Dial Gauge: Logan, 1883

John Logan of Waltham, Massachusetts, patented this dial gauge in 1883, US 283,627. A gauging bar slides lengthwise through guides in a case with a graduated dial. A chain fixed to the bar is wound round the arbor that carries the pointer, so when the bar moves the chain unwinds and turns the pointer. The pointer's end moves much further than the bar, which makes the reading very delicate. A spring on the arbor winds the chain back and returns the bar to zero. A jaw on the case and a jaw on the bar make it a caliper; a slender rod beside the bar's other end makes it a depth gauge.