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Need 30" or so straightedge

JST

Diamond
Joined
Jun 16, 2001
Location
St Louis
It's now time to acquire a straightedge in the 30" area. I do not mind one that needs a toufhup, or even some more serious scraping back to good, but I am not interested in doing one from a milled surface. I've done that before, and it was entirely too much like work.

I have to do it in steps, as my longest reference is about 20" presently, which is another reason not to go with a rough milled part, and there is also the issue of warping. Starting from a reasonably close surface reduces the number of passes needed to get the steps aligned, and the idea is o get done sometime reasonably soon since it is a spare time operation..

Why do I have and need smaller reference tools? Because one thing I do is refurbish hobby-size machines, generally buying, going through them, and and reselling them. Extensive scraping is not usually that profitable, but it is sometimes needed.

So if anyone has such a straightedge that they want to sell, let me know.
 
I just bought a used 30" or maybe 36" camelback SE I will sell you. It's scraped. I found it in a huge surplus everything warehouse in Rockford today. i;ll take a picture of it tomorrow. I am guessing it's 50 years aged.
 
Richard, I remember you talking a year ago about getting a pattern made for a 30" HKA (RKA?) about the same time you started casting your new 12" SE's. Did you go ahead with the 30" pattern?

L7
 
No I must have forgot...I have a 24" and 36" Plain camel back patterns and castings (without the angle). That are light. I should send you a 24" or HK-24 and you can tell the forum about how light it is. My straight-edges were designed by my Dad accept for the HKA-12 and HKA-18. Those HKA- models with the 45 degree angles were designed to use on mills and some grinders table and saddles with dovetails. The HK series were designed to use on lathe beds, flat and V ways and are 2/3 lighter then a HKA design. Did I ever sell you a HK design? Rich
 
No, I only have your HKA 24 and 48. Both are in use and handle well. My longest SE is a 60" plain Challenge that I bead blasted seven pounds (not exagerating!) of porch paint off. Now, if you wanted to send me a HK to try... How 'bout your HK 72? :-)

Regards,
Stan.
 
No, I only have your HKA 24 and 48. Both are in use and handle well. My longest SE is a 60" plain Challenge that I bead blasted seven pounds (not exagerating!) of porch paint off. Now, if you wanted to send me a HK to try... How 'bout your HK 72? :-)

Regards,
Stan.

Sure send me $1400.00 plus UPS. and I will send you a HK-72. I was thinking about a HK-24, I have a lot of those. I do have a Brown and Sharpe 72" non angle camel back I bought from a rebuilder going out of business and will give you a deal on it. It has a nice factory wood cover too. Oh 3 fellow in Red Wing MN are talking about a class next month....keep an eye open....Oh another thing PM member "Collector" (Shane Carr) that you met down in Rockford is retiring and he will be selling his equipment he wrote me.
 
So if anyone has such a straightedge that they want to sell, let me know.

Jerry, I still have the 30" one Wes Johnson (ewlsey) made a You-Tube of when he scraped it for me. "Challenge" brand or such? It can be seen in the You Tube.

It has been replaced by a lovely and LIGHTER D.G. Foster heirloom, so never used even once since scraped, save for a nick I seem to have wanged into one edge. Which I have dressed.

Yours, first dibs, for wotever I paid for it, which was not a lot. $200? Email me if interested. - PM box is permanently full.

Pretty sure I even still have a fitted plywood crate that ships it FRB or UPS easily enough.

Get a D.G. Foster - milled - and use as-is or scrape-final you want one worthy of real use and/or museum case display. None better, and Denis won't be making them "forever".
 
Richard, as I'm sure you know, I was pulling your leg about the HK72. I have no project that would need that length. Shane's a friend and yes, I knew about his decision. That guy is one of the smartest, hardest working guys I know.

Getting back to the OP's question, I do think there is a need for 30" with angle straight edges. A HKA 30 would be a nice addition to the market.

L7
 
Im not going to make any new patterns now.....ask that pattern place up there...maybe he would?? I am still unwinding for the Rockford class and drive home. Going to the State Fair hopefully tomorrow. Also helping Alex catch some honey bee's today. I will get a picture for Jerry if he is interested in a used 36" camel back, it's a bit rusty, needs a paint job, but it's machined and once was scraped.... no angle...or a 24 or 36" with or with out angle camelback casting. I think Gary Cude down in Texas has a 30" he bought Dinges Patterns. I'll send him a message and ask him to comment on here.
 
Richard, there's a chance I could come down for a few days to your Red Wing class if it happens. I'm working weekends now so only could do mid week. Does that shop have a good condition 60" surface plate?

Stan.
 
I have a 36" fs. Details on request, but PM says your inbox is full.

Not sure if that was addressed to me or not, but inbox should not be full, as I cleared it

For me, 30 or 36 would be fine, 24 too short, 48 way more than needed.
 
JST, knowing Denis and having scraped in two of his Featherweight straight edges, you might want to wait for his newly proposed 30" SE. Will probably be lighter and easier to handle than other SE's of that length currently available. Someone can correct me, but the only 30" camelbacks for dovetails that I know of are the two types Stephen Thomas made roughly ten years ago and the previous Busch company's SE.

Regards,
L7
 
Not sure if that was addressed to me or not, but inbox should not be full, as I cleared it

For me, 30 or 36 would be fine, 24 too short, 48 way more than needed.

I'll also get a weight for you when I take the fotos of the 30" Challenge.

ISTR is is not only heavier than the Foster, it is about 2 lbs heavier than my 48" B&S. Even so, the azures are arranged better for lifting on the Challenge pattern.

That because the B&S is OLD and may have been milled once or more than once as well as scraped freshly. "For me, not BY me", of course. LazyIyam.

Mind, the Challenge 30" perhaps COULD be dovetail-milled BOTH sides and then come out lighter. Futures? Optional. Otherwise, it is ready to put to work, as is.
 
JST, knowing Denis and having scraped in two of his Featherweight straight edges, you might want to wait for his newly proposed 30" SE. Will probably be lighter and easier to handle than other SE's of that length currently available. Someone can correct me, but the only 30" camelbacks for dovetails that I know of are the two types Stephen Thomas made roughly ten years ago and the previous Busch company's SE.

Regards,
L7

As mentioned, a 36 would be fine, and possibly even somewhat better. Either is OK.
 
JST, I have several 36’s in stock. I sell them as raw castings and machined castings and have listed them on eBay.

36" Lightweight Cast Iron Camelback Straight Edge Featherweight Raw Casting | eBay

Even thought the SE is quite lightweight, it’s sole is 3” wide and designed to reach under a vee-way and its deflection is less than a tenth when loaded with 25 pounds at its center when supported on 1-2-3 blocks at its ends. They are properly thermally stress-relieved.

Machined the sole sole usually comes out less than 2 thou deviation from a flat plane. I promise 4 though to give some wiggle room. See the various listings on eBay by searching “Featherweight Straight Edge”

Usually members here buy direct from me and I give them a 10% discount as I save on eBay charges that way. Feel free to contact Lucky7, sfriedberg, thermite all of whom have publicly reported purchases from me. There are others who chose to maintain radio silence. ;-)

I ship the SE’s in a very robust fitted wood box. Shipping UPS to St Louis would be less than 100 dollars—-the cost of shipping to NY.

Denis

denisgfoster at g mail to discuss details. Maybe we can figure out something that works for you.
 








 
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