straightedge

[paulc]

Tried local toolshops for a straightedge , nothing doing , Axminster have two 'bevelled ' straightedges , I cant help thinking these would be difficult to hold when checking if a surface is level , Does anyone use them , Am I worrying about nothing ? Cheers , paulc

 

[ike]

You don't say what you need it for. There are degrees of precision. I'm used to bevelled straightedges as you describe as used in engineering measurement. These are (or should be) certified to a specific accuracy of straightness, and are typically used as a reference for checking flatness e.g with feeler gauges. Rules on the other hand are certified for length but not straightness, although this doesn't mean rules are not straight - those with ground edges are normally pretty good.

For woodwork, IMO I don't think you need to worry. A good quality steel rule I find is more than accurate enough. I actually use a 6' length of 50mm x 6mm ally extrusion as a 'straightedge' - a piece of scrap I purloined from my previous employer, although I keep meaning to buy one of those 1 metre steel rules as a handier alternative for the bigger jobs.

cheers

Ike

 

[mudman]

Toolbank do some straight edges that are accurate to the BS standard that I can't remember right now. The ad states 001 of length but I think this should be that it is accurate to 0.001mm over the length. I bought a 1m one of these (was cheaper than 30 quid though :shock: )when I was learning to hand plane and wanted to know how close I was getting. Still use it a lot to check for straight but might get a shorter one at some stage as it is a bit heavy and unwieldy. Haven't dropped it yey though.
I also picked up a set of small ones on eBay (about 1.5" up to 8" that I use a lot.
Don't know how accurate the Axminster ones are. Might be worth checking with them as they may be just as good as a cheapy metal rule.

 

[mudman]

Whoops, looks like we posted together their Ike.
Just to point out that I'm not knocking using a ruler for a straight edge. Just that some I've seen are distinctly 'bendy' but if you have one that you're happy with (and it's easy to check) then use it by all means.

 

[Alf]

Am I worrying about nothing ?

Paul, on balance I think - yes. :wink: For woodworking there's a long held tradition of making your own straight edges, if you fancy it.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Paul

I have the Axminster straight edge and find no issues with the bevel

 

[Bean]

I have made my own and also used a long good quality Rule which is good enough for most use's.
My engineering Straight edge is a little heavy for general use.

Bean

 

[ike]

Alf,

How do you trawl up all this info :roll: - are you a surfaholic! :lol:

Ike

 

[Alf]

Ike,

In this instance I must reveal inside info on the content of that entire site. :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[paulc]

Hello Ike , I need the straight edge for checking if boards are level when hand planing , if one side was beveled would this not limit grip when viewing gaps between wood surface and straightedge?

 

[Alf]

Paul,

The bevels are really pretty negligable and don't make any difference at all to holding it. Not to say holding a heavy steel straight edge is every really easy, at least as far as I'm concerned, but the weight is much more the issue than any bevel.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Chris Knight]

Tilgear do some light narrow steel straight edges (bevelled like most if not all) in one metre and 50cm lengths. They are rather like a heavy steel rule but a lot lighter than the big heavy steel straightedges and thus much handier for many jobs.