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are these accurate enough for fretwork and setting the neck angle or should i spend the extra money and get something made of steel? i still have a decent amount of tools to buy in order to finish my first and im trying not to break the bank.

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproduc ... ight+Edges

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sweat the small stuff.

I am sure they are good enough for whatever you may want to do with them.  But then again almost any decent straight edge would work and have done well for me and others know.

accuracy is .001 per what? Doesn't say. I also wonder about flex. I'd say get a quality rigid steel rule in the length you want and it will also double as a pretty decent straight edge. Check Ebay, but stay with the good brands (starrett, mitutoyo, brown & sharpe, rabone, maybe lufkin). For frets, I made do for years with a good steel rule, but recently got a machinists straightedge. Did I need it? I dunno.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

For guitar work, you're better off buying a granite surface plate like this http://www.grizzly.com/products/18-x-24 ... hick/G9654

and making your own straight edges. Just put psa sandpaper on the plate and sand. Aluminum is easy, steal takes a bit longer.

This allows you to have many different lengths and gives you a surface for truing wood parts.

The only downside is moving it around the shop. Ugh.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

It's all upside...free workout!

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Several years ago, I had some phenolic cut for me, 24"x6"x3/4", have different grit of PSA sandpaper
on each side, from 100 to 600, as well as one w/100/150/240/400. I got them that length, to true straightedges, if/when I made them. I use them constantly, don't know what I'd do without them.

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https://soundcloud.com/jeffreylsuits/he ... -runnin-13

I contacted LMI regarding this product. I wanted to see if it was rigid enough to stick some sandpaper on it and joint boards. They told me there would be way too much flex for something like that. So I think this particular straight edge would be suited for more light-duty type stuff.
-John

A draftsmans T square is pretty good, you just cut the T off.
On one side I marked where the frets land and simply notched it one my table saw with the miter guage set at 90 degrees
These draftsman T squares are very precise.

Peter

thanks for the advice guys. i was making an order at LMI and i wanted to order as much stuff as i could to save on shipping, but i think ill just hold off for now. maybe santa will bring me a nice straight edge.

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sweat the small stuff.

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I have a very long hardened steel straightedge, don't know the brand now but it is made in Germany and it cost me a bit so I guess it's OK. I use it for cutting all sorts of thin material with a knife and also to check the accuracy of the other straightedges I have made in more convenient length that I use for various things around the shop. It's good to have a datum you can rely on, and you never know when you will be attacked by Darth Vader and need to defend yourself.

Cheers

Kim

Humm? LMI does not say so but I assume that the .001" is the edge straightness tolerance. That is prior to being dropped a few time on the floor, having a few clamps dropped on it, then accidently laid against a hot bending pipe

While these will work fine for most anything till nicked up pretty bad, I think I will stick with my precision stainless steel straight edges

i guess my original question should have just been something more like "how accurate of a straight edge do i actually need for fretwork and setting neck angles?" ive never done the work so its hard for me to know. so i gather that .0005" accuracy is overkill and plastic might be underkill. ill find something in the middle i suppose. my father owns a machine shop so maybe ill have him make something up for me. thanks for the advice.

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sweat the small stuff.

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