I'm familiar with that tool, although I don't own a par of them there is a description of them on page 6 of the book Machine Shop Essentials and calls them Hermaphrodite Calipers. $45 is quite a bite for what it is but there are some old Starrett and Brown&Sharp on Ebay at a fraction that price and are much better then the Chinese copies. 

Both are correct in other names for this item. I find it interesting how many items have so many various names that you would think we weren't even talking of the same thing.

And yes all of these things can be made by the home machinist; even if all you own is a hacksaw and a file or a hammer, cold chisel and a file. AND made to the same degree of precision as the best Starret or Brown & Sharp tool. Craftsmanship is NOT exclusive to quality and/or fancy equipment makers (although they have the advantage sometimes of a nice place to work).

I'd like to see some examples of such work. Lets not be shy about showing what we've done because we "think" it might not meet the same standard or be of the same quality as a name brand tool. 

Equally lets not be afraid to make what we see in the tool catalogs. After all someone else is making the things we buy aren't they ?!? If they can… we can.

I know I didn't pay $45 for my tool but don't remember where I bought it or what I paid for it ?

Thanks Gareth and Alexander for your input. 

~Chris

You're right again Jerry . I use mine more in the welding and fabricating side of my shop.

Thanks for the tip….seems like I leave too much unsaid….but that's the beauty of this forum….what one leaves out another usually fills in. THANKS  for making things a little clearer I for one appreciate you Jerry !!!  

I imagine that many people would discouraged form using an odd leg caliper because they are hard to use (as Jerry explained) and less accurate then other methods because they are referenced to a ruler. The best way to accurately scribe a line after applying the blueing is to use a hight gauge with a granite surface and back plait, however this is expensive and is the reason that many resort to the sacrilegious task of scribing with their vernier/dial/digital calipers as in image two. Hoping to solve this dilemma I have come up with a method that is almost as accurate as the hight gauge, requiring only the addition of a scriber and straight edge, and will not damage the caliper in any way. This is done using the shoulder feature of the caliper, this is the fourth and often forgotten measuring capability of a pair of calipers. Simply adjust the calipers to the measurement then use them to space the straight away from the edge to the desired distance wile keeping it parallel. Of course you would need to hold the ruler down against the materiel then hold the caliper with the other hand, but I had to be holding the camera.

Just a thought I had this morning."yea I know, I think and that's usually my first mistake"

Regardless of our layout method; height gauge and granite surface plate, square and scribe, calipers, etc…..

All of these are for our basic layout and while we want to be as accurate as possible and necessary, this is the "layout" of our piece and NOT the final cut. The width of the scribed line can mean the difference between a loose or tight fit and we need to measure often, with whatever measuring instrument is appropriate, when we get close to the line so we "know" that our part is coming out right.