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New layout tool -- speed square type tool for the cabinetmaker


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1 hour ago, HandyDan said:

Put a 30-60-90 inside the 45 and you have something to crow about. 

A few years ago, I was scheduled for a veneering class and one of the tools to bring were draftsman's triangles.    I went to a bookstore at a technical university where my SIL was working on his PhD in mechanical engineering.   I found a 45 and asked a clerk if they had a 30-60-90.   He took me over an aisle and said, "This one has a 30 and 90, but I'm not sure the other angle is 60."    Duh!   He must not have been in the technical program or (HE NEEDS MATH).

 

I thought the most useful feature of that Woodpecker tool was the fixed offsets at 1/4" and 3/8"    Maybe I'll have to make something.

 

And I wonder the rationale of the "one time tool."    As we all know a lot of the work is the design, machine set-up, testing, and little in the actual construction operation.

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OK, I may take some heat here...but...I got one of these for Christmas a year ago. It is a very handy tool to use; a well thought out and designed multi-tool. Take time to watch the promotional video and you can see what all it can be used to do. I keep it, my 6" Starrett adjustable square, and a pencil available at all times. I can do just about anything I need with those three tools when I lay something out or do a setup. It supplies the most common dimensions for most build set-ups.

 

As for the price, stop and look at what it does and compare it to having (buying) other tools to do the same job. Price a small speed square (~$10), brass gauge blocks (~$15), 6" rule ($?), etc. add up the price and see what the total cost is for those tools. As an example, my $1 (garage sale find) 6" Starrett adjustable square is a $80 new tool. Granted, we all have the accessories/tools that will do what this $50 tool will do...but...I don't have to walk across the shop to the drawer where I keep my brass set-up blocks, pull out the right size and walk back across the shop to do a set-up. Then reverse the process to put the tool back.

 

I'm sure that all of us have, by this time, acquired the tools to do everything that this one does. However, do you carry them all around with you at the same time? The honest question to that is NO you don't!

 

I won't go into the different, useful things I have found it capable of performing. However, in my opinion, it is a useful tool. Would I buy one for myself? Probably not, when I look at the price and shop with my wallet, but I'm glad that I have it in my tool arsenal.

 

 

Edited by schnewj
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You raise a great point Bill. This one tool does many things and can replace several others. If one were starting out, it might well be worth looking into and saving up to purchase this 1 tool rather than buy the "3 or 4" other tools this one could replace, one at a time.

I do like woodpeckers' one time tools, but they are sooooo spendy. (I understand the cost of setting up to make these "one time" tools, but the more popular ones should be something they make part of their regular line of offerings, IMHO

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16 minutes ago, Chips N Dust said:

You raise a great point Bill. This one tool does many things and can replace several others. If one were starting out, it might well be worth looking into and saving up to purchase this 1 tool rather than buy the "3 or 4" other tools this one could replace, one at a time.

I do like woodpeckers' one time tools, but they are sooooo spendy. (I understand the cost of setting up to make these "one time" tools, but the more popular ones should be something they make part of their regular line of offerings, IMHO

 

I totally agree, Kelly.

 

Woodpeckers have created a tool niche, that, in my opinion is not worth the cost. They do some interesting tools and some are more practical then others. Most can be replaced by cheaper, more readily available/made tools, others like this square are unique and multi use. I happen to like this Delve square. I have found it easy to use and versatile.

 

I understand their marketing. They are a small shop. It takes time to set-up and produce a "batch" of a particular tool. Hence the inflated price(s). Then to tear down and set-up for another design. If they were a larger business, then they could set up and mass produce at a lower price point. However, at what cost? Maybe quality!

 

In my tenure as part of the Space Shuttle program the higher ups started preaching "Faster, Cheaper, and Better". They were constantly told to pick two because all three together were lofty expectations that just wasn't going to happen.

 

I find the quality to be excellent in this little square. The metal is milled to EXACT dimensions. The base is milled to a true 1/4 and 3/8 unlike my set of brass set-up blocks which are kinda close to true dimension. Is that important? Maybe, maybe not, to some people. When it comes to woodworking .001 undersized is just noise. However, it's nice to know that you get exactly what you expect.

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A few years ago when times were better, I bought a Woodpecker's cast aluminum router plate with the aluminum twist lock ringset. They quit making the ring set out of aluminum, so I feel fortunate that I have the set. I think we can all understand the cost of one time production, thats pretty much what all of us do in our shops. If you do a lot of mortise and tenons, then I could see this as being pretty handy and a time saver when it comes to layout, which would pay for itself in time. I won't argue that it would be nice if it was more affordable, they would probably sell a lot more to offset the cost some. Atleast it's made here in the USA.

Edited by CharlieL
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57 minutes ago, CharlieL said:

A few years ago when times were better, I bought a Woodpecker's cast aluminum router plate with the aluminum twist lock ringset. They quit making the ring set out of aluminum, so I feel fortunate that I have the set. I think we can all understand the cost of one time production, thats pretty much what all of us do in our shops. If you do a lot of mortise and tenons, then I could see this as being pretty handy and a time saver when it comes to layout, which would pay for itself in time. I won't argue that it would be nice if it was more affordable, they would probably sell a lot more to offset the cost some. Atleast it's made here in the USA.

 

Points well taken. However, although I think that its primary design was for tenon layouts, I have found many other uses in the shop. I have used it to check drawers and cabinets for square, ensure that dados and grooves were at the correct depths and uniform along the lengths, on and on.

 

Yes, it is Made In the USA. Yes it is a little pricey. However, how many of us sit and complain of the quality of off-shore tools, yet go and buy them just to save a couple of bucks over a better quality tool, that will last twice as long. Classic cases of shopping with your wallet. We have destroyed our manufacturing bases and sacrificed quality in the name of price. If we want to get back to quality tools and materials, then there has to be a compromise. Yup, in the scheme of things, it's pricey, but it'll pay for itself in the long run.

 

I learned a long time ago to buy the best tools that I could afford. Some of those tools have been used for over 40 years. Some were cheapo tools that were for one time use with no further expectations...many of these did not disappoint and got that one job done before they fell apart. Some have been replaced several times and probably would equal the original cost of a good quality counterpart. It's all a matter of choice

 

Charlie, you're correct about price vs supply and demand. However, let's be honest, how many of the membership would spend the cost of a Starrett tool or buy a comparable iGaging tool at a fraction of the cost? Both get the job done but one is a significantly cheaper. Will that iGaging tool last as long? Who knows!

 

Anyway, great discussions.

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I read a whole book once on framing squares.   I think you can even do square roots with one.   I don't do rafters though, so a lot of it went unused.

 

 

I see this one time tool has a design patent -- another one time overhead cost!

Edited by kmealy
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