fookgub Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....=Straight+Edges Just wondering if anyone can comment on these. I'm in need of a good straight edge for fretwork, and these are much cheaper than any steel straight edge I've found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 First I've heard of them. Interesting though. I've thought for some time that plastic straight-edges would have some advantages over harder metal ones. Particularly when checking new polished frets, or clear finished fret-boards, because metal easily causes scratch marks on those. Last time I told that to someone, they gave me the thumbs down I'm sceptical about the ".001" accuracy". And the photo really sucks. I wonder if their logo is silk-screened on there and will quickly wear off. I might not like the 1/4" thickness. That's damn thick for a straight-edge that you are looking for light under. I assume they give Frank Ford free samples of their tools, and I wonder what he thinks of them. But since he's on the pay-roll he might just keep his mouth shut about any defective-ness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted November 17, 2007 Report Share Posted November 17, 2007 Poly Carb in 1/4" thickness should be very stable, I don't see why it wouldn't make a good tool. Then again, I've been wrong before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted November 17, 2007 Report Share Posted November 17, 2007 They could be a good source of notched straight edges. That wouldn't be too hard to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 You would think they'd bevel an edge, so it's down to 1/8" thick on the outer edge. I already thought about how it would make an easy NSE, but that 1/4" thickness is still kooky. Amazed that even the 30 inch supposedly has a .001 tolerance. At least StewMac lists tolerance *per foot*. LMI acts so oblivious third party about some of the stuff they sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I went ahead and bought one of these, the 18" one, figured I'd give it a shot. The readability issue soapbar brught up is not much of a problem, since the material is translucent. If it were opaque, I can see how the 1/4" thickness would make it harder to see a gap under it, but I found it pretty easy to read. What is a problem is the flatness, or lack thereof. I tried it on a few surfaces that are supposed to be dead flat- my jointer and tablesaw tops, and found a gap under it, in the middle. When I flipped it over, there were gaps at the ends, and I got these same results repeatedly, with repeated cleaning of all surfaces, so it was not a problem with the jointer or tablesaw tops. Then, I placed it with the gap in the middle, and put my dial indicator on it, in the middle of the beam, and lightly pressed down. The gap easily closed, and the dial read .003" change every time I tried it. So, basically, I would have to say it sucks. Glad I didn't get the 30" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Thanks for the review. Seems to me, the vendors are getting more lazy about knowing everything that should be known about the products they sell. Considering that their tools are more expensive than 'Home Depot" alternatives, there's no good excuse for it. I didn't even know the damn thing was see-through plastic, that's ridiculous. Hope you get your money back, including shipping. Actually it should be double your money back for being their "quality control". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telesque Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 If they won't refund your shipping, tell them that you were really hoping that you could let the 12,000 members of of the forum know that they really came through right and proper, as it should be, but you'll be sad to inform us all that they would not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 No problems there. Just called them, and all shipping charges will be refunded, didn't even have to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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