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ShopTalk

Little layout tools are the perfect size for furniture making

Matthew Kenney, senior editor

5 users recommend

Small gauge is just right for drawers. Most drawers really aren't that big and a big gauge can hang too far off the end, tipping and pulling the knife. The fence on this one is just 2 1/2 in. long--big enough for stable registration, but not so big that it's cumbersome.

Ed Pirnik

It's great on endgrain, too. Bigger gauges really have trouble with endgrain--they're just unwieldly because there isn't enough for them to ride against--but not this one. It's proportioned perfectly for it.

Ed Pirnik

6 in. combo square is more than one half of a 12 in. one. I found this little guy at Brass City Record and Tools in Waterbury. The head is smaller than new ones I've seen and just the right size--very easy to control.

Ed Pirnik

2-in. square never tips. Larger squares have trouble on edge and endgrain. Notice that even my marking knife is tiny. It's just a converted jigsaw blade.

Ed Pirnik

Mini-mortising gauge is always spot on. This is the Tite-Mark mini with the accessory mortising wheels. I've always found that traditional gauges were just too big for end and edge grain work. This one does a great job and is easy to balance.

Ed Pirnik

6-in. rule is a setup dream. The biggest plus this rule provides is the small scale on the end. It's a godsend for setting router bit heights, but also works great for setting fence locations, and laying out joinery.

Ed Pirnik

My favorite layout tools are small. Here's the whole collection. I use them all the time and don't think I could work as well without them.

Ed Pirnik

Small gauge is just right for drawers. Most drawers really aren't that big and a big gauge can hang too far off the end, tipping and pulling the knife. The fence on this one is just 2 1/2 in. long--big enough for stable registration, but not so big that it's cumbersome.

Photo: Ed Pirnik

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Here's something that I've learned the hard way: It's impossible to make good, tight joinery if you begin with sloppy layout. A lot goes into laying out a joint well: square boards, accurate measurement, crisp layout lines, and quality layout tools that aid rather than hinder your efforts. I've found that part of what makes a layout tool a good one is its size. It's easier to lay out dovetails with a 3 in. sliding bevel than with a 10 in. one, for example. For most furniture joints, I think, smaller is better. So, I've been picking up little layout tools over the past few years. I love them and they've made woodworking easier for me. Click through the pictures above to see them and read what I like about each one.

More on Layout Tools

Get the Most Out of Your Combination square - Use this versatile measuring tool to layout joinery and set-up shop machines.

Master of the Mark - Learn how to build the same marking gauge we recently gave away.

Customize Your Own Markers - A few shop scraps yield an entire set in only minutes.

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