Scribd
Upload
502 views9 pages

Making It Dead Flat and Square

The document describes simple techniques for making precision straight edges and squares without existing precision tools. To make a straight edge, two copies are made of a reference edge and one is flipped over. Where the edges don't align, the reference edge is shaved down by half the separation. This process identifies when the reference edge is perfectly straight. Similarly for a square, two copies of a reference triangle are made and one is flipped to check for gaps, allowing the reference to be adjusted into a perfect right angle. With replication and comparison of edges or angles, precision can be achieved without pre-existing precision tools.

Uploaded by

Simon Uwtvuur
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
502 views9 pages

Making It Dead Flat and Square

The document describes simple techniques for making precision straight edges and squares without existing precision tools. To make a straight edge, two copies are made of a reference edge and one is flipped over. Where the edges don't align, the reference edge is shaved down by half the separation. This process identifies when the reference edge is perfectly straight. Similarly for a square, two copies of a reference triangle are made and one is flipped to check for gaps, allowing the reference to be adjusted into a perfect right angle. With replication and comparison of edges or angles, precision can be achieved without pre-existing precision tools.

Uploaded by

Simon Uwtvuur
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

Making it Dead Flat and Square

By R. G. Sparber
Copyleft protects this article1.
Introduction
Open up your favorite machine tool catalog and you can find precision straight
edges accurate to a degree to please almost anyone. Same goes for buying a
square. Pay more money, get closer to perfect. Have you ever thought about how
some ancient machinist made the first precision straight edge and precision
square? It turns out to be amazingly simple.
Background
This article was inspired by a piece in The Machinists Second Bedside Reader by
Guy Lautard entitled How to Make a Master Reference Square. I own the
complete 3 book set and re-read it every few years. He focuses on the practical
side but is light on the theory. To compliment his fine work, I have decided to
present mostly the theory.
The Precision Edge
When I start to make my precision edge, it will be far from straight.

You are free to copy and distribute this article but please do not change it.

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 1 of 9

If I had a precision straight edge, I could lay it up against the edge Im making and
figure out where to shave away metal.

But where did I get this precision straight edge?


I have fallen into what is called circular reasoning. If I had a precision straight
edge, I could make another. But where did the first one come from? Unlike the
dumb chicken and egg joke, we actually have a rather satisfying answer for this
one.
I will call the edge I am making my Reference edge because when Im done, it will
be a precision straight edge.
Now, say I made two exact copies of this edge. Call one of these copies A and
the other B. Both have been carved to fit the contours of Ref without a gap.

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 2 of 9

Now flip the A copy over and butt it up against B.

Note the vertical black line on the right side. It is essential that the two edges are
aligned so they touch at the same point traceable back to Ref. If B slid over and
meshed with A, we would get the wrong result.
I now have one point where the edges touch and plenty of length where they
dont touch.
At each place they dont touch, my Ref edge sticks out too much. This might be
kind of counter intuitive at first but please bear with me.
If I shave down these Ref parts that stick out, I will get my precision straight edge.

But how much do I remove? It turns out the separation between flipped A and B
at any point along this edge equal twice the amount the Reference edge is over
the line.

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 3 of 9

It is hard to see with this wavy line so consider an edge with a notch in it.

I make two copies of my Reference edge

and then flip A over.

Now I see a gap between A and B. Compare this gap to the part of Ref below the
black line.
R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 4 of 9

If I shaved off the Ref material below the black line and fitted A and B to match
Refs new contour, we would find no gap as I butted flipped A and B.
This technique tells us when we have arrived at a precision reference edge but
not how we get there. I defer to Mr. Lautards book for that detail. I want to move
on to how the above relates to making a precision square.

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 5 of 9

The Precision Square

Say I have a triangle with straight sides but it does not


contain a perfect right angle in it.
I will call this my Reference triangle because when Im
done, it will be a perfect right triangle or square.

Now, if I had a perfect right triangle, it would be easy to see how to adjust Ref to
also be perfect.
I have again fallen into circular
reasoning. If I had a perfect
right triangle, I could make
another. But where did the
first one come from? The
answer is similar to how we
can make a precision straight
edge.

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 6 of 9

I will make two more triangles called A and B.

With Ref placed on a straight edge, I will adjust triangle A until it perfectly
matches the almost vertical side of Ref. Then I will take triangle B and do the
same thing. So now triangle A matches triangle B on its almost vertical side.
Next, flip over triangle A and put A and B together.

See that gap between A and B? It wouldnt be there if Ref was a perfect right
triangle. So although we dont have a right triangle, we can tell when we get one.
As with the challenge of making a precision straight edge, the gap at any point
equals twice the error in Ref.
R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 7 of 9

Lets creep a little towards the practical.


Say I take a piece of metal with a thickness of w and cut it in two and deburr the
edges. Then I stack them up with the bottom edges lined up. I now have a
thickness of 2w. Then I slide the stack down the gap between flipped over A and
B. If I chose w wisely, the stack will contact both A and B at some height h along
the almost vertical edges.

If I then mark vertical height h on Ref, I know that this point is a horizontal
distance w from true.
Taking one of the two strips of metal, I have my
width w. I change my almost vertical Ref edge by
this amount and will arrive at my precision right
angle.
If A, B, and Ref have a pivoting vertical edge, the
above process should be reasonable. The problem
with Ref being of this design is that it can be easily
R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 8 of 9

knocked out of alignment. Precision squares are made with parts permanently
fixed together. Machining, filing, grinding, and scraping are used to get the
required straight edges and alignment. Drop the precision square on the floor and
you might have to start all over again. If you are the one that made this
instrument, I suspect it would be a rather dark day.
Whats Next?
If you want to make precision straight edges or squares, I encourage you to buy
Guy Lautards book. In fact, I suggest you buy the entire set.
Questions and comments are always welcome. All of us are smarter than any one
of us.

Rick Sparber
[email protected]

R. G. Sparber December 31, 2010 Page 9 of 9

You might also like