multiscribe

[engineer one]

got an interesting item today.
http://www.multiscribe.co.uk seems to have been around for about 12-18months, but i have not noticed it anywhere else

describing it is interesting. they seem to do 3 models
250mm, 500mm and 750 mm.the main part is a length of aluminium
which is straight and parallel, with one end tapered to a point at 45 degrees on each sholder. this bit is shiny, and has a slot 220 long on the 250mm version, and 10mm wide with rounded ends. further along on the solid bits are two smaller holes 2mm dia. these serve the purpose of providing a hole for a piece of string.

on this is another pieceof machined aluminium which is anodised black, and contains a small bubble level, two holes for pencils, and a pencil sharpener, plus a fixing screw, one end has 45 degree slopes. the sides and third end are flat and or parallel. a captive bolt slides in the lower slot.
with a knurled finger tightening nut. undoing this nut a lot allows this piece to rotate through 90 degrees.

the packaging suggests a number of uses, including a scribe and because it has a pointed end rather than a round one it may well conform more effectively, it can of course run along the edge of a piece more easily because of the double thickness. works on concave as well as convex shapes, and would be really good for kitchen and bathroom works.

because of the double small holes, you can make it a compass with 250mm radius, just stick a nail in the smaller hole.

it also works as a depth gauge, and could actually be used to transfer depths to a router or saw blade. there are also some marks on one side at 5mm apart to simplify profile sizes

string through the end allows you to use it as a plumb bob.

moving various parts allows you to make a decent small vertical or horizontal level. and thus you can make a 90 degree square. the points allow you to mark mitres too. and to get really silly you could use the depth function to mark where to hang pictures/frames.

so is it worth it, since this version, the smaller one is suggested at 30 quid
including vat.?

we all fiddle around with various devices to do marking jobs, and i have the trend circular markers, but they are limited in that corner work is more difficult. it would seem that scribing would be easier for face frames and fillers etc. certainly in the first uses tonight it seems easy to use whilst being substantial in manufacture and quality. do we all carry plumb bobs? well not always, and how often do you need a small spirit level, and can't find one.

the mitre option is useful too. so i guess it comes down to how many bits do you need in your toolbox, or back pocket, or apron. all multi tools seem to do somethings very well, and some badly, the designers of this who i understand are involved in the design and production of drawing office design equipment, (and yes people do still draw by hand :twisted: )
seem to have thought about it and made something which has a lot to offer
yet is basically simple.

will i buy one yes, would i buy all three probably not, but who knows how much bigger work i might do in the future???

paul :wink:

 

[scooby]

do we all carry plumb bobs?

I do I use it a lot, so got the Veritas flat bob, which is a lot better than the normal bullet shape bobs.

The multiscribe looks pretty useful and very versatile, but £30?? Bit expensive imo. I'm also at the stage where my toolbox is jam packed and weighs a tonne, so I'm now only buying tools that I know I need or will use a lot...honest

 

[engineer one]

scooby, at the time i picked it up, i did not know the price, and am sure that it might be possible to pick the smaller one at about 25quid, which is i know a lot, but my veritas bob whilst lovely is quite delicate.

the multiscribe seems more substantial,it might not gravitate to the bottom of the toolbox, and without string on it all the time, you do not have to unravel it so often. :?

i have no axe to grind on this, just thought as i had not seen it, others might not either, and it deserved a little look see.
:twisted:
paul :wink:

 

[scooby]

i have no axe to grind on this, just thought as i had not seen it, others might not either, and it deserved a little look see.
:twisted:
paul :wink:

Apologies if it seemed I was dismissing the multiscirbe. As I said, it looks useful and if you are going to get some good use out of it, then fair play. Thanks to bringing to everyones attention, as I'd certainly never heard of it before.

My comment about price was made because it doesn't look a lot of materials and intensive manufacturefor £30. As a comparison, you can get a Record 9 block plane for the same money.

 

[engineer one]

scooby we both misunderstood. i was not knocking your comments either.
i think the two are chalk and cheese. a plane has been made to the same design by record for lots of years, so they are i guess making cows milk from an old design. whereas it would appear that the designers of multiscribe have looked at a problem and thought of a number of possible solutions.

unfortunately this shows why so many products are quickly moved to china for manufacture. but of course part of the problem is volume sales to justify the move to chinese manufacture.

interestingly enough this product was introduced to me by someone from festool :?

my view is that the item is valuable, but maybe still too many large margins in it. but it does do what it says on the tin :lol:

actually i do think it would be really valuable for those who do a lot of scribe work, it is better than some other available tools for similar jobs. to me the point makes it more accurate.


course you could always buy two of the long ones and use them as
diagonal checkers :lol: :lol: :twisted:

paul :wink:

 

[Jake]

to me the point makes it more accurate

I was looking at their pictures, and in particular the one where they are scribing a wall with two pipes on it. It was puzzling me how the thing managed to produce a horizontal line where the end of it has a diagonal edge (to produce the point).

Why doesn't the line slide diagonally downwards as the contact spot moves towards the end of the point?

 

[Shultzy]

I thought that Jake, and also the top line of the pipe must be above the pipe by half the thickness of the blade.

 

[engineer one]

you see someone does look even more carefully than me at pictures
i agree it should have diagonal lines but maybe they cheated slightly,
by creating the verticals and then did the semi circles, and then the straight lines.
this is how i would create the shape if drawing in cad :roll:

but it is an interesting point. :twisted: :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[Shultzy]

The thing is this "gadget" is supposed to make life easier and/or quicker. I can do just as well with my humble cotton reel and a pencil.

 

[engineer one]

so now we know someone who either sows them self, or has a partner who sows :lol: :lol:

i prefer to make tanks out of them :twisted: :roll:

each to his own, and i was only showing it off :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[Shultzy]

I think you mean "sews" I do, and I've used them for "corking". I can knit and crochet as well, my mum believed in making her children use their hands.

 

[Jake]

you see someone does look even more carefully than me at pictures
i agree it should have diagonal lines but maybe they cheated slightly,
by creating the verticals and then did the semi circles, and then the straight lines.
this is how i would create the shape if drawing in cad :roll:

but it is an interesting point. :twisted: :lol:

paul :wink:

I suspected my logic, but it does look a bit faked up. If it had diagonal lines, it's going to be a bit rubbish as a scribe, isn't it? How wide is the blade (before the point starts)?

 

[engineer one]

jake it is 30mm wide outside.

paul :wink: