Help needed with understanding accuracy in measuring tools. I want to go straight :-)

[Boyan Silyavski]

Thanks for the help, its highly appreciated!

At the end i bought the two triangles / deviation of 0.000055" per inch/ + 2x 7" Electronic Digital Protractor Goniometer Angle Finder Miter Gauge/ Resolution: 0.05 degree /

I bought last month the protractor as a present and i liked it very much, very substantial feel, precise enough, quite handy, unbeatable for the money, so it was on my purchase list.

Now for the straightedge. Let me share. It will be great if somebody finds it helpful. After 2 days and tons of research, here is what i have found:

Which straight edge?

1. the Igaging straight edges even if advertised as top precision are shot in the dark. Many people received a bad ones, so as i don't like Russian roulette when spending hard earned money i dismissed them. Source:Amazon reviews and forums

2. Axminster straight edge- same as above. Could be perfect or a total crap. Source: Axminster reviews and forums.

3. Starret straightedges: good but expensive. People complain about spending insane cash for a long straight edges and receiving them without a box , wrapped in oiled paper only. No hook hole. Heavy.

4. Moore & Wright- dismissed- brand new, insanely expensive.

5. Second hand straight edges- dismissed. Jump in the dark if you dont buy from an respected machinist, even better fellow forum member

6. Maun straight edges- not precise enough, at least for me, i found more precision rulers for the price. If it was a ruler, i would buy it for the thickness

7. On the cheap: people use Stanley and Stabila ground beam levels with great result +- 0.5mm/per meter, which is quite good for the price and

8. Other rebranded mostly black in color sold " for cylinder rectification" , no specs or whatsoever.

9. Other brands in USA mostly, normally priced but expensive to ship from abroad + eventual tax.


Now come the good ones/ for the buck/

9. Veritas : people love them. At Axminster they sell aluminium ones with 0.075mm precision over the entire length and steel ones. Citation: " These Canadian-made precision steel straight edges are ground flat over the entire length on both edges, the 610(24") length to within 0.025mm and the 915mm(36") length to within 0.038mm. All have been stress relieved to remain true under temperature variation. Useful for checking whether surfaces are flat or straight, they are 38mm wide and easily stand on edge unsupported, leaving both hands free for precise measurement or tool adjustment. All have hang holes, allowing storage on a nail or hook"


Good choice for the money, either steel or aluminum. Couldn't find a bad word for them.



10. It seems the magic word that i needed to find is din 874

But what DIN 874 /00 874/1 874/2 mean?





So now knowing the magic word./ for EU i mean/ it seems DIN 874/00 on ebay made in Germany can be found at short lengths quite cheap. Longer than 500 become prohibitively expensive.

But hey, i am happy with Din 874/2 . 33 micrometers = 0.033 millimeters / on the entire length.

So now i am contemplating which length exactly, 1200mm or 1500mm, which would be easier to handle. Or maybe even 1 meter. Made in Germany-I like that. Cheap, i like that also.
Example/ from very nice page with all kinds of stuff :
Straight Edges Steel DIN 874/2 Z032021000
lenght 1000 mm, height 40 mm, width 8 mm, Accuracy in accordance with DIN 874/2 lenght 1000 mm, hei...
Price without Tax: 63,65 EUR Price incl. Tax: 75,74 EUR

That Moore & Wright seems cheap for the brand. Also silyavski you do want a straight edge with a beveled edge because you can see the light shining through gaps under it very accurately.

You almost got me there :-) . But isn't it that a square straight edge has 4 edges that could be used for that against the ones that have only 1 sharp edge?
I believe their purpose is a bit different and definitely i believe i need the square- to compare between rails in all directions / the twist i mean/ .


That is all folks. If you have some info i missed just say it for the future generations who read this:-)

Conclusion: Maybe i am crazy, but i don't see how i can make a precise machine without precise instrument, so i need one/ at least, i am a kind of instrument junkie/