Popular Woodworking 2008-10 № 171, страница 37

ay-oul tools arc woodworking's widows a rvd orphans. The work I hey do serins pretty mundane, so we woodworkers tend to focus our attention and ourexpendilureson the fancy stuff. The shift in focus from hand work and hand joinery to woodworking machines played a part in the demotion of layout tools, as a lot of layout is now built into the fences and guides on machines.

Just as no shop docng quality woodworking will ever get completely away from hand work, we are unlikely to ever eliminate the need for layout tools. If you are a woodworker you do need to ownand know how to use layout tools. Fortunately, they are not hard to figure out. Theyarejustabit foreign for some of us.

layout tools usually come into play early in the furniture-making process. Generally, the only work you do before layout is stock preparation. Before anyjoiningor shaping is done, your stock will have to be laid out.

There are two broad categories of woodworking: joinery and shaping Likewise, there are two broad categories of layout tools: those used for laying out joints and those thai layout shapes. However, there is some overlap between the two types and frequently, more than one tool is used in a single operation.

I counsel against skimping when buying tools. Quality toolscosi money. Inexpensive tools do not work well - if at all. However, layout toolsarecxccptions. Some companies make very pretty and very expensive layout tools. Some companies make very accurate and precise layout tools. But. woodworkingis not done to three decimal pkices. If you want to work with really pretty orextremely accurate layout tools, that lsyourchoke. Youll pay-more and your woodworking won't beany better for it. Often. the bask equivakntsavaiLible in a hardware store, in woodworkingcatalogy. orat home centerswill work fine.

Thai said. I do prefer my layout tools to haw some features, and other features I avoid. Rai her i han appearance and cost. my criteria a re case of set upand fine adjust mcnt. As I discuss these tools. I will mention these features and explain why I prefer some over others.

Marking Lines

All layout involves making lines that you can follow as you work. The quality of your

work is dependent on being able to sec and follow these lines. So. dark heavy lines are best. Right?

Nope. RemcmbcrthedefinKionofapoint and aline from high-school geometry? A point has no dimensions: it is a concept. AI ine is an infinite serks of points, so whik it has kngth. it has no width. That would be the ideal in woodworking; bui what we can imagine we cannot alwayscreaie. Any line we make has width. Cut slightly to one side of a line in one pltce and to the other side in anot her. and you can be off by the wklthofthat line. This may not seem like a lot. but a shoukler or dovetail with a gap thai wide is pretty obvious.

A pencil draws a line and no matter how sharp the pencil, its line has width. For this reason, woodworkers usually rely on scored. ratherihandrawn.LiyxxH lines. Inwoodwotk-ing. scoringthese lines iscommonly referred

Whether you do hand or machine work, these layout tools are indispensable.

BY MICHAEL DUNBAR

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