Metal Marking Gauge - vernier addition

[Christophe Mineau]

Hello,
I have just purchased a parallel marking gauge, the metal working style.
It appears to be neatly done and should be quite sturdy but accurate.


But Sadly there is no vernier on this model, so only a mm reading.


So I decided to make this addition. quickly went to my CAD software :


Then printed out the little stamp and, after cleaning up the surface with alcohol, stuck it on the metal.
I then protected the paper with a few drops of CA glue. (adds a little magnifying effect)


And here we go !


Here is a pdf of the vernier, if could be useful to someone.
vernier_0.1mm.pdf

[Paul Jones]

Christophe,

I like your technique. I was thinking along the lines of etching the metal and yet your technique is more straight forward and looks very durable with the CA coating. Thanks for the directions.

Paul

[DIYer]

Thanks Christophe Mineau! We've added your Vernier Scale to our Measuring and Marking category,
as well as to your builder page: Christophe Mineau's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Vernier Scale by Christophe Mineau

tags: marking, scale

[PJs]

Thanks Christophe! Me too, love the idea of these stick on graduations for a lot of things (like your index plate). I use it sometimes for layout as well on bolt circles and more complex layouts, mainly for center punching. Are you using an inkjet printer or a laser? Years ago I used "Sticky Backs" (transparent slide presentation material) but found the laser printer heat would shrink the material non linearly and more in one direction. With the inkjets you can set your printer to 600-1200ppi or higher (uses more "Valuable" ink) and get very fine work from an inkjet based on your CAD line width settings. It is very linear because their isn't the heat and definitely close enough for home shop work.

Really appreciate your project(s) and how you made it Much Better!! Thanks for sharing it! ~PJ

[Christophe Mineau]

Thanks PJ !
Yes I use an inkjet printer, and it's precision is remarkable.
I use a lot this technic of printing a template and gluing it on wood for my luthery projects, it is precise, fast and avoids lots of errors !
I prefer to use thick paper in order to avoid any distortion due to the moisture of the ink, as well as the glue.
I think I have talked about that somewhere on my site, yes, here :

Important advise for gluing a template on wood :
The glue humidifies a lot the paper, which will tend to expand and to distort, which may ruin the dimensional accuracy of the template.
The tip is to apply the glue preferably on the wood, and then to apply the paper on the wood.
I personally use gum arabic, applied with a brush. This glue is thin, is very well spread on wood, and is easy to remove simply humidifying the paper with a sponge.

[PJs]

Thanks for the gum arabic tip for wood and the hydration removal technique! I'll give it a try. That is quite a calculator on your website. Nice work!!!

I have mainly used the technique on metal and typically use Super 77 spray adhesive, spraying the backside of the paper lightly, then applying it to the work, because of the over-spray. It doesn't moisten the paper hardly at all. I like thicker paper also (~32#). Much more than that I find awkward to work with.

Cheers!
~PJ