it almost daily to set the tool height from the bottom of the part, it works pretty good for transferring a bottom face to the tool for setting Zminus whatever, down by the chuck to an offset. Never used one before I started working on this bigass lathe.

[neilw20]

re post #14. I have a crescent wrench with calibration marks. I measure nuts with it to find the correct spanner.

[underthetire]

Cadillac gauges are still around some, but I sure don't see them as often as I did 25 years ago. With the new low cost digital height gauges, and low cost cmm's not a lot of use for them any longer. Kinda like step gauges for setting up machines, a good quick reference, but lasers are so much easier to use.