Devon Headen Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Do you guys think these are up to the same standards as StewMac's? One edge is beveled, and they are MUCH less expensive. I think I'm gonna go for these instead of spending so much on StewMac's. Now I'm gonna try to find a less expensive version of a fret slot cutting mitre box. What do you guys use for fret slotting, and how well does it work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 if you need a cheap straight edge, go to an art store look in the drawing supplies, dont waste your money on the stewmac ones they should b exactly the same if not better MzI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Do you guys think these are up to the same standards as StewMac's? One edge is beveled, and they are MUCH less expensive. I think I'm gonna go for these instead of spending so much on StewMac's. Now I'm gonna try to find a less expensive version of a fret slot cutting mitre box. What do you guys use for fret slotting, and how well does it work? Good link.. I had done a search like that before, looking for good straightedges like Stew Mac sells for a good price, but I never found another source. So thanks for posting the link. I still need a 18" straightedge, so I think I'll buy it from that company to see how they compare to the Stew Mac ones. I like the ones Stew Mac sell, they have done a good job for me so far, I really like the beveled edge since it gives you a more accurate readout of the level of the fretboard or fret. If I'm not mistaken the ones they sell look identical to the Stew Mac ones, may be made by the same manufacture. I would think that it would be a good buy myself, especially for the price. Hard to do good fretboard, or fret work without any. Also, I still haven't bought or made a mitre box yet, since I didn't want to spend that much money on something that wasn't exactly necessary unless I decided I wanted to do different woods than the ones LMI or Stew Mac sells. I just spend the extra 3 to 5 dollars to have them preslotted and even radiused. Less headache for now, but I know that after I get all my other tools I need, I'll eventually get a good one that has template guides so I can't mess up. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Price seems too good to be true, if they are precision ground and have the same .0015" per foot tolerance like stew-macs. It doesn't give any info about specs like that. If someone wants to take their chances on buying one, it would be cool if they'd post about how the thing checks out, although what are they going to use to check it ? Stew-macs don't even seem to meet the specs they give. I was looking at saws on that site. They got a .022" x-acto saw. Maybe there should be a pinned thread : " alternative sources to those expensive luthier supply places". The tool must meet or beat the quality, and price of the luthier suppliers. It can also be used to be critical of such finds, and point out reasons why the tool is actually not a better buy than what the luthier suppliers have. Although this part of the forum seems to serve this purpose well enough already. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 I'll go ahead and order the 18" one today since it looks just like my other Stew Mac ones. After I get it in I'll take both the Stew Mac 15" and the 18" one to the Bio-Med guy at the hospital I work at. He has every precision tools you need to see how good they are, and I'll post the results. The only thing that really worries me about the ones we are looking at, is if they are as equally as thich as the straightedges Stew Mac sells. They have to be sturdy enough that they don't have any any bends in them lenghtwise or you can't get a accurate reading of your fretboards. I'll let you guys know what I find. Soap that's a good idea on the tools section. I'm all for saving alot of money and if the tools are the same quality then it would just make sense to buy them instead. I really like Stew Mac because they have everything in one place so you don't have to search all over for things, but If we had links to each replacment parts then people would have a choice of where they can buy them at a better price. That's a good idea for a new post that could reside at the top so new stuff could be added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 WoodCraft sells a precision straight edge (2 ft, I think) for a decent price ($40.00). The tolerance is .002" and stewmac says theirs is .0015" (for $55.90). It's not a huge savings but at least you know what the tolerance is and can compare without guessing. I've been using the WoodCraft straight edge for a while now and have no complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 The only thing that really worries me about the ones we are looking at, is if they are as equally as thich as the straightedges Stew Mac sells. They have to be sturdy enough that they don't have any any bends in them lenghtwise or you can't get a accurate reading of your fretboards. I'll let you guys know what I find. That's exactly where stew-mac straight-edges fail my expectations. Even the notched one that I decided to keep has quite a bend. I keep trying to bend it more straight and the darn thing creeps back into a bend. Pisses me off. The set I bought from stewmac years ago was even WAY worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 WoodCraft sells a precision straight edge (2 ft, I think) for a decent price ($40.00). The tolerance is .002" and stewmac says theirs is .0015" (for $55.90). It's not a huge savings but at least you know what the tolerance is and can compare without guessing. I've been using the WoodCraft straight edge for a while now and have no complaints. Isn't it a .002" tolerance over the whole 2 foot length ? Stew-Macs has a .0015" Per foot, witch means a 24" stew-mac has a .003" tolerance over the whole 2 foot length. I bought my Bridge City Tool Works 24" straight-edge from WoodCraft supply about 15 years ago. It was around $36.00 . I had it for a few months when part of the ceiling in my workshop fell down (hung ceiling). It knocked my straight-edge off the hanger on the wall onto the concrete floor. One end was damaged. I took advantage of Bridge City Tool Works $5.00 re-calibration/replacement offer. Sent it to them and they sent another one. The one they sent had some rust. Sent that back and they sent me another one. I trust it. I use to to check other straight-edges. At least it has no bend that I can detect, and it's 24". Stew-Mac can't even make a 18" without having a bad bend. If the ones from that art place are good, and they are that price because maybe they're made in China.... well, I guess stew-mac forced me to take that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 hmmm with some bugging, i'm sure we could get wes to edit this thread a bit and have it pinned, we could put all kinds of tool info here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Wes is supposed to be becoming a recording engineer with all those new toys he bought. he might not have time. But we don't know if these straightedges pass the test, so maybe this actual thread isn't what we want pinned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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