# VERITAS Optical Centre Punch



## mafe

Looks amazing but also time consuming, but I can imagine with a wish for high precision, it must be amazing.
I use the brass thingy and love it, when I need to be exact I use the old fashion way.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## paulnwa

I have had one of these sets for many years. It has been a great help in accurately locating holes when precision is required. The light gathering and image enlarging properties of the plastic viewing lens is amazing, illuminating the surface of the part and the centered cross hairs very well. Many years ago I worked in a tooling shop and we used them regularly to accurately locate holes for drilling. We called them "bombsights" back in those days.

They may seem somewhat slow to use, but keep in mind that most accurate manual layout and hole locating is a process which requires patience. Unaided, accurate, locating of a center punch to a set of drawn or even scribed cross hair hole locations is usually somewhat of a best guess operation.

IMHO Santa did you a real favor with this gift! 

Paul


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## splintergroup

I bet you originally marked your locations with a pointy chunk of coal 8^)

Cool little gadget! Myself, I know I usually miss the mark by a solid 1/16" so I just mark my spot 1/16" off center and have at it.

Waiting to see the great docx you build for that black box!


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## LittleBlackDuck

> I have had one of these sets for many years….
> - Paul Stoops


Naughty boy *PS*.... If you wrote a review on this many years ago I would not have had to wait so long to bribe Santa.

You are right though… it's hard to accurately describe the vision one sees when you line up the *bombsight*..



> .... so I just mark my spot 1/16" off center and have at it….
> - splintergroup


BTDT *splinter*... My problem was that I sometimes miss by as much as 1/8" so I decided to split the two and marked 3/32" away… unfortunately with that brainwave I missed both marks. 
.... and to top it all off, I have to convert those bleeding fractions of inches to millimeters…


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## kelvancra

Cool. Knew nothing of these, until your review.


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## LittleBlackDuck

> Cool. Knew nothing of these, until your review.
> - Kelly


Great *K'y*... *QED*.. post not wasted!


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## smitdog

Chalk me up as another that just learned something new too. My head hurts….
I have the same spring loaded deal that you mentioned and have had decent results but I really like the accuracy it looks like you can achieve using this. It looks like it has a rubber ring on the bottom to stop it from slipping around as well. Thanks for the interesting review Duck.


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## LittleBlackDuck

> .... It looks like it has a rubber ring on the bottom to stop it from slipping around…..
> - smitdog


Thanks *s'd'*. It may have been a tad suruptitious of me to suggest that the ring lets in the light… Hell, it seals out the light!... But you are correct in stating that it stops it from slipping… unless you suffer the clumsies…


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## pottz

seems i missed this.well most the time you impress me with your gadgets but this is not one of em.i dont know what that do dad cost's but it's not something id spend a lot of money on or time fooling with.just never had the need for that much precision since i gave up making parts for nasa.have fun with it though.


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## LittleBlackDuck

> ....well most the time you impress me with your gadgets but this is not one of em….
> - pottz


Was not meant to impress *pottzy*, but moreso educate on what's available out there for shekel loaded idiots like me…

Have you heard the rumor that there were people out there that hadn't heard of *Abranet*???

I have 3 different focal length prescription glasses… leave the house without the right one and I can't even find the workshop, let alone my drill press let alone a piddly little *X*. Mucking about is a tad easier than climbing up 16 heavy concrete steps… though it'd be a tad easier to remember the glasses.


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## pottz

> ....well most the time you impress me with your gadgets but this is not one of em….
> - pottz
> 
> Was not meant to impress *pottzy*, but moreso educate on what s available out there for shekel loaded idiots like me…
> 
> Have you heard the rumor that there were people out there that hadn t heard of *Abranet*???
> 
> I have 3 different focal length prescription glasses… leave the house without the right one and I can t even find the workshop, let alone my drill press let alone a piddly little *X*. Mucking about is a tad easier than climbing up 16 heavy concrete steps… though it d be a tad easier to remember the glasses.
> 
> - LittleBlackDuck


must be a sloth living in a cave that doesn't know about abranet,cut off from civilization ?


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## JayT

What's Abranet?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Love the review, LBD, humor and information presented together well. The tool being reviewed looks interesting and I could see its value in certain situations. Probably not enough for me to justify the price at the present time, but good to know it exists if my project focus changes in the future.


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## LittleBlackDuck

> What s Abranet?
> - JayT


*Abranet* is a tightly woven straight jacket, specifically designed to trap magicians that keep forgetting the *cadabra*.



> .... good to know it exists if my project focus changes in the future.
> - JayT


Twas the intention, and now the muchos can decide to buy one of these or some fancy high heeled workboots for themslves…


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## Jim Jakosh

Very entertaining review. I just ran across this when looking at what way they package these center punches as I am about to make some boxes for min. Looking for ideas.

I read you part about the rubber ring on the bottom to let in light and I thought it might have some breaks in it because I thought light was needed at the bottom when I made mine. Thanks for the bottom shot..it is a complete seal and non skid ring. I was thinking I need some non skid surface on mine they are finished with Shellawax like the body. I will have to look into a self adhesive rubber washer and I feel it will let it hole position better when change from the clear plastic to the punch.

Nice review, Alex….Thanks…Cheers, Jim

PS..I have a lot of Abranet and used to use it on my 6" ROS but it would kink too much if I caught an edge. It cuts like hell , though!!


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## LittleBlackDuck

> ... I read you part about the rubber ring on the bottom to let in light and I thought it might have some breaks in it because I thought light was needed at the bottom when I made mine. Thanks for the bottom shot..it is a complete seal and non skid ring. I was thinking I need some non skid surface on mine they are finished with Shellawax like the body. I will have to look into a self adhesive rubber washer and I feel it will let it hole position better when change from the clear plastic to the punch.
> - Jim Jakosh


I believe you are 101% correct. No gaps and on hindsight it's primary purpose is to stop it sliding on the work and it's secondary purpose is to stop the work sliding under it…

That stupid comment was probably influenced by the 5th. glass of vino… until I saw your shop-made one, I would have thought that light transmission was by magic (without light entering from below).


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