Do you
have a better system that you like to use.
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I don't know if what I use is any better. It's certainly handier.

Hoisting a mass, with a large spring-type scale securing the hoist to a tripod
or sky-hook, is an easily understood system that works best for group
demonstrations.

For use in the shop I welded up a simple lever arrangement. The test piece is
secured to a pair of pallets, the pallets are bolted to the base and the lever,
then you step on the lever. Your own body weight and where you step on the
lever gives you some idea of the stress on the sample.

This isn't a very precise system and it only works in tension but most of the
time all I want to know is how the test piece compares to some standard.

If you need quantified data to a given degree of precision the real question is
how much you can you afford to spend.

I took advantage of the materials-testing equipment at a local college to learn
the strength of certain fittings and fasteners. I then used identical test
samples to 'calibrate' my lever-action tester.

-R.S.Hoover