Chapter 10
Measuring Up
IN THIS CHAPTER
Exploring clever ways to measure parts
Figuring out the plus and minus thing
Blocking and tackling: Gage blocks and pins
Gaging threads
Choosing a measuring machine
When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be.
—WILLIAM THOMSON (LORD KELVIN)
I discuss the importance of part interchangeability in Chapter 1. Without it, every component in a car, washing machine, space shuttle, or child’s swing set would be unique, and mate up only with parts that had been custom made for that specific assembly. Fortunately, the development of precision machine tools — together with some ingenious engineering-think a couple centuries back ...
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