MadModder

The Shop => Tools => Topic started by: Darren on March 19, 2009, 02:20:25 PM

Title: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: Darren on March 19, 2009, 02:20:25 PM
Why do they have holes in em  :scratch:
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: sbwhart on March 19, 2009, 02:31:16 PM
So you can clamp things to them  :headbang:
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: ja2on on March 19, 2009, 02:49:34 PM
to make them lighter
so you can stand pencils in them
to make them look like cheese :lol:

actually I don't even know what you use them for  :hammer:
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: bogstandard on March 19, 2009, 03:36:18 PM
Actually gents, if you look at them closely, you will find some holes tapped and some as thru holes.

This allows to to bolt things to them, and also bolt them together, so you can make angle plates from them, or any shape you desire to get the job done.

They are very versatile and cheap bits of kit, and I find uses for them all the time, especially as large parallels.

Just use your imagination.

Bogs
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: sbwhart on March 19, 2009, 04:06:45 PM
The set i've got must be threaded UNF or UNC, as I can't fit a metric thread in them the closes i've got is a 1/4 whit thread but even that won't go all the way.

Stumped

Stew
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: bogstandard on March 19, 2009, 04:22:34 PM
If you bring one around with you on your next visit Stew, we'll have a root and see what we can come up with.

John
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: sbwhart on March 19, 2009, 04:45:36 PM
Thanks  John

Will do

Stew
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: John Stevenson on March 19, 2009, 05:36:51 PM
Short potted history on 1-2-3 blocks.
I was born at an early age -- sorry got side tracked.........

The original 1 - 2 - 3 blocks had a series of tapped holes and a series of clearance holes, they were made for toolmakers, often as apprentice test pieces, to function in various but non defined ways.
To be used as parallels, to be use bolted together to form angle plates, to form tee plates and to bolt objects to for holing in primary and secondary operations.

In short they had no defined use on one hand and every defined use on the other, long short is they were handy to have around and use as it suited, full stop.

Then the excrement hit the whirly thing and someone , probably in Taiwan either made a wrong drawing or copied a bad set of blocks, the result being that what were clearance holes were then done as tapping size holes for the threaded holes in the plate, usually 3/8" BSW  or UNC because of the age of the originals.

This meant that they couldn't be bolted together as the original ones were, they couldn't be redrilled because they were hardened and the end result is mainland China and India has religiously copied these so there are 632,763 [ approx ] copies out there that are wrong.

Plans are afoot to get some sets made correctly with metric holes and clearance holes but they will take a while to filter thru.

JS>
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: Darren on March 19, 2009, 08:22:22 PM
Thanks Gents, that cleared that one up.

I wondered if it were to do with shipping costs  :lol:

I have seen some with no holes in at all. Shouldn't they be called parallels then  :scratch:
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: websterz on March 19, 2009, 11:19:58 PM
Never seen a 4-5-6 block...just 2-4-6's. What else have I missed out on? :doh:
Title: Re: 1-2-3 or 4-5-6 Blocks
Post by: Darren on March 20, 2009, 08:51:34 AM
No doubt that's my error..... :doh:

I have seen 25-50-75 blocks,

metric perhaps, at least we should be able to get bolts to fit that type..... :dremel: