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Featherweight Straight Edges in Stock

dgfoster

Diamond
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Location
Bellingham, WA
I have been diligently casting and machining straight edges and squares. I am nearly caught up as I now have in stock raw castings for my 8, 18, 36 and 48" straight edges.
I have them listed on eBay. I will soon have a 30 X12X4 box square (like metalmagpie machined and is scraping) in stock. There are a couple other box squares that have sold and are out there and in progress.You can easily find the various eBay listings by searching on Featherweight Straight edges. Detailed pictures, pricing, weights, shipping costs, machining options are listed as well.

I have machined castings of the 18 and 8 in stock and can get a 36 done in a week or so. I do not have equipment large enough to machine the 48's or the squares.

Practicalmachinist members get a 10% discount when the SE's are bought directly from me. There are additional savings for local pickup---a nice way to save some money and fun to get to put faces with names.

Also, PM members who complete a bona fide scraping class (there were three in a Rich's class in Tacoma for example and there have been others) get a total of a 30% discount ---10% on purchase and 20% more upon completion of the class applied to the straight edge of their purchase. Student discount is limited to one per student one time only.

These castings are made one at a time by me in my own foundry from commercially sourced grey iron. Each casting is carefully inspected, hardness tested, and properly thermally stress relieved.

Quite a few PM members of this forum have purchased one or more of the SE's.

Here is a message I got yesterday concerning an 18"
Hi Denis,
Yes, I have received it. Everything is just fine as you promised and i am absolutely happy with a new tool in my shed. Thanks so much for your help with the machining. I have measured the flatness and parallelism of the top surface and found it all within +/-0.001 on all length. It will save me a lot of time on scraping. Thanks for all your help and wish you a good luck, (name withheld)


​Denis

Contact info: I much prefer email over PM's [email protected]
 
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I thought I’d show off a little 8” SE / Prism / Paralell that I sold to PM member yesterday. He wanted it machined as his mill is presently “between mills.” So, I did my best and it will go Priority Mail this afternoon.

Here is a 90 sec. video showing the machined casting.

I appreciate the amazing support PM has given to me in support of my “casting habit.” ;-)

Denis
 
Thanks for posting the video Denis.......can't wait to lay hands on it. Looks like you did a fine job on the milling!
 
Here’s a machined 18 and a raw 8 boxed up to make the USPS Priority trip to rural Illinois. Kind of a jigsaw puzzle getting them secured in the box so I can be sure they will make it undamaged.

164B68DE-B73D-4E1F-8332-BA245D6A90D9.jpgFF64E8FC-0EC1-41AD-943A-DD5CBBC6219F.jpg

Denis
 
Received my 8" machined straight edge already. After placing the order Denis machined it, shipped it, and was in my hands in Alaska in about 3 days! Looks great. Not a void to be found, and very nice machining. Someone at the USPS managed to put a very small ding on a corner that basically will be going away anyway, so no harm really. After getting my tools in order, and some practice time in, it will be my first scraping project. Then will be used to correct a lathe compound, that's been annoying me for some time.
 
I’ll post the picture of the ding Jeff mentioned. I used a good number of bubble-wrap layers and several wraps of strapping tape all of which went inside a USPS padded envelope. After machining, it has been my practice to lightly files all edges and corners to remove burrs leaving the final degree of easing such corners and plane intersections to the purchaser. Seeing the ding, I was not happy with my packing job—-I do not fault USPS. Here’s a pic Jeff kindly sent showing the corner where the back, sole, and end intersect at least that looks like what I am seeing. Could also be top rail corner I suppose.

1A966A06-C266-4AB2-B22D-EA84E232ECAE.jpg

So yes, surely for comfortable and practical use this corner would be eased more than enough to remove the ding. But, I will be wrapping the 8’s differently based on this experience. I am planning at least on rolling them up in cardboard that is about 2 inches longer than the 8 and I’ll use plenty of strapping tape to pull the tube ends around the casting. Nevertheless, if anyone ever receives a casting damaged in transit, I’ll replace it no questions asked promptly and free shipping.

If anyone has suggestions for a better wrapping method, I’m listening. The casting does not fit in a small USPS flat rate box. I’d rather not charge for a medium box. If there were something like a thermoplastic material that could be shaped over the ends, that would be useful as it would dull the corners and reduce their tendency to poke through a wrap.

