To assist with this process, Ebony Hill needed a quality straight edge that would be certain not to flex. In addition, an engineer’s square was required as opposed to a combination square, in order to avoid fractional variations and achieve the highest levels of precision and accuracy.
Ben Lock, Managing Director and Furniture Restorer and Maker at Ebony Hill said:
“Using the Moore & Wright engineers’ square is the best way for me to set the angle of the straight edge; then I know that it is perfectly square. I used to panic doing long trenches, but since buying a the spring steel straight edge from Moore & Wright I'm finding them so much easier - the straight edge is great quality and never flexes due to it being 10mm thick!
Combine that with some F-clamps and a large Moore and Wright engineers’ square, and perfect accuracy is a given. I prefer to use the engineers’ square as I know it will be true every time, while in my experience, a combination square may vary a fraction from time to time. Once the straight is set and clamped, I run the base of the router off that, and the result is a perfectly straight and square groove.”
Ebony Hill uses a 300mm Moore & Wright Precision Engineers’ Square to set the angle of the Moore & Wright Spring Steel Straight Edge. The Moore & Wright Precision Engineers’ Square meets DIN 875 tolerance of the angle, with an accuracy of 0 (µm), and is made from heat treated steel which has been precision ground and micro-lapped. The two knife-form sides have an angle of 40°.
The Moore & Wright Spring Steel Straight Edge is manufactured to DIN 866/1, with a precision ground gauging surface manufactured out of spring steel, and clear metric graduations starting 5mm in from the ends. Once the Moore & Wright Spring Steel Straight Edge is set and clamped using F-clamps, Ebony Hill runs the base of the router using the straight edge as a guide to ensure that the result is straight, accurate and precise.
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Ebony Hill is a small business specialising in fine furniture restoration and conservation. In addition, the business also takes commission for custom pieces of furniture including cabinets, tables and gin trolleys.
Part of Ebony Hill’s ethos revolves around the understanding that pieces of furniture, and heirlooms, deserve the highest levels of attention to detail. Every piece of furniture they restore has been lovingly made by persons who share this passion for quality and craftsmanship, and every piece they make is made with the very same care.