Long Straight Edge options?

[Jacob]

If I needed a "reference surface" maybe I'd construct one for that purpose alone, maybe open with slats so it'd be easy to trim and re-set. Could do as a glue-up table too?
Trying to keep a worked on work bench as a reference surface looks difficult and somewhat pointless?

 

[Ttrees]

Aye two benches are really needed, or for some with a top whats fairly lightweight and floating, flipping it over would be a good idea for metalwork and the likes.
I should take my own advice on that.
One could make a plywood cover for a nice bench, when doing that either.

Two benches makes sense to me to have anyways for loads of things, one of them might as well be flat.
I do all my heavy work on bearers and it seems to keep the bench undamaged.
Don't know what you'd be doing marking it that way.
Not hard to keep a sheet of ply or chipboard around for other rough stuff.

 

[cowtown_eric]

So I'm a sucker fro straight edges.

There are many sources, some already mentioned. -long levels

Of course there are the machinists straightedges, but they are expensive.
Then there are ( or were) the aluminum extrusions. Here in Canada with copper theft being prevalent, and insurance risk managers doing their things, the scrap metal dealers won't let you purchase them any longer

The other source I'd like to mention is is flooring tool suppliers.

I found this one
Pajarito 4M Flexible Straight Edge it's abpout 40 pounds.

I'm sure thee are others

Eric

 

[ossieosborne]

I went to a local aluminium stockist and bought a length of flat bar ( 4m x 100mm x 6mm). I got the lad in the warehouse to cut it on their saw into 2 lengths - 2.5m and 1.5m. I don't rememeber how much I paid (about £20 springs to mind)

 

[highwood122]

Easy. Don't talk in thous for starters! This is woodwork not rocket science.
If it looks straight by eye then it is almost certainly good enough.
There is one little trick if you want it to be even more precise - bevel the edge so that the straight is along a narrow edge rather than the full board thickness - it reduces any twist effect.
Incidentally this is the way to tackle very long timbers if planing by hand - you work to make one corner visually straight along the arris, rather than a whole edge or side. It's easier to do by eye just along the arris. Then take the faces and edges from that.

Easy. Don't talk in thous for starters! This is woodwork not rocket science.
If it looks straight by eye then it is almost certainly good enough.
There is one little trick if you want it to be even more precise - bevel the edge so that the straight is along a narrow edge rather than the full board thickness - it reduces any twist effect.
Incidentally this is the way to tackle very long timbers if planing by hand - you work to make one corner visually straight along the arris, rather than a whole edge or side. It's easier to do by eye just along the arris. Then take the faces and edges from that.

hi, i floated the question out of interest because to set up my 300mm robland planer i used a 2mtr level that looked straight, now how straight is that, i have no way of checking without comparing it with a known datum ie. moore wright 2mtr and they cost £500. all i know is jobs like that are a lot easier if you can count on something being straight

 

[Jacob]

hi, i floated the question out of interest because to set up my 300mm robland planer i used a 2mtr level that looked straight, now how straight is that, i have no way of checking without comparing it with a known datum ie. moore wright 2mtr and they cost £500. all i know is jobs like that are a lot easier if you can count on something being straight

Make 3 or 4 300mm winding sticks, position them on your planer beds and sight across to see how they line up.
Check you 2m level while you are at it by putting it over the winding sticks.

 

[JohnPW]

got a decent german level myself its quite straight over 2mtrs,but how straight can you expect to make a wooden straight edge by eye, talking in thous.

You can make perfect dead straight edges by making 3 and checking all 3 against each other.

 

[highwood122]

hi, thanks for the info