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1294 Review
37 Karma

Review on πŸ“ Precision Woodstock D4089 Machinist Square Set: Achieve Accurate Measurements with 4 Essential Pieces by Robert Yates

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Not even suitable for woodworking. Calling them driver squares is a joke.

EDIT: Downgraded from 3 stars to 1 star and eventually returned. At first I thought they were suitable for woodworking. True, they are decently square. However, the fact that the blades are inserted into the body at such an angle results in the blade not lying flat on the workpiece when the body is registered relative to the side (imagine that "a punch along a line perpendicular to the side of the workpiece is a piece"). On each square, the blade is either completely clear of the work piece, or only the very tip of the blade touches the work piece. This is junk. People either get lucky with theirs or they use them differently than I do and flaws can be ignored.First Rating: Short version: I use these for woodworking and they *just* are good enough for that. They don't even remotely qualify as machine or Precision angle. Cut, fit and finish are just a shame. They just arrived today and I immediately decided to test their accuracy. Using a granite slab, some known 1-2-3 precision blocks, a locksmith's ruler, and feeler gauges, I started testing them and on the planes they're used on, the squareness is very good, with a 7 out of 8. (4 square, square inside and outside). The problem is with the 4 inch square where the blade touches the test piece very close to the body and comes out from there. It is easily visible against a light background and is greater than 0.002 - less than 0.0025 at a distance of (slightly less than) 4 inches. It's also pretty clear that the problem isn't squareness, it's poor finish, as the backlash is very consistent over most of the length of the blade. I'll probably remove the dent next to the hull, test again and at the same time decide if I want to avoid the inside of the 4" square. Very disappointed as this is the place I would probably get the most. The blade edges are all fairly flat when combined with a straight blade, except for the inner edge of the 4 inch blade. Poor processing is also to blame here. In general, the finish is rough. Lots of small dents, chips, burrs. It will take a few hours of diligent work to improve/fix them. Now the worst part of them. None of the blades are inserted directly into the body. Point the blade at you, they're clownishly curved. (See photos). I don't expect any accuracy at all on this plane. However, this smacks of total disregard for the craft. I feel like it took effort to make them so bad. It hurts me to hold them, but they're good for woodworking.

Pros
  • Set includes 2", 3", 4" and 6" squares
Cons
  • Slightly torn