On 8 Dec 2010 03:59:21 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2010-12-07, tnik wrote:
On 12/6/2010 12:09 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
On 12/06/2010 07:41 AM, Searcher7 wrote:
Can I get recommendations of which and how many screw thread
gauges(gages?) one should own to cover the most common threads one is
likely to run into? (Including metric, but I live in the U.S.).

There seems to be a lot of overlap between gauges and I just want to
get what I need.

The screw thread gauge that I use most often is a thin strip of polished
stainless. The strip is graduated on each edge, one edge being graduated
in 1/32 inch intervals, while the other edge is graduated in 1mm
intervals. For convenience, 1/16ths, 1/8ths, etc., are marked out on the
inch side, and centimeters are marked out on the metric side.

It works dandy for any thread pitch less than 6", although you sometimes
need a magnifying glass (our loupe) for finer threads.

How about something like the 27 TPI common for microphone
stands? Pretty difficult to use with a rule graduated as you suggest.
Even with 64ths graduations (which you don't mention) you wind up with
2.3704 64ths -- and it is pretty difficult to distinguish from a 1 mm
thread (27 TPI winds up at 0.9407 mm).

The difference between 5/27 and 3/16 is approximately 2 thou.

--
Ned Simmons