suggestions for a cheap height gauge

W

Whoever Wherever

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Nov 17, 2006
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Is there a carbide tipped edge guide worth buying that wont break the bank (like 80 bucks maybe). I am afraid to buy a cheap one when I know a carbide center scribe will get the job done ok for less. Still I would preffer the accuracy and control of a proper height gauge. Does anyone know a rasonable priced one that they can recomend as functiong well? Thanks for any help.
 
I use carbide tipped masonry bits and sharpen them with my bench grinder, works great and costs way less than your target price, just get them the same size as whatever the stock youre working on is
 
Thanks Barkes, I wil check that out. There are alot of these things out on the market and I felt like I was fishing in to big a barrel without any suggestions, a big help.

mrstenoien I am not shure I understand what you are saying. Do you take the drill bit and fasten it down to a flat surface then use its tip to scribe a single center line? If so thats a great idea but wont work for me. I specificly want to scribe different parts of the blade to different thickness for a compound grind. Thats whats making me want to step up to mid tech. Until now I have been using a super cheap carbide scridbe tip on a brass block, works ok as long as I manage to keep the blade flush with the brass block and never drop the dang thing. If I misunderstood what you were saying please correct me and thanks for your suggestion.

EDIT: ouch the one at wholesale tools is $250-300, alot more than I can spend on this. Are there any good height gage's with scribers for around 100-120?
 
No problem, if this blade grind wasnt such a pain I dont think I would even be looking for one. I try to get as many low cost alternatives going as I can. Every penny saved for knife steel counts a bunch.
 
check enco. That's were i got mine. it was on sale for right at 80 bucks
and they had free shipping on orders over $50.00 . It has a carbide tip
works great. Also bought a 2 ton arbor press for $51.00 that they shipped
free. But the granite surface plate that cost right at $53.00 cost me $73.00
to ship it. (just got the credit card bill tonight)
They are real fast at shipping and I have had great luck with them.
Tim
 
Thanks guys. Rocketman I'm such a noob that in my looking I forgot to grab my grizzly catalog and check. Has anyone used on of these grizzlies?

amc thanks for the input, hearing that it works for you is real reassurance. I dont know height gages from squat so I feel out of water when shopping for one. I'm used to having brands I trust and more understanding of what makes for a better product.
 
I just looked at Grizzly. $39.95 for the 6". They even sell granite in various sizes.
 
I have the Grizzly 6" (Part #G9618), it was $39.95 and the granite slab 6" x 8" x2" (Part #G9647) $12.95. Get some Dykem as well. This setup was worth every penny! :thumbup:
 
jll346 said:
I just looked at Grizzly. $39.95 for the 6". They even sell granite in various sizes.
Click to expand...

Look at your local counter top suppliers. They often have the sink cutout for granite countertops lying around. Cheap maybe free (try a box of donuts?!?)
 
Awsome Flatgrinder, Thats the cheapest one yet so if it works good I'll be placing an order. I love Dykem even though I could make inapropriate comments about its name all day. :P Tommegow, thats a damn good idea. unfourtunately the only places in town are small hardware stores and the big boys. I will have to check and see if any of them cut granite tops. I wouldnt be suprised if it was special order item up here. Thanks to everyone for the help.
 
Jim, for the purposes you're looking at, you can also use a piece of 1/2" or 5/8" thick plate glass for a surface plate. Float glass is best (expensive) but rolled is accurate (flat) enough for marking straight knives. If you consider that route, have them chamfer the edges for you when it's cut.
 
Thanks fitzo, shipping is a bear to Alaska. Even if the glass is expensive it will probably be cheaper than the shipping alone.
 
Jim, here's a couple tips about marking blade stock. If I'm preaching to the choir, ignore me! :D

Tip 1. Not all precision ground stock is flat. An easy way to find out is to lay it on the surface and press down about 1/2" from one end. Flip it over and repeat. If it's not flat, it'll lift up because it rocks from one side or the other.

Tip 2 When marking for edge grindlines, I like to make two marks. Knowing how thick I want my edge before HT, I make a quick calculation. Say I wanted 30thou (.030") thickness. That's 15 thou from center on either side. If the steel is .186, center is .093. That leaves the first mark at at .093-.015=.078. Now, the second mark should be .093 +.015=.108.

Alot of people would just flip the knife over and mark the other side from .078. Consider Tip 1. If the steel is not truly flat, and you filp it over, then you have a pair of lines that won't be parallel, leaving the grind inconsistent thickness.

Further, a lot of people mark by running a caliper down either side of the blade, using one of the prongs as a marker and the other as a guide. If you think about this for a second, you have then created parallel lines but if the steel's not flat, they're curved lines and you build a warp into the grind.

Marking both lines with a plate from the same side of the blank will give you two parallel lines flat to a surface, and your blade will grind consistent and straight. It takes 15 seconds more arithmetic and an extra height adjustment but helps assure straightness of the product.

Just my .02 on blade marking.
 
Thanks again fitzo, the first one I was aware of but the rest of it makes a great deal of sense. The way I have been marking it would have been impossible but with the height gage I should start practicing more consistent ways of scribing.
 
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