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So I'm looking into how stuff is made from scratch, starting with a surface plate which has been lapped flat using the three plate method. But almost everything I read on the subject on "the history of precision" and such stops there and glosses over the rest by simply stating that it's possible. How does one go about making perfect 90 degree corners from simply a flat surface?

To clarify, when I say "from scratch" I mean going from no tools at all to a perfectly square block. I'm asking about the history of machining, how the first precision machines were made.

If anyone has any good resources on the subject which explains it in further detail I would appreciate it very much :)

Beacon of Wierd
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The "three plate" method has been used as the basis for precision manufacturing/inspection. This is a decent summary, it's pretty ingenious and only requires dye and abrasives. This will teach you everything you need to know and then some, "Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy".

jko
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there is a whole genre of "square block" videos on YouTube by various machinists. The standard tool seems to be the lathe.

But really, you are asking how to set up a machine to be perpendicular.

apropos, video for your edumatainment

Pete W
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