Reply To: New Starretts – Tuning?
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Apologies for a late comment.
With the exception of a saw maker not providing a left-handed version of their Disston 8 handsaw replica, I’ve never had a negative experience with tools from first line North American manufacturers. As that doesn’t amount to very much of evidence, I decided to provide some based on a simple study.
Using my five Starrett combination and sliding squares, a calibrated Base square (T-square) complying to better than DIN 875/2, a straight edge confirming to 874/1, and a 0.025 mm feeler gauge of unknown precision.
Resting the squares on the T-square and straight edge, I used light and the feeler gauge to assess any deviation from squareness and straightness, respectively, and found none.
The Starrett tolerances for perpendicularity are on par with DIN 875/2, slightly twice more than for the used T-square. Linearity of the square’s blades can deviate by 2.5 times to that of the used straight edge.
By the methods used it seems my squares are square and straight. Ideal would of course have been to send them to the calibration centre, but that isn’t exactly free of charge. The traditional method for testing for squareness (a line along the blade with the stock to left and right, respectively), might be less exact, should the stock not be aligned to a straight edge or the blade impacted by the marking.
/Sven-Olof