Not being particularly tempted to spend this smallish fortune ($ 1625 on a discount...see bottom left of pic) on a ill-concieved, badly machined and horrifically prized (I can achieve all that, except the last part, for free myself !) instrument, just for checking a discarded and found FREE diabase surface plate (of the oddest dimensions, nowhere else to be found: 413 x 266 x 72 mm, also without manufacturer's or any certification marks). - So I decided to homebrew my own repeat reading gage three months back, took some inspiration and suggestions from OxTools', NYC CNC's & Catalina Racing's endeavours in this matter, rummaging thru my scrap piles, chopping up a 50 lbs cast iron counterweight in the band saw, and scrounged a few other leftovers: plastics, brass and hot-rolled steel. Zero budget, some ideas of improvements and about 20 hours of work went into it.