Have you ever used one of these?

[widgitmaster]

Do you own or have you ever used a Planer Gage in a machine shop or tool room?

Yes, I own one and use it occasionally.
Yes I have, but don't own one!
I have seen them, but don't know how to use one!
What the heck is it for any way?

[widgitmaster]

This is a Planer Gage!

[widgitmaster]

This mysterious tool is very old and nearly obsolete! A planar gage is hardened and precision ground with a t-slot on the center of the angular surface. The t-slot is used to clamp the slide securely while a dimension is either set with a micrometer or height gage, or transferred from an application such as cutter height, to a surface plate to be read by a height gage.

Many people use them a solid base for an indicator, such as a surface gage. I believe the original usage was setting the cutting tool height or depth on older milling machines.

Widgit

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

As the name implies, it's original purpose was to set the tool heght on a planer. Only us antiques seem to know what that is/was. The planer was the predecessor of the planer mill now known as a bridge mill. They date back to the days where a shaper was in common use. The planer gauge works great for supporting flat work for surface grinding etc. Treat it kindly, it's a precision piece.

[dertsap]

i may be wrong but i beleave they were most popular on shapers

would be a nice adjustable parallel or adjustable work stop

[BobWarfield]

I noticed your use of one on the turret project and promptly added it to my todo list. It looks very handy for situations where I should not be using a calipers! LOL

Best,

BW

[pixburghenat]

I use one very often.

I've found it's perfect for setting the Z zero on a 3 axis milling machine when the part is a odd shape or there's no suitable surface to work from.

I use a .005 or .010 plastic shim to touch off with the tool. Never fails me.

...and no batteries.

enat


...oh and the name comes from the machine it is used on, a planer, it looks like a big shaper. And it is widely used on a shaper too. ...for setting the tool height.

[Larry83301]

Here is what a planer looked like when that tool was designed. http://www.maneklalexports.com/Photo...ols/Planer.jpg
It is similar to a shaper, except the table traveled back and forth and the tool only moved side to side, across the part. These were used for large parts, some of the tables measured over 40 feet long. Shapers were used for smaller parts, generally less that two feet long, and the tool moved on a ram in and out. The part moved side to side.
The planer gage was used to set the starting height from the table or from a stack of height blocks. It also allowed you to look at the angle of attack on your tool, and check the clapper to make sure that on the return pass your tool was not dragging on the cutting edge.

[henryj1951]

I use it to set the Z height of my tools so I do not have to change the Z offset. when I change routing bits I can set them at the same height by setting the planar gage on the table & adjust it until it hits the bottom of the bit to be replaced. A a shim preserves the gage surface. I then remove the worn tool, load the new tool, adjust the length of the replacement tool until it touches the planar gage step that was set and tighten the bit. my router does not have a positive way to set Z height when importing a CNC file so I use it alot. please note it is a "gage" and is used as an adjustable gage block when zeroing a dial indicator to a specified blueprint height. it is old technology that is still useful.

[fizzissist]

A planer gage is one handy tool. On a surface plate for layout or inspection, on a mill, for holdin' one end of somethin' up while you do something to the other end...

Its like a big adjustable parallel!

[Geof]

Here is a really tiny planer.

[lerman]

Originally Posted by fizzissist A planer gage is one handy tool. On a surface plate for layout or inspection, on a mill, for holdin' one end of somethin' up while you do something to the other end... Its like a big adjustable parallel!

I disagree. Twice. Yes, it is handy for layout or inspection. It is a precision tool that is NOT to be used for holding something up. The same is true of adjustable parallels. They are intended to be used to transfer measurements; not to hold things up. Vises and jacks are used to hold things up.

The same logic leads me to believe that micrometers are not to be used as C clamps -- although they have a similar shape. :-)

Ken