Union tools now back in business but quality is .....

[woodchucker]

I just got an email that Union Tools is resurrected for the woodworking tools. And they show some dovetail gauges. I'm not buying them, don't like the design.. but the quality is quite suspect in my mind.
Here's a pic, and here's the description... To me, the top looks saw cut , not milled. If you are hand sawing, you want to make a reference across the end to show square so your saw will follow it. I generally make a knife cut and 45 knife to have the saw follow.. This would bother me if I bought it. Also I made a home made gauge so mine are narrowish at the top and match my chisel width so I don't have to calculate, these are upside down and require a lot of calculating... not what I would want...

Does it look to you like it's saw cut or milled?



Edit: from Lee Valley:
Dovetail markers and saddle squares are indispensable tools for marking out quick, accurate and consistent dovetails and finger joints.

Each marker is precision milled from one solid piece of stainless steel, with the inside surface textured to prevent slipping while laying out your lines. They ensure perfect alignment by allowing the straight and angled lines to be scribed at the same time, around corners as one continuous line.

Each measures 2" long and 3/8" thick, to facilitate marking on either edge of a board. The markers are available in the most common angles for dovetails and finger joints, 1:8, 1:7, 1:6 and 90° for the saddle square.

Union Manufacturing Dovetail Markers & Saddle Square - Lee Valley Tools

www.leevalley.com

 

[Ischgl99]

That looks like what I get from my mill when side milling with an end mill. It might not be that bad though, pictures frequently make it look worse than it does in person if it is not lit properly.

 

[woodchucker]

That looks like what I get from my mill when side milling with an end mill. It might not be that bad though, pictures frequently make it look worse than it does in person if it is not lit properly.

if that's the case then what about the long leg, doesn't appear to be any striations there?

 

[Ischgl99]

if that's the case then what about the long leg, doesn't appear to be any striations there?

I was wondering that too, but since it is at a different angle to the light, it might not show up with the way it is lit. The other possibility I thought of, these might have been machined in two operations, the top might have been machined in a less rigid setup. In any case, a commercial product should look better than that. As a photographer, I was thinking this is a product photography fail, but it could be that was the best they could do with what they were given.

 

[Ischgl99]

This other picture shows tool marks on all the surfaces, even the angled sections. It does look like they saw cut these things, or maybe the Pakistani guys on YouTube made these too. You can see from this lighting angle, the front tool marks are much more prominent than the picture with the four gauges. I would have to light this product like a portrait photographer with old people, lots of light to get rid of the wrinkles lol.

 

[Nutfarmer]

Looks like a good metal work project

 

[woodchucker]

Again I already made mine. It's reverse of the union. Crazy backwards.

 

[woodchucker]

Now that I have all the equipment maybe I will make a new set... Maybe not. So many things so little time. Plus I work slow.

 

[Jim F]

Make your own in a production environment, then let us know how they turn out.
I see lots of parts come out of our CNC's at work that look like that.

 

[mmcmdl]

So what are these used for exactly ? I have wood tools here that I'm really not familiar with . Not that I'll ever be making fine furniture or anything , but it would be nice to know what these tools do . Seems like Jeff would know .