Straight edge suggestions (for checking flatness)

[Christian1212]

Straight edge came in today, there were rubber ends for each side so I didn't have to touch the metal. Stones were flat as can be, guess I need to find another excuse for my bad jnat honing skills haha. Glad I have something else to check the stones though

 

[stone and strop]

Here is one; 3 stone flattening system - Canadian Woodworking and Home Improvement Forum - https://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/tools/hand-tools/28228-3-stone-flattening-system

The beauty and attraction, to me, is that straight or flat can spring up out of nothing but logic. Think caveman.

I'll be damned. It works and works well.

Given the premise that two are non flat in the same direction and one being different I thought I would take 3 stones all with a slight hump in them and see if it still worked. It did.
After about 15 min. in the laundry tub and some elbow grease (water stones take effort to push against each other) all surfaces are dead flat by my straight edge.

Pretty cool!

Thanks again for the link Victor.

 

[StellaNova]

I need to add a question to this great thread;

Can anybody comment on where they ordered their Veritas or Starrett straight edge from, and how well it was packaged for shipping ?

There seems to be a general shortage of Veritas 12" Stainless steel straight edges at the moment, but there don't seem to be any supply issues with Starrett.
The thought of a straight edge being banged about in the mail is horrifying, but I believe it's not uncommon to buy these things online.
I have, however, read some pretty bad reviews on Amazon of how carelessly the straight edges bought via that site were packaged.
Any reccommendations would be appreciated,
Thanks.

 

[eKretz]

You can get a 12" USA-made straight edge from McMaster Carr for about $65. If you call and ask they will tell you the specific manufacturer. MSC is another good supplier, but may be a bit more expensive. Zoro and even places like Summit sell straight edges too.

 

[StellaNova]

You can get a 12" USA-made straight edge from McMaster Carr for about $65. If you call and ask they will tell you the specific manufacturer. MSC is another good supplier, but may be a bit more expensive. Zoro and even places like Summit sell straight edges too.

Thank you, I will check them out.
I had not heard of Zoro or Summit before.
It would also probably be best to ask the vendor how they will package the item for shipping.