Denis
 
Right now I am thinking of putting the machined straight edges in a length of 3" plastic two inches longer than the SE. The next hurdle is how to plug the ends cheaply, quickly, and effectively. I have a couple ideas and will play around with it tomorrow if there is time.---maybe holesaw-cut 3/4 ply plugs . Plastic caps would be OK but would add to cost quite a bit. Some padding inside the pipe and plugged ends would make the SE nearly indestructible. Crumpled craft paper wads on each end and and a few straps of nylon-reinforced tape placed diametrically might do it too.. Hmm, thinkin.... The whole works has to fit into the padded envelope, of course.

Denis
 
I think the tube idea has real merit Denis. I'll bet the ends would need nothing more than wadded up paper or foam. As long as it keeps the SE inboard of the ends of the tube, should be fine.
 
Right now I am thinking of putting the machined straight edges in a length of 3" plastic two inches longer than the SE. The next hurdle is how to plug the ends cheaply, quickly, and effectively. I have a couple ideas and will play around with it tomorrow if there is time.---maybe holesaw-cut 3/4 ply plugs . Plastic caps would be OK but would add to cost quite a bit. Some padding inside the pipe and plugged ends would make the SE nearly indestructible. Crumpled craft paper wads on each end and and a few straps of nylon-reinforced tape placed diametrically might do it too.. Hmm, thinkin.... The whole works has to fit into the padded envelope, of course.

Denis

Tubes are not perfect. I was an Alpha/Beta site for Sunmaster evacuated-tube thermal solar collectors ages go. PVC DWV with the cemented-in threaded clean-out caps made a good re-usable bothway shipping container, but..

..we found it wise to put that inside a triangular pasteboard sleeve with further padding. Partly so they didn't ROLL and escape the courier's handling system, and partly to further absorb G-Forces that were damaging the evacuated tubes where the tube was already "hung" on bungee so it could move about.

Triangular or rectangular sleeve, directly used, could be a better deal for your product.

I appreciate the fitted wooden cases of the first ones you made and shipped to me, but they are probably overkill, cost vs risk of actual damage-wise.

NRi, for example, shipped me a lighter-than-average Reliance 3 HP motor (just under 100 lbs) simply foamed into a cube in a larger by far UPS box than otherwise needed. The other three had to come by freight, on pallet$$$.

The foamed-in deal was fast and cheap enough for them they covered it as "free" shipping.

KISS method, that packaging foam can be. Beats all heck out of loose "trash the whole Universe" "angel turd".
 
Here is what I am going to do. The 3" drain pipe cost is less than 80 cents per shipment and provides a practically bullet-proof container.
For some reason this image refuses to go full size.
Tube.JPG

Tube1.jpg
Tube#.jpgTube4.jpgTube5.jpg

I think this will survive any reasonable shipping tossing, dropping etc.

Denis
 
Denis
they arrived in perfect shape! Although I have not measured the 18” I’m pretty sure it’s a nice job of machining. It appears very flat when placed on, after wiping it and The little granite plate I have. It will be a nice little project to machine and scrape the 8”.
thanks again
a satisfied customer
Jerry Halcomb
 
Thanks for the kind words, Jerry.

Jerry was the recipient of the package shown in post 4 above. I have to hand it to the USPS Priority as I put that package in the mail in Washington on Saturday and Jerry got it in rural Illinois and in fine shape yesterday despite the holiday in the interval. Not bad at 21 bucks for two straight edges in one package.

Please keep us posted on your scraping progress.

Denis
 
UPS Shipping Canada

Yesterday I sent a raw thermally-stress-relieved 36 to an experienced scraper in British Columbia. In the past I have sold a few to Canadians, but due to shipping cost concerns, possible tariffs, etc, I have either shipped them to mailboxes those guy have maintained on the US side of the border or they have picked them up themselves. I really like meeting folks personally for pick up as I get to put a name with the face, show them my setup,and have a little conversation---good times in other words. But now we are dealing with this Covid plague and that has put a halt to essentially all the border crossings. So, for my recent buyer who actually only lives 47 miles as the crow flies, I shipped UPS to him with an expected delivery just 2 working days away---Tuesday. The cost was about 70 dollars. I did have to fill out a Canada duty form but UPS walked me through that quite easily.
Unfortunately, UPS Simple Rate is not yet available in Canada. Otherwise, I could have shipped a 36 to him for only 30 dollars as I can to any point in the US including HI, AK, and Puerto Rico.

Maybe I should have just met him across the border and given the SE a heave!

Anyway, he and I are pleased that I can get the SE to him even though the border is closed to non-essential travel and the service did not take that long or cost an arm and a leg.

