Lonsdale73
Established Member
I remember someone once saying 'What can't be measured can't be managed' which is not that far removed from the woodworking mantra of 'measure twice, cut once'. As some of you will know from my early posts I was experiencing major problems with getting things square. Some of that can be attributed to a mixture of inability / inexperience and I was losing confidence in my ability to even mark out accurately. I think my very first post was asking for advice on t-squares like the ones I remember from school. Ones I could see online ranged from the very cheap (and I'm guessing probably not suited to purpose) to the seemingly very expensive.
I did find a wooden one by Helix, a name synonymous with school geometry sets and producing something that looks a lot like the ones I remember from school and at £16 it's okay. It's easier to hold in place than a ruler but you do have to remember that it isn't parallel (I didn't!) so can only be used from one side.
I also bought a Trend Clamp Guide and it's right angle adaptor which is supposed to make 90 degree cuts a doddle. Hmm, jury's still out on that one but it does serve well as a guide for a first cut with a circular or jigsaw which I then tidy up with a trim bit on the router.
Courtesy of a very generous friend (and they certainly are now if they weren't before!) I am now a very prod owner of the Woodpecker TS600. Even a Luddite like me can appreciate its inherent quality, it is the Stella Artois of measuring and marking. The way it seems to hug the workpiece securely yet still glide into position makes it a delight to use. It hasn't made a master craftsman of me overnight but it has instilled a degree of confidence - in its accuracy and therefore the accuracy of my measuring and marking - that has seen a marked improvement in my productivity.
There's no getting away from it being expensive (at least, it is here in the UK, costs about half as much in the States!) but compared to the cost of timber I've wasted already through inaccuracy and especially for the confidence it has given me it's worth every penny that it cost (my friend, if not me)
I did find a wooden one by Helix, a name synonymous with school geometry sets and producing something that looks a lot like the ones I remember from school and at £16 it's okay. It's easier to hold in place than a ruler but you do have to remember that it isn't parallel (I didn't!) so can only be used from one side.
I also bought a Trend Clamp Guide and it's right angle adaptor which is supposed to make 90 degree cuts a doddle. Hmm, jury's still out on that one but it does serve well as a guide for a first cut with a circular or jigsaw which I then tidy up with a trim bit on the router.
Courtesy of a very generous friend (and they certainly are now if they weren't before!) I am now a very prod owner of the Woodpecker TS600. Even a Luddite like me can appreciate its inherent quality, it is the Stella Artois of measuring and marking. The way it seems to hug the workpiece securely yet still glide into position makes it a delight to use. It hasn't made a master craftsman of me overnight but it has instilled a degree of confidence - in its accuracy and therefore the accuracy of my measuring and marking - that has seen a marked improvement in my productivity.
There's no getting away from it being expensive (at least, it is here in the UK, costs about half as much in the States!) but compared to the cost of timber I've wasted already through inaccuracy and especially for the confidence it has given me it's worth every penny that it cost (my friend, if not me)
