How do I ensure a straight edge is straight?

[Pete Costa]

I've got an opportunity to buy a used 72" Starrett Ruler C416R. I primarily want to use it to align my "new to me" 12 inch SCMI jointer (also a craiglsist find!). So here's the challenge - how do I ensure a the ruler is actually straight (within tolerances reasonable for this use)? I have a 12 inch Starrett square and a 24 inch straightedge from Woodcraft. I won't be able to bring it back to my shop without purchasing it and I don't want to joint a reference board on a jointer that I'm not sure is straight. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Mel Fulks]

I didn't look up that item. But the rulers are not the same as straight edges . I think they sell some narrow rulers and
some wide ones. The wider rules are probably straighter than most others. To check a used one ,I would draw a line
with it ,then put the rule on the other side of the line to compare. Good straight edges can be made at home.

[Dave Sabo]

NIST Certification ?

[Andrew Hughes]

If the place your buying it from is a machine shop then ask to lay it on one of their surface plates.
Or up against another one that’s there.
If non of that’s possible and you really want to get it. I would do a visual inspection there shouldn’t be any dings or nicks in the edges or ends.
If it was stored hanging form a hole on one end that would be a good sign.
Good Luck

[Lewis Mills]

You're talking about a straightedge with a $970 list price (https://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/C416R-72). Unless you get a 95% or better discount, pass on it if you can't take it somewhere that you trust to verify it. Personally, if it cost more a few bucks, I'd pass if I couldn't take it somewhere to verify its accuracy. Doesn't matter how much of a discount you get if it doesn't meet your accuracy requirements.

[Mel Fulks]

I don't think he's gonna get a 95 percent discount. Machinists buy ,sell, and trade good tools at much less discount. A
thin wire under tension is pretty reliable ...unless a tornado is in progress.

[Andrew Hughes]

I missed the part about it being a long ruler. It’s not the same as a precision straight edge that’s much better to have when setting long jointer tables .
I bought one from Suburban tools when I need to setup my jointer. It’s very good quality I just checked they have a 6’ for 450 plus tax.
Good Luck

[Kevin Jenness]

At .010" thick and 1.5" wide it is not designed to be a straightedge, though it might serve as one. My 72" Starrett straightedge is more like .25" x 3".

My advice is to make sure the knives in your new jointer are sharp and the outfeed table is set even with the cutting circle. Run a pair of flat test boards as long as the outfeed on edge with the fence set at the front and back of the tables and dial in the outfeed table height until your test pieces mate well. If you can't achieve that, then the fun begins and you need to look for a proper straightedge.

[Brian Holcombe]

Three surfaces must agree with one another to know if they are straight. So technically what you can do is joint two 6’ long boards, compare them to one another for flatness and when the straight edge agrees with both of them the group is flat. If they all cannot be made to agree than the straight edge is not flat.

Two curves can agree with one another but three cannot.

[Pete Costa]

I didn't look up that item. But the rulers are not the same as straight edges . I think they sell some narrow rulers and
some wide ones. The wider rules are probably straighter than most others. To check a used one ,I would draw a line
with it ,then put the rule on the other side of the line to compare. Good straight edges can be made at home.

thanks Mel and others. Even though I wrote "ruler", it didn't occur to me that a ruler was not necessarily a straightedge. I'm now wondering how practical it would be for setting up a jointer, given that it's only 1/10 of an inch wide, even if it was reasonably accurate

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I like these:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/marking-and-measuring/56676-veritas-steel-straightedges?item=05N6203

Now, how straight does it really need to be? That depends on what you are doing. In 2011, I sent an email to Empire and asked them about the tolerance for their straight edges. For their standard straight edge, the straightness and flatness is 0.006" per foot. So, 36 inches is 0.018" in a worst case. Probably close enough for many wood working tasks. The Veritas version is 0.0015 and it is stress relieved.

https://www.empirelevel.com/straight-edges.php

I have used both in a pinch depending on what is handy and what I am doing.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Three surfaces must agree with one another to know if they are straight. So technically what you can do is joint two 6’ long boards, compare them to one another for flatness and when the straight edge agrees with both of them the group is flat. If they all cannot be made to agree than the straight edge is not flat.

Two curves can agree with one another but three cannot.

To be rigorous, it would be wise to spec that an edge should be compared to the other and then swap end-for-end and compared again. Certain shapes, symmetric about the center, could ‘pass’ this test otherwise (think about a gentle s-curve :: all 3 could mate).

Admittedly this would be virtually impossible to create on a jointer, but after the art-work-as-end-stop thread, I just had to toss this grenade over the fence.;)

[Justin Rapp]

You can test it on plate glass, like a sliding glass door's glass pane...

[Bill Dufour]

I would think a machine shop would check it against two of theirs for a box of doughnuts.
bill D

[Bob Johnson2]

I have a 36" Straightedge, if I need something longer I use a level. When I redid the kitchen cabinets the counter guy had an 8' straightedge, that must have been some $$.

[Jim Matthews]

I've got an opportunity to buy a used 72" Starrett Ruler C416R.

Setting aside the utility -

Are these sought after on a secondary market, with high resale value?

Can you purchase it for less than this resale value?

[Brian Holcombe]

To be rigorous, it would be wise to spec that an edge should be compared to the other and then swap end-for-end and compared again. Certain shapes, symmetric about the center, could ‘pass’ this test otherwise (think about a gentle s-curve :: all 3 could mate).

Admittedly this would be virtually impossible to create on a jointer, but after the art-work-as-end-stop thread, I just had to toss this grenade over the fence.;)

Hah! Good point, so swapping end for end or moving them around would reveal a matching s-curve. Anything is possible especially as they become flat and minor inconsistencies reveal themselves.

For what it is worth I setup a jointer with a pair of high precision spirit levels after checking each table separately for flatness. I have a 40” long box square (cast iron tube that has been scraped flat/true on all sides) to compare to the tables.

Check the tables in an x pattern then length wise and note any errors. Set the outfeed parallel to the head across its width. After which check them for parallel both along the lengths and across their widths. Set their heights, then cut the wood.

[Pete Costa]

Quick update - I ended up getting the ruler. At $95 is was almost too good of a deal, so I was cautious. I borrowed Mel's suggestion to use a tightly stretched wire to check for straightness. It looked good to me, although due to Covid, I was working on the sidewalk illuminated by my headlights. Not recommended, esp. by yourself. I got it home and checked it against some large windows, but it was quickly apparent the glass had a bow in it. I then did the draw a line and flip exercise (thanks again Mel) and it was as good as my eyes can tell. It can flex a bit if I push hard in the middle when only the ends are supported, but that should not be an issue for setting up my jointer. Once that task is done, I may just try and sell it at something closer to market price and put those proceeds towards my next toy. Thanks all for your advice and insight. Pete

450084

[Bill Dufour]

store it carefully. The recommended way is hanging straight down on a nail in the wall. Rust will destroy the accuracy as will a coat of grease not wiped off before use.
Bill D

[Derek Arita]

I use this straight edge for my PM parallelogram jointer, PM 2000 and MM FS30 Smart 12" J/P. It worked perfectly for all and was reasonably priced.https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/marking-and-measuring/50074-veritas-aluminum-straightedges?item=05N6305

[Pete Costa]

store it carefully. The recommended way is hanging straight down on a nail in the wall. Rust will destroy the accuracy as will a coat of grease not wiped off before use.
Bill D
Thanks Bill, good advice. It's hanging in a safe corner of my shop, although my picture orientation skills may not show that!