What is a straight edge tool?
25th May 2023
There’s nothing simple about a straight line. Take it from us.
It’s possibly the most important measurement in any job – from hanging a picture to building a high-rise. When straightness is out by a degree, it can amount to centimetres of inaccuracy down the line. One part a few mm out? Nothing fits together, and every other part becomes useless until that one component is right. A quality straight edge tool means you get it right first time, every time.
What are straight edges used for?
Simply put, a straight edge is a solid guide that’s used for marking, working and cutting in straight lines. It’s an essential part of ensuring accuracy on any job.
Predominantly employed in the decorating industry, they’re used by professionals and DIYers alike for fitting floor coverings, cutting and hanging wallpaper, or scoring straight lines on other materials like textiles or leather. Their use also extends to checking the straightness of workpieces, too.
Essentially, wherever you need to be confident of a straight line, you need a straight edge tool. So, the clue’s in the name. But not all straight edge tools are created equal…
What are the best straight edge tools?
The best straight edge tools are generally crafted from steel or aluminium. Steel for when you need something more heavy duty. Aluminium for something more lightweight – but no less accurate.
After all, it’s accuracy that differentiates a good job from an average job. Take accuracy seriously, and everything else will fall into place. That’s why our range of Maun straight edge tools are manufactured with a variation of <±0.01% or <±0.084mm per meter of length or <±0.001 inches per foot. This means that whatever the job – and whether you’re using a 72” steel straight edge or a 3m long aluminium straight edge, you can be confident every line is a straight one.
How to choose the right tool for the job
With a range of different lengths available, how do you choose which straight edge tool is best for you?
A lot depends on the job at hand. If you predominantly work on small craft jobs, like handmaking small leather goods, a small straight edge – 12 or 18 inches – will carry out the job perfectly.
If you work in decorating, and find yourself doing a lot of measuring and hanging of wallpaper or vinyl flooring, you need a longer straight edge tool – you’d get the most out of a 2000mm or 3000mm tool.
So, once you’ve got the length right, which material do you choose?
Maun’s steel straight edge tool is expertly manufactured to the highest professional standard, designed with a bevelled edge for unobstructed vision. Finished to an accuracy of 0.001 inch per foot, all lengths mark straight lines with matchless accuracy. Meanwhile, the 3.5mm thickness ensures safe use with metal scribers. Its high-quality carbon steel surface is ground for a smooth, comfortable finish, and each tool is equipped with a 6mm-diameter hanging hole for easy storage. Finally, all our steel straight edge tools are case hardened to HRC 57 for durability. So you know they’ll turn up for every job, for years to come.
Where the steel straight edge sits more level than an aluminium tool because of its flatter surface, the Maun aluminium safety straight edge offers something slightly different. It’s a tool designed for safety as well as versatility.
Our aluminium edge has a slimmer width for lightweight everyday use, with a unique grooved surface designed for safety and precision. The underside of each tool features non-slip backing, which works in tandem with the finger grooves on the top side to create a firm grip on every surface. These grooves also act as a guard for the fingers, meaning the aluminium straight edge tool is the safest option in the Maun range. Finished to the same exacting standards as its steel counterpart, the result is a sleek tool that doesn’t sacrifice any accuracy for its increased safety and versatility.
Why settle for ordinary?
There’s nothing simple about a straight line, so the only simple thing about your straight edge tool should be its ease of use.
By applying the same high-quality materials, expert engineering, and obsessive attention to detail as we do across the whole Maun range of tools, we’ve taken the simple straight edge, and reinvented it as a thing of beauty.
We never settle for ordinary, and you shouldn’t either. Quality straight edge tools, beautifully made, to last a lifetime.
Popular sizes of straight edges: