Squareness of Speedy Metals stock

[ohland]

Folks, I just checked out some 1x4.5 (nominal size) by 1 13/16 high stock. After deburring it on the belt sander, the piece measured @ 1.801 - 1.805 over the 4 1/2 inches, and that is most likely due to the two cold saw cuts. Not 90 degrees dead on, but its pretty good enough.

[BCRider]

I'd call that good luck more than any guarantee of accuracy. They only cut to length. The intent isn't to face the ends square for you.

When I set up my own metal cutting bandsaw I spent a fair bit of time getting the cuts as square as I could using a machinists square and the Mk I eyeball. That likely means it's within a couple or three thou per inch of cut depth. But the intent was just to avoid having to leave lots extra for the final squaring off by a machine or other more sensitive work. Not to be a guarantee of squareness all its own. At least not for anything other than welding. And square to within 2 to 3 thou per inch for that application is just fine.

[ohland]

I'd call that good luck more than any guarantee of accuracy. They only cut to length. The intent isn't to face the ends square for you.

I didn't expect close enough, but it's good enough. Now you are popping my bubble, I thought that they used an optical comparator or whatever to get every cut under a thousandths of an arc second from exactly 90 degrees. Then they fired up the water jet cutter, sliced off the two pieces, then centerless ground them to a mirror surface, fit for the (corrected) Hubble Space Telescope....

:coffeecom