Bob Strawn « Toolmaking Art

Is There One Bevel Gauge to Rule Them All?

Angle Tools

We may know what someone else is saying when they mention a Carpenter’s Bevel, Sliding T-Bevel or any number of phrases with two or more of the words, Carpenter’s, Universal, Adjustable, T, Sliding, Bevel, Square, Angle, or Gage combined, but there is no guessing what they might end up calling it. Perhaps this oddity needs a scientific name. limuo lignarii or something like it.

The Superior Works Sliding Bevel Gauge is definitely a contender for the best bevel gauge. This video shows it off.
It is definitely one to covet.[/url] The price is not listed, so it might be a bit pricy to me.

Lee Valley Tools has three of the nicest bevel gauges, The Starrett, Veritas and the Shinwa Aluminum Sliding Bevel. I have the Shinwa Aluminum Sliding Bevel and it is one of my personal favorites, despite the fact that I did not make it.

The Limited Edition Woodpeckers Gauge is also a quite nice aluminum bevel gauge.

For sheer beauty, The Australian Version from Vespers, looks like the best of them.

While these are not bevel gauges, bevel gauges are enhanced by the ability to set them. I have the Veritas Bevel Gauge Setter from Lee Valley, and I use it whenever I am making the odd dovetail. Woodpeckers is making another one time tool, that is similar, but larger. It does not have the locking slide for repeating angles, but it is larger which may mean greater precision and more angle choices.

I may have obtained what is currently one of the hardest to obtain bevel gauges, The Pitch Square, and it may well be the best bevel gauge of them all. It depends on your view I suppose, but it is the only one here that could be called heavy duty, and apart from the extreme angles the Starrett can do, this can do everything the others listed above can do and a bit more.

The Pitch Square

Pitch Square Close

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Spill Plane

I made an odd spill plane of my own design a while back, but it was more of an experiment and kind of a cute failure.

This is a spill plane loosely based on Darrell LaRu’s walk through. This plane works great! Since the plane stays still and the wood moves, I have been able to clamp the plane down and together, and test it before it was glued up. The shavings are pretty spirals! I am shaving down wood just to make shavings! I love my new spill plane! I made it to have a duel purpose. It will clean up the edges on cedar picket for when I am making planters. At the same time it makes lovely cedar spills. I took a handful of them in to show my wife and she claimed them as hers!

In olden days, pine spills where kept on a cup by a fireplace. When you wanted to light a lantern or pipe, you would grab a spill, and light it in the fire. The short spills in the pictures below are made from cedar and burn for a bit more than thirty seconds. They smell nice too.
Unfinished Spill Plane 01

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Tools with Octagonal Handles

Here are a few tools that I made with octagonal handles. I detailed how to make them in my post on making octagonal handles.

Tools With Octagonal Handles

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Tool Rack with a French Cleat

In my pursuit of better tool storage, so far I have ignored my worst woodworking flaw. I will grab a tool, use it, and then place it on the nearest convenient surface when I am through with it. Eventually the mess takes over, finding tools is unbearable and tables full of sharp tools can become rather dangerous.

I am rather satisfied with my current portable tool container designs but I have ignored tool management that would be more convenient for a shop. So now my attention is on better tool containers for the workshop.

I have ignored the large carpenters box and the wall mounted tool rack. My back problems are nearly gone, thanks to tai chi, but I still fear the large floor box. Too much leaning over, and too heavy to carry. The thought of a tool rack built kind of like a grandfathers clock crossed with a dolly seems a lot more convenient, but I will put that idea away for a while. The wall mounted tool rack is one of the most lovely things a woodworker can have, but it is in one place, and either it is almost a peg board in a box, or it is a bit hard to add more tools to. Often it has been adapted for a particular set of tools, and changing one out is going to throw off everything.

However, the wall mounted tool rack has several huge advantages. The tool is right there by your worktable and you can see it. That is a huge advantage. It is more efficient for space than a pegboard and a lot prettier. If it is well designed, you can reach and replace tools with ease. If all of your tools can be reached easily and replaced easily on a tool rack that is close by and where you need it, then it is possible to develop much better work habits that I currently have.

So here are my tool rack ideals. Large enough to hold a set of tools for a specific purpose and able to be placed right where it is needed. Small and light enough to be able to be carried. All tools must be visible, the sharp end hard to contact, but where you can see the sharp end. All tools must be able to be removed with ease and replaced with ease. The tool rack should be reasonably attractive and still easy enough to update or replace when things change. Ideally since I work outside, the box should be water resistant if not waterproof.