Machinist Square for Tormek Users?

[sweet_strings]

Would someone kindly recommend a good, precision machinist square that will enable me to keep my plane blades and chisels in the Squre Edge-77 jig while checking my progress towards square? I often sharpen blades that are wider than 2 3/8", such as the No. 8 plane blade (2 5/8") and No. 80 Scraper Plane blade (2 3/4"), and I'm a looking for a machinist square that can check a blade at least 3" long (from the inner edge of the stock to the end of the square's blade).

The stock part of the square should not be too long, however, otherwise it will run into the jig. This is especially true when checking the sharpening of short blades or ones with higher angles (e.g., 40 degrees or more) that require shorter protrusions out of the SE-77 jig. Ideally, the stock part of the square should be less than an inch long, or would be made of a material I could cut down to size if necessary.

I'm getting tired of having to remove the blade from the SE-77 jig every time I wish to check my progress for square.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help.
Chris

[Ken S]

Chris,

Welcome to the forum. You ask a very pertinent question. Here is a link to the closest thing I have found:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32601&cat=1,42936,42941

These engineer's squares are inexpensive enough that you could buy more than one and modify them to fit Tormek needs. Get the right blade length and cut off the stock. You might want more than one size. A square large enough for a number eight jointer plane (2 5/8") might not suit a small blade for a shoulder rabbet or plow plane. In the under twenty dollar range, you could make up several. They are well within accuracy tolerance.

Another choice would be a double square. In the jig, you would have to use the stock instead of the blade against the tool being sharpened. (A double square is like a combination square with a narrow stock. It can be set to look like a T and either side used.)

Neither of these choices is ideal. In my opinion, the ideal square(s) would be plastic. Plastic would not rust and would not dull a tool blade. It would be inexpensive enough to have several on hand and be easily modified with a bandsaw. I really don't know why Tormek or someone else doesn't make them. They could easily be made in a small home shop. All you would need is a piece of plastic, a saw, a file and a reference which was square. (A 3D printer project?) A flat square, like a miniture framing square would work well. Most of the time, having no measurement marks on the blade would be visually less distracting.

Please keep us posted on the progress of your quest. Not having to remove the tool from the square edge jig is the key to efficiency. The other key is to check early; don't grind much before checking.

In the past, members of this forum have developed some very useful, innovative jigs and tools. Forum members were using magnets in the water trough long before Tormek built them in. Herman and others developed small knife jigs. A number of us have developed simple and sophisticated bevel angle setting devices. I believe the time has come for us to turn our attention to developing squares (and bevel gages) suited to the Tormek.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Ken

[Jan]

When sharpening plane irons or really wide wood chisels I do not use the alignment shoulder in the jig but align the tool edge to a pencil line drawn on the stone.

Old forged plane irons often have rough sides which are not parallel. Incorrect blade mounting results in skewed edge what is very annoying. As wisely recommended by Ken "don't grind much before checking". The square edge jig, in contrast to the knife jig, allows only for minor corrections by applying more pressure or spending more time. 

Jan

[SharpenADullWitt]

I have a local to me place, that gets lots of attention online, from several tool crowds.  It is called Harry Epstein's, and is a tool and discount/closeout hardware type of store.  They sell machinist's squares from 2" ($5 .003 runout) up to 24" ($75 and .006 runout), as well as the 4" double square, 4R that I have used.  These are mostly factory "blems", which work just fine for my uses.

[Ken S]

Good thought, Jan, about using the pencil line. That probably works better than a square at first. Any trouble drawing a line part way through sharpening?

SADW, your local store sounds like a good source for bargain tools. I purchased a blem 500 mm rule online. It works fine.

Ken