Where to buy good straightedge?

[Lewis Perry]

I'm wanting to buy a good streightedge--where do I find the best for the money?

[Allen Bookout]

Here: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50074&cat=1,240,45313

I got the 50" and really like it.

Allen

[Mac McAtee]

Go to the nearest Home Depot or Lowes and buy an aluminum 4' level.

[Frank Pellow]

I agree with Allen. But I also agree with Mac -at least the edge on my aluminum level appears to be very very straight.

[Lewis Perry]

Thanks--had been to the lee valley sight--couldn"t find them--I guess because I didn"t know how to spell "straightedge" I found them at "woodpeckers" also.

[Allen Bookout]

Lewis,

I did not know that Woodpecker had this product now. Took a look and found it very interesting. The stuff that I have pruchased from them has been top notch also.

Allen

[Steve Carbone]

It depends on what you need it for. I bought a Dietzgen stainless steel drafting straight edge a while back. Nothing comes close in my opinion. They are not cheap. I paid about $100 for mine.

[Bill Pentz]

If you go to a metal shop and have them cut a 2" x 4' piece of heavy stainless the edge will be as close to dead straight as most levels and straight edges. To get a much better straight edge you need to spend some serious dollars. Lee Valley is one of the better in terms of pricing. I have long used a Bridge City Tools straight edge that was given to me years ago. It is more accurate than anything I have to check it against.

[Lopaka Garcia]

Isn't a straight edge as good as the tools that are going to cut that same edge? Unless you're using it to check for trueness, isn't "real close" good enough? And like Bill said, don't you need something to check it against? So in reality, how do you know if something is truly a perfectly straight edge?

[Allen Bookout]

So in reality, how do you know if something is truly a perfectly straight edge?
That is exactly why I chose to buy a straight edge from a trusted source rather than trust a level from Home Depot as being within some tolerance or having one made from at a machine shop that I have no real knowledge about. I know that there are machine shops that can do things to extreme tolerances but I am not one in the know so I just had to place my faith in a retailer that I trusted. Even if I did trust a machine shop I think that a one off accurate unit would be somewhat expensive. I could be wrong. In any case the price seemed right for what was advertised and I feel confident in the product.

I had been doing some research and at the time Lee Valley seemed to have the best reputation vs cost concerning straight edges.

Allen

[Mark Rios]

Another vote for Lee Valley. I bought their 50" aluminum and their 24" steel straightedges and are VERY happy with them.

I'd like to have a 48" steel straightedge but I don't have a need for it yet and can't justify the cost (yet:D ). When I do get one though I'll check it against my aluminum one and probably ask my self if the +/-.001 discrepancy was worth the extra big bucks. :D

[Byron Trantham]

I bought a 24" machined straight edge (I think it was from Lee Valley) and when I got it I laid it against my 4' level - very flat! I now treat my level very kindly. :D

[Mark Carlson]

The 52in Lee Valley aluminum straightedge is good but dont drop or bang it against something because the aluminum is soft. I bought a 48in steel straightedge from this site that I'm very happy with.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=240-0372&PMPXNO=4822215&PARTPG=INLMK3

[Bruce Benjamin]

That is exactly why I chose to buy a straight edge from a trusted source rather than trust a level from Home Depot as being within some tolerance or having one made from at a machine shop that I have no real knowledge about. I know that there are machine shops that can do things to extreme tolerances but I am not one in the know so I just had to place my faith in a retailer that I trusted. Even if I did trust a machine shop I think that a one off accurate unit would be somewhat expensive. I could be wrong. In any case the price seemed right for what was advertised and I feel confident in the product.

I had been doing some research and at the time Lee Valley seemed to have the best reputation vs cost concerning straight edges.

Allen

A machine shop like where I used to work will just shear off what you need. It's going to be straight. You'll pay a lot if you ask them to machine it straight for you but it only takes a minute for them to step on the foot switch and have that giant blade come down, Wumpamm!!!

Regarding straight edges from HD or any other hardware type store, it's easy to check if they're straight. Compare them to each other. It's not fool proof but you can stick two edges together and if they match perfectly, check it against another. It's unlikely that you'll come across two or three or more that just happen to be off and be mirror images of each other. For my money, if I can't see the difference in the edge with my eyes and a feeler gauge I sure won't be able to tell the difference in the wood or when checking if a machine table is flat. My aluminum 4' rule that I bought using this method a few years ago is either dead straight or both my TS and Jointer tables are warped exactly as much as both sides of my 4' straight edge. It baffles me why people spend a fortune for a high end straight edge when mine cost probably under $10 and if I happen to bend it or some how manage to knock it crooked it's no big deal. I'll bet you'd be hard pressed to see a significant difference between the edge of mine and a Starrett or Lee Valley edge except 5 to 10 times the price or more. But to each their own.

Bruce