Doug,

Very nice workmanship and I love the detailing with the hole recesses for less weight and easier tool gripping. The magnets can be useful but can also collect fine chips to distort the vertical dimension. I slightly recessed the bottom magnets on my lathe height gage to allow for the fine chips to slide into the gap and prevent distorting the height distance ( http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/l...8587#post25937 )

Thank you for the advice on measuring off the top of a 1/2” dowel pin chucked in the lathe as a way to determine the exact height gage minus the dowel radius. It is a simple method and something all metal lathe owners should record. Knowing the height comes in handy for many operations on the lathe including broaching keyways.

Regards,

Paul