7 Must-Have Measuring Tools for Woodworking

summilux Great article. At the risk of stating the obvious, keeping the lip of a meauring tape in good condition is important as making sure the degree of laxity of the latch to the tape is maintained. Consider also the right marking device for the task using dimensional analysis as the underlying guide. A #2 pencil if you're framing, a mechanical pencil for cabinet work and- my favorite- a segmented blade utility knife for marking fine work or if working with dark woods. As alluded to levels segment, it's really important to know how level and square the space is where your project will be fitted into.

R. Olson Design Definitely keep that tape lip in good shape! I tend to refrain from mechanical pencils as I've found that lines can be more difficult to erase/sand. A couple sharp Ticonderoga's work just fine for my cabinetry work.

olldbobbi I love working with wood but can't get over my fear of power tools. Is there an ideabook for that? Power tool-phobia?

K.O.H. Construction Corporation Bobbi, your phobia is to be respected. Power tools in untrained hands are dangerous. I taught construction trades at Wiregrass University. We had several women and men that never used power tools. At the end of the semester they all knew, understood and used the power tools. I would suggest you befriend an experienced craftsman and ask for guidance. The older guys are more patient and respect the safety aspect.

olldbobbi K.O.H. That's a really good point, I think understanding the power tool is crucial. I'm ok with hand power tools like a sawzall, sanders (even belt), drills, stuff like that. But table saws and chop saws scare me, they're so loud! But it is my goal to master the router, and I will do it! Eventually.

lisalovesquilts I always liked woodwork in school but sadly, predictably girls weren't encouraged (here at least). My daughter unlike her brothers shows aptitude and interest too. We would like to build a doll's house (Barbie sized) of our own design. Bobbi I too get afraid of the loud noise of power tools and the feel of them sometimes when they are powered up , I worry I can't hold onto it! I agree with the article about measuring all the way preparation is key to all good work. Patience too, which I have little of.

olldbobbi Lisa, I don't have much patience either! Encourage your daughter, she will find these skills invaluable when she owns her own home.

Amanda Simons LOL I grew up with the sound of power tools coming from the basement, including a very old, very large industrial planer. Don't ask me how my dad got it down there. He built almost everything himself- down to the window and door trim and the kitchen cabinets. I would occasionally help him with projects but I never REALLY got into woodworking. Now that I own my own home and have lots of projects on my to-do list, I'm thinking about getting into it. Thank you for this article- I'm glad to know I already have most of the things on this list!

tsudhonimh BobbiP - Get some sound protection ear muffs and the noise is no longer a problem.

The little ear-plugs on a headband are useless. Get the kind that fully cover your ears.

With the noise down to a level you can handle, the saws are less scary.

olldbobbi tsudhonimh, I think I'll do just that! Thanks!

Texas Lightsmith Fantastic Article!!

mdlang Thanks for the great article. I have some of these tools and am slowly collecting more. (What husband gets to buy his wife tools for her birthday!? :) ) I was blessed to have been encouraged by my parents to take shop in high school and I am so thankful! I fell in love with my profession there: Drafting. But I have done several wood working projects and the things I learned in school made all the difference. There are still machines that I'm less comfortable with, but it's because I respect thier power and know the strenght needed to use them properly. So, I'm willing to ask for help. Bobbi, go for it! Get someone to teach you proper handling, maintenance and safety of the tools and you'll be fine. As for the router, get a router table! Helps so much. Attached is my biggest project so far. I'm so proud of it.

olldbobbi mdlang, Nice job! And of course a router table is invaluable. I think I like that tool because you can create so many cool edges, it's the most "creative" tool, to me.

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Love the article. Love tools. How about safety glasses?

chrisosh I work as a carpenter, mostly on installations but I also design and build my own furniture.
I am English,over 60 now and grew up with imperial feet and inches.
Do yourself a favour if you are going to build to a high level of accuracy, change to metric, no fractions to confuse you and while you are doing that get a measuring implement that is needed and not mentioned here, a metre (or yard) metal straight edge/ruler.
If you have a T bevel you won't need a protractor when you already have the angle you need on the bevel. I use a bevel often can't remember the last time I used a protractor off the drawing board.
One last thing for accuracy is a sharp pencil and a scratch awl, a pencil mark that is over a millimetre 1/16" wide can really mess up a piece of cabinet work, measuring is important but meaningless without an accurate way of marking it.
Useful tool for any construction/carpentry work is a roofer's speed square like the one in the pic'.
Also remember the easiest way to check a rectangle for square is to measure the diagonals, if they are different you have made a boo boo somewhere.
If you are doing something larger than your squares and you want to check for 90 degrees don't forget Pythagoras! Go 3 units down one side and 4 units down the adjacent side the distance between those two marks should be 5 of the same units, if not ? Another boo boo!

