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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: machinist@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [machinist] 123 block uses : Machinists
  • Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2017 06:34:31 -0400

https://www.reddit.com/r/Machinists/comments/6owl5i/123_block_uses/?st=j5gkmk5f&sh=86de5256

[–]OminousHum 17 points  

Stick a mag base indicator holder to a 123 and it'll slide around very nicely on a surface plate.

If you have thin material sticking high out of the top of your vise jaws, rigidify it by putting a 123 between it and the jaw on both sides.

If you need to manually touch off a tool length in machine, don't do the technique where you pinch the tool down on a piece of paper! Instead move your tool down, slide a 123 under to see if it fits, slide it back out of the way, and repeat until you can just feel a little resistance. No more broken tools when you slip up and faster since you don't have to be quite as careful.

Make a simple machinists jack by threading a bolt into a 123.

Use a 123 as a nice chunky square, such as for squaring up stock in a vise.

[–]aintyourbuddyguy 12 points  

Also great for anchoring material on a magnetic chuck when surface grinding.

Aside from tool height setting, I also use them for edge finding a lot.

[–]M3at_Waffle 5 points  

I keep "bad" sets and "good" sets around. The bad sets are imports that I use for blocking parts up off the mill table and things like that. The good set is a nicely made one that I use for things like zeroing my depth micrometer. Put the block on the surface plate and feed the depth mic down til it hits the granite. By changing which side of the block you use and combining the two blocks, you can check the reading on every rod up to 6". After that, you need another set of blocks.

[–]kazzerax 4 points  

I wedge it between the 3/4 jaw chuck and the toolpost to straighten it 90 degrees.

[–]topsecreteltee 1 point  

First I think "A three quarter jaw chuck?" The I think to myself "yes, it has been that kind of day."

[–]BlenderGuy 4 points  

I've used them for touching off tools, inspecting 90 degree angles, bolting them together at set angle to transfer an angle, measuring distances, large parallel spacers for large plates...

They are more of a setup tool if you have difficulty with a normal setup. Vices and sine bars work 95% of the time and now CNC can get most angles and unique setups, there are limited times they are useful.

[–]ross340 3 points  

Welder here, I do some machine shop weldments and to me they're precision spacers and squares. Including squaring up my bandsaw vise. I got the $16 amazon prime ones and they're an order of magnitude nicer than I need.

[–]grauenwolf 2 points  

I like trying to set them up as an angle block, only to realize that my cheap Chinese set has the clearance holes drilled too small.

[–]CR3ZZ 1 point  

Quickly Measure taper for reference on a part. Measure part with caliper resting on 1" side of block, flip part over and measure again. You now know the taper per inch.

[–]matchingcapes 1 point  

I have one set up as the base for lathe tool height indicator. I'm using the other one for the base of a height gauge/indicator holder.

[–]wilch 1 point  

Solid 123's + 3 wires and a height guage is a great combo for operators. Some guys just don't have the coordination to get a good measurement with 3 wires and they end up dropping them. Its really a bitch to find one single .018 3 wire on a shop floor, much less a chip pan or conveyor.

[–]Mklein24 1 point  

I use them to find the location of my table stops.

[–]NubwubTM 1 point  

I use it to easily set the Z travel mic on the leblonde lathe

[–]PortablePawnShop 1 point  

We manually sand out blends on aluminum using a strip of sandpaper on the outside, then scotchbrite the part and anodize. Ease of grip on each side and flatness of the block is great for sanding out any tool marks, even for breaking/deburring long edges.

They're great for picking up X/Y fixture offsets in a vise when against a stop (especially in operations located against a finished edge), when clamping and banking large plates above the table, and as a stop with angle plates or other fixtures.

[–]ShatterStorm 1 point  

Secondary 1-2-3 block uses:

Holding them on the side of a mag chuck when setting parts down to act as a vice stop of sorts off the side of the magnet. They won't stick to the side like the part does to the top, so they're easily removeable for clearance.

1-2-3's make great spacer blocks for a sine chuck onto a surface grinder's magnet to keep it straight to the back rail.

They're great at blocking tall parts that have a small end surface area in on a mag chuck.

Clamping on the 2" side in a vice before skimming the jaws.

I use solid 1-2-3's as a flat reference surface for quick visual inspections of bent/tapered parts. Lot handier than a granite plate, and much easier to hold up to the light.

[–]ryan_503 1 point  

Use them to set up a stop in a mill vise. Sometimes you can't pick up the edge of your part because the material you're going to mill away is in the way. Just put a 123 block in place of the part and pick up on it.



  • [machinist] 123 block uses : Machinists, Lawrence London, 07/23/2017

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