Popular Woodworking 2001-02 № 120, страница 26
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Bridge City CS-12 Bridge City 800-253-3332 www.bridgecitytools.com Price: $149 Blade Readability: 3.5 Overall Fit and Finish: 5 Smoothness of Operation: 4 Accuracy: 5 Scale: ^sa, .5mm Head: brass, steel friction pads Blade: NA This beautiful tool has a head made from solid brass and Juara, an exotic wood. The fit and finish are excellent, and the square proved accurate after use. In fact, if this square ever does go out of alignment, you can send it back to Bridge City for calibration for just $5. Bridge City does not manufacture a protractor or center-finding head forthis tool, and the square does not include a scribe or bubble level. In ourtesting we found the blade a little stiff initially but after repeated use and some 3-in-1 oil, it performed betterWe were disappointed that the standard 12" blade is available with only 32nds and metric measurements. All-in-all,this is a very attractive and accurate square, but it falls short of supporting its expense. General MG-S281-4R General Tools 212-431-6100 www.generaltools.com Price: $//8 Blade Readability: 4.25 Overall Fit and Finish: 4.25 Smoothness of Op: 4.75 Accuracy: 5 Scale: 1^8, //I6, Vm and //64 Head: cast iron Blade: hardened & tempered This square is a close second to the Starrett.With a satin-finished blade offering easily read scales, it proved well-machined, accurate and smooth-operating after a little use and oil.The pin is kept from rotating by an extra thumbscrew applied through the head into the pin.This works well, but isn't as refined a design as the Starrett. Parts of the head are thicker than on the Starrett, which may indicate a more durable tool over time.All-in-all, a nice tool that will provide years of good service. Grizzly G5726 Grizzly 800-523-4777 www.grizzly.com Price: $30 Blade Readability: 4.5 Overall Fit and Finish: 3.5 Smoothness of Operation: 4 Accuracy: 4 Scale: z^, ^6, Vm and //64 Head: cast iron Blade: tempered We drew a quality line for testing at $25 or more, and that allowed this Chinese-made set from Grizzly to enter the competition — and we're glad it did.We didn't expect much from this square, but were pleasantly sur-prised.The fit and finish wasn't perfect, but the blade was more readable than some higher-priced competitors. We tested two squares, and one tested out of square by zi', while the other tested accurate. With a few strokes of a file,the out-of-square head was easily trued. Smoothness of operation was decent.What can we say? For $30 this is a darn good deal. Even if it takes a little tweaking to get things right, it's a bargain. The head of a combination square is one-half of the tool's accuracy. Note the slot in the head for the blade. If not ground accurately, your blade will never be square, and neither will your projects. |
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