Straightedges

[tomscanio]

I'm looking for a straightedge (24-36" long) for checking saw tables, jointer tables, etc. I know Lee Valley has some but looking for alternates. I did a web search and I guess I didn't have the magic keywords as I didn't really turn up anything. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Tom Scanio

[Tom Hintz]

Tom,
See the link below for the msot recent straightedge from Woodpeckers. I use these in my shop and like them a bunch. Easy to use, very accurate and like everything from Woodpeckers, very well made to stay accurate.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/serx24rvu.html

[LarryG]

A somewhat difficult-to-find item. Highland Hardware, The Japan Woodworker, and Garrett Wade (and probably others) have some, but they're typically either at least as spendy as the ones from Lee Valley (if price happens to be your concern), or are the same Veritas models you can buy direct from LV.

I have the 38" aluminum Veritas and find it well worth its price of around a dollar per inch; I use it all the time.

[LCHIEN]

if you just want a straightedge and not a ruler, a level may be a good bet.
Their cross section is large enough that it will not flex readily and is straight enough for most purposes, you probably need one anyway to check level and they come in a variety of sizes and prices.

You can see on the aluminum ones that the top and bottom are machined flat, the composite ones are pretty flat, too.

[Andrew Benedetto]

I have stopped buying from Woodpeckers(yes, I know that their products are hi-quality) since their prices even on sale are just too high. I bought a 4" straight edge made in Israel that is also a "T" square,level and center rule and has a removable handle ,for about $20 @ HD. That edge is as straight as my Fatmax level which was top rated in a test.
A quality level costs less than a simple straight edge from them and is much more useful.

[tomscanio]

Thanks for all the help and ideas!

Tom Scanio

[final_t]

I have a set of these from Garrett Wade:

http://www.garrettwade.com/shopping/...oductID=107414

When I got them they were $84 for the set, not $94. They also have angled numbers that might help with layout, but they are thin and hard to read so I generally don't use them for that.