Did you know that the results from a Lee are directly related to the actual BHN number?
Did you know that the result from the Cabine Tree is a 'depth' which is correlated with the hardness listed for that alloy in an old chart ... which has been wrong for decades?
The Cabine Tree will accurately show the amount of variation in different alloys, but it really doesn't know the Brinell hardness number of any alloy, and what it thinks it knows, is wrong.
Let's say you test pure lead and 20-1 lead/tin alloy with your Cabine Tree.
If you are a good operator, you will come up with a correlation from the table that indicates BHN 5 for the pure, and BHN 10 for the 20-1.
Guess what! Both of those are wrong, and they have been wrong since before you and I were born.
Actually pure lead is BHN 4.5 and 20-1 is BHN 7.8.
The old chart also shows Tin at BHN 7 but it's really BHN 5, and 30-1 as BHN 9, but it's actually 6.6
One number on the standard chart that is correct is BHN 15 for Lyman #2 alloy. That's because Lyman did their own test when they developed the alloy, and THAT number got added to the chart that everybody relies on.
With so many readings being off by that much, how valid are any other 'hardness readings' you get from the table that comes with the Cabine Tree?
The Lee uses a scaled down version of the actual Brinell test to provide results.
So, it can only give an erroneous Brinell number if the operator uses poor technique.
CM