Denis
 
I’d suggest caution with UPS and international shipping. You may want to check what they charge for “brokerage and duties”. My experience with that company has not been positive. Not trying to rain on you in any way Denis, but would always suggest USPS if at all possible for small shipments to Canada from US.

L7
 
I’d suggest caution with UPS and international shipping. You may want to check what they charge for “brokerage and duties”. My experience with that company has not been positive. Not trying to rain on you in any way Denis, but would always suggest USPS if at all possible for small shipments to Canada from US.

L7

You've a lot more experience than me on the Canada shipping thing. So, is the recipient going to get hit with a bunch more fees? As it is he paid about 70 bucks (I forget the exact number) for a two working day transit time. USPS charges on the 36 would have been between 179 and 278 USD depending on the service I selected and delivery time was 7 to 10 days. An 18 which fits in a priority box would have been a different story. But there is not way to use that service for a 36. Within the US, UPS's relatively new Simple Rate system allows me to ship a 36 for 30 dollars vs UPS's prior rate of 100 to NY which compared favorably with to the USPS.

If you know some ways to use USPS to Canada economically, I surely would like to know.

Also, is there any practical way for Canadians to use a US delivery box system like they used to prior to Covid?

Thanks,
Denis
 
Yup, that border is even more pesky with covid.

I have no experience with your end of the 49th this year, but near me it’s been ok, just not as easy or economical. I cannot cross, but there’s a local courier business in my town who drive across the line daily to the shipping address I rent in the US as well as other places. Being technically truckers they are legal. Even after a modest fee to them plus whatever taxes/duties it still has been markedly cheaper for my purchases in the US than using UPS, or even USPS internationally. Having said that my purchasing in the US is way down this year...

I’d imagine there’s someone doing similar near Vancouver?

In the past, with UPS, I’d get hit with a roughly $100 “duty and service fees” charge, plus the Canadian taxes for something like your 36” SE that actually has no applicable duties to enter Canada.

With USPS that came directly to my place in Canada, I’ve never had bogus fees, but they do charge a bunch more to cross the border, therefore, just nicer (pre covid) for me to go to the US every few months to pick up my packages.

Hope this info helps.

And I’m sure the Vancouver guy will enjoy using your 36” SE! I was using the one I bought from you just last last week.

Cheers,
Stan.
 
Thanks for "boots on the ground" info, Stan. I will track this shipment and should know more on Wed. I'll let this forum know what happens. Shipping outside the country is so expensive in general.. I just don't get it. I truly feel sorry for folks that live in NZ and Au who I hear have to pay seemingly exorbitant prices for things they have to import. On the other hand, USPS Priority, when I can use it, seems like a bargain and has been quite prompt.

Denis
 
So, today I checking online progress of the shipment to BC.

I see there were government and UPS charges assessed to the recipient. This was based on a valuation of 500 dollars. The governmental charges I assume would be the same regardless of the carrier. With the brokerage fee the net shipping charge was less than USPS’S least expensive option by 30 dollars and was at least 7 days faster.

I will be interested in comments from our Canadian friends on the governmental taxes and I would like to know of any better options for getting SE’s to Canada for less money. The extra charges are a real bite.

Denis
F7FFE462-DF05-4BAE-A751-F0663DD69A7A.jpg
 
Just when I thought I had the packaging of the 8's all figured out, along comes an order from a guy for a fully machined 8 to ship to Edmonton AB. No problem, right? Except that though USPS Priority ships to Canada, I just learned there is a 4 pound weight restriction on padded envelopes for international shipping. So, the seemingly nice solution of packing it in a tube as shown above won't work. Weight is also a primary concern with UPS international shipping as is size. So, a new container for international shipping had to be dreamed up. Of especial concern is that the corners of the SE be protected as they are vulnerable in shipping.

Here is what I did:

To protect the corners I felt better about wood caps. So I traced the profile and practiced my handle crankingf skills on the mill to mill out pockets.
BoxA1.jpg

I only stumbled upon using the table saw to dimension cardboard---so much better than using a box knife and straight edge.
Box4.jpg

Hot glue liberally used.
Box2.jpg
Voids filled in
Box3.jpg
Ready for the wrapper. Using a carpenter square (not shown) and plastic mallet to pound creasing grooves into the cardboard helps make a neat job of folding the cardboard. got the whole thing done with juasat one pound of packing materials and minimal volume.
Box5.jpg

And now I am the five image limit. Next post.

Denis
 
All ready to go along with duty declaration in triplicate.

Box6.jpg

It is more work to make this package than the tube, but it also should get the machined casting to the destination without any dings.
Denis
 








 
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