Hey Everyone, hope all is well in your lives. I am looking into buying a surface plate to add to my setup and not too keen on spending a crazy amount of money on one. I have found a couple i think would be suitable but wanted to get some opinions on the matter.
First off. The one I am leaning towards is about 155$ brand new from Grizzly tools. It is a tool room grade "B" Granite Plate that has a bilateral accuracy of +/- .00015". It is 18'' x 24" x 3". No ledges. For those interested or wanting to look at it on the grizzly site for reference its Model number is G9654.
My question is:
-Is .00015" a reasonable runout for doing blade layouts?
-Is a "B" grade plate adequate?
-Is the 18" x 24" x 3" dimensions also adequate?
-Can this work to get the necessary results I need to be successful in building blades when considering ones JS/MS journey.
As of right now i feel like this would be fine, especially as a first/entry level/ or upgrade from the granite countertop I now use. And I Feel like the actual quality of the marking tools I would pair with a surface plate would maybe have more of an impact on the results I get, comparatively to a surface plate as the one I mentioned above.
But again I am interested to know what some of you more experienced Smiths have to say about this and your thoughts regarding it in general.
Thank you all for the feedback!
Spencer Haynes
Don't forget to search sales areas like Ebay, Craigslist, Face Book market place, etc. I already have two but found one last week for a friend - 18 x 24 - for $75. True story.
The tool room grade is utterly acceptable for lay out. As humans, we couldn't grind/cut/etc to more accurate dimensions anyway.
Both of mine have ledges. Another true story - a buddy and I got ours on a "2 for 1" sale from McMaster Carr 20 years ago. And free shipping!!
All that said, I couldn't do what I do without mine. Both of them have ledges. For me it just makes them easy to grab and slide around on the bench.
Shop around.
That sounds like the exact surface plate I have/use.
I would say yes to all your questions with a "but" to your final one. That "but" being...although the XXXX (insert a tool name) will aid/add to your abilities, it's YOU, that must provide the learned skills to utilize the XXXX to it's fullest. 😉
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
I have been using granite countertop cutouts for years as surface plates. If possible, fInd a countertop company in your area and see if they will sell you a 12-inch square out of the waste. They may even let you dumpster dive and grab a chunk for free. I have several in my shop.
Another use for these is as a backer for leather tooling. Works great.
“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.”
I actually got a big slab from a company I use to work for a few years ago and did just that! It was large enough I got two 14x18ish slabs out of it. One spots on my leather bench and the other on my knife bench outside. I made the mistake of welding next to and over it tho while stacking some billets up tho and I now have pits it the one on my knife bench. I plan to or at least want to replace it with a “real” surface plate and have a dedicated bench for it to do my layout at. The countertop works well and I did score it for free. So it’s been a good deal for me. But I’m just trying to upgrade and tailor my stuff a bit more/ expand. For the last 5 years I’ve operated on one single bench that is only 6’ long. I have a very small space. I’m in an open carport. So haven’t wanted to expand much due to potential theft. Part of that upgrade will be building a new leather bench with a full granite countertop or a section that is flush mounted with the rest of the worktop so I don’t have to try to slide it around or store it awkwardly. All in time tho. But I do agree the countertops can be a great option!
Off topic question: Ah how would this differ from a hardened steel jewelers Bench bock that is 8"x10".75 as i can buy one from Pepetools for about 100 bucks (Unfortunatly it's not in stock at this time) here's the 4x4x.75 I got from them for my jeweler's bench (this is the bottom as I use it for adjusting jewelry pieces, so the top is not as pristine). I will include a link if anyone is interested, as they have great tools that can be used to embellish or make guards. or do casting. I have their tilt-and-pour furnace, and it is fantastic. (not my affiliate link)
pepetools.com/products/steel-bench-blocks?variant=6888650801205
From my understanding the biggest difference is price and that granite is harder then steel so in theory the granite will not wear down and dish out the flat surface of the plate over time using steel tools sliding over it. I would imagine it would take a good bit of time and use to ever see any kind of wearing on a steel bench block like what you’re referring to however. Not sure if the thickness has a big impact. But I think in general you can get a bigger working area for less money with granite over steel.
just my thoughts though.
