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<DIV>Lance is right on the money. Height gages are inexpensive and simple to use, and accuracy is extreme. In fact, the line marks one uses on wing/stab surfaces or fuselages, is the limiting factor. What I do is essentially split the line with the carbide scribe with mine. Have used mine for more than 15 years and have touted its virtues about that long. Even wrote a piece for KFactro several years back.</DIV>
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<DIV>Good ideas in this hobby are always worth repeating</DIV>
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<DIV>MattK</DIV>
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<DIV>In a message dated 12/16/2006 7:05:35 PM Eastern Standard Time, patterndude@tx.rr.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT face=Arial>I got out of this game a few years ago. Fact is, a height gage, if <BR>measuring off a flat surface used at the LE and TE is way more accurate than <BR>the meters. It is quite easy to accurately measure the height off a table to <BR>less than 1/32". On a 18" chord that's 0.1 degrees worst case. I think I <BR>can do better than 1/32". The key is having a flat table (not necessarily <BR>level). You may not realize this, but what they call "silestone" is a <BR>manufactured granite that is pressed in molds. It's something like 99% <BR>quartz and some epoxy binder. It's redeeming feature is that its flatness <BR>is part of its specification and is molded in. Unlike real granite that <BR>must be polished with large wheels and they never give an optically flat <BR>surface. Silestone has actual specifications. I have a table top that is <BR>accurate to 10 mils anywhere. Way good enough for our hobby. By purchasing <BR>from a stone cutter a piece that has a chip in it, I was able to cover my <BR>work table for $80.<BR><BR>Another nice thing about this investment is that this artificial stone is <BR>nonporous, which means that CA and epoxy don't really stick. They can <BR>easily be scraped off with a razor. I've even spray painted without a <BR>dropcloth and just scraped off the overspray from the table.<BR><BR>I realize this is probably a whole new alternative but I thought some might <BR>be interested.<BR><BR>--Lance</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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