Caliper
date: label: Date made
content: 1930s
label: date made
content: ca. 1930s
label: Associated Date
content: 1820-Present
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: A fairly crude caliper like this one was used for approximate measurements only, during the "rough" cutting of a diameter down to size. In the final, fine stage of a lathe cut, a much more precise caliper was used. A large caliper like this one was used by a machinist when operating a large lathe or vertical boring mill, making very large parts. The lathe might be an immense wheel lathe, one that "trued" the wheel treads of locomotive and railroad-car wheels. Or it might be a lathe for axles, in which the outer ends of each axle were machined for later fitting of wheels by a wheel press.
label: Description
content: This tool is part of a collection of hand tools used in the inspection and repair of steam locomotives in Salisbury, North Carolina from the early- to the mid-20th century, roughly 1900-1955. Light repairs on steam locomotives were usually done in roundhouses at the many small locomotive terminals throughout a railroad's system; heavy repairs were done in a large, centralized repair shop serving the whole system (often referred to as the "Back Shop").
topic: label: Subject
content: Railroads
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Railroad
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: America on the Move
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: America On The Move
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of National Park Service
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2002.0075.05
label: accession number
content: 2002.0075
label: catalog number
content: 2002.0075.05
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Caliper
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 31 in x 17 3/4 in; 78.74 cm x 45.085 cm