K.O.H. Construction Corporation Bobbi , I also encourage the use of ear plugs and safety glasses. Rockler Supply has demo days where they teach folks how to use tools. There are always guys there that offer a hand and their knowledge. The Router is a great tool and one that could be learned quickly. The best to you.

olldbobbi Thank you K.O.H.!

Linda For those of us who are past the age of good eyesight, you can buy bifocal safety glasses. I always buy at least 2 pair since I don't accept the excuse that I've lost my glasses. I always try to have an extra pair of safety glasses on hand for anyone who didn't bring a pair and most people then get the message and bring their own the next day since the extra pairs are inevitably scratched up. Of course, it is easier for me since I have worn glasses since I was about 10 years old so forgetting them is impossible.

Linda Habitat for Humanity sponsors WomenBuild projects in various areas where the entire or at least majority part of the project is entirely done by women. I worked with one in our area recently where the forewoman was a very talented union carpenter. We had many hours donated by local union members and some who traveled quite a distance to help on the project and we also had labor donated from an education/experience program for young women looking at the trades. On other Habitat build sites, I have been fortunate to work with some of the retired men who volunteer regularly.

Also, check out the local community colleges or adult education groups which often have woodworking classes available. There you can have the benefit of using expensive equipment without the investment. I believe some universities even have wood shops where you can buy access and pay for the usage by the hour.

I admit to being intimidated by table saws, especially job site ones without any guards. So, I stick to chop saws, circular saws and jigsaws. I had a near miss with an very powerful reciprocating saw and an awkward angled cut which reminded me that I'm never going to be as competent as those who have been doing this work exclusively for a couple of decades and have a foot of height and 50 pounds in weight on me. But, they will never outthink me so I just measure and mark what I want cut and have someone else do the cutting while I get prepared for the next step.

R. Olson Design I'm excited to see so much female interest in woodworking! My girlfriend has been joining me in the shop and has taken to it rather fluidly. The [plunge] router is my favorite tool in the shop and is operable by anyone given proper technique. Respect but do not fear the router or other tools, technology has made them incredibly user-friendly!

summilux chrisosh- I commend and envy your adoption of the metric system. Scale drawings are so much easier in the metric world. Unfortunately in the States, it's much easier (and I suspect less expensive) to find the tools featured in this article than the metric versions.

olldbobbi The saws and the routers, do they have to spin so fast? Isn't there a beginner's speed?

K.O.H. Construction Corporation Routers need speed to cut cleanly, a slow speed will chew the wood up. the table saw would would bog down.

olldbobbi K.O.H., I know, I know. Maybe I should stick with my Playskool tools?

lisalovesquilts One of my best presents for my birthday was a tape measure. Sad I know but I cart it about everywhere and my eldest son (oddly tall for us) is so sick of me measuring him!

olldbobbi Lisa! I carry a tape measure in my purse! (along with the plunger, so my husband says). A tape in your purse is as necessary as a wallet, IMO.

mrsben In my era, girls just weren't encouraged to learn woodworking skills. Even though my Father could build anything he never took the initiative to teach his daughters and only Home Economics was taught in the school system to females. The upside of the latter I suppose is that I am a pretty good cook and my hobby is sewing however there are times I certainly wished I had some knowledge of the craft. Do own a tape measure, square, level(s) and have my own arsenal of small hand 'n power tools plus a jig saw (off-limits to other family members) but other than that, nothing as intimidating as a circular saw.
P.S: I have a Victorian Doll House kit which I received years ago that I had great expectations of completing. As things go, twelve years later it still sits in the box so it is now slated as my To-Do Project when I go into a Retirement Home some day provided that is, they allow their residents to be in possesion of glue and small power tools both of which might have to be smuggled in. Winks!

@Bobbi: Well at least we got some advantage out of our Home Ec classes. Ü Also, I always have a tape measure in my purse. Part of being a sewer I guess.

olldbobbi mrsben, I hear what you're saying. I took all the Home Economics classes, too, (somehow I missed the cooking class, tho!) and I'm glad I did for the sewing and baking skills I acquired. But a woodworking class, I would have loved that. Not auto mechanics, the smell of grease makes me yawn!

mdlang Love this discussion! I didn't take home ec at all. And my parents were ok with it. "You have your whole life to learn to cook and sew. But when will you get a chance to learn this {shop} stuff?" So, yes, I can provide meals for my family and I can mend clothes and sew simple costumes (sometimes with the help of friends ;) ) But I know how to do a bunch of woodworking, some mechanics, a little welding and that wonderful drafting class. I am now an Archtectural and Civil Drafting technician turned Kitchen Designer and having that woodworking knowledge (as simple as high school shop class was...) has been so very helpful. I feel so blessed and love my job! :)

Susie Q Design Studio I love my tools! Have received some great ones for Mothers Day, Birthdays and Christmas. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been shopping for tools or some kind of building supplies, my husband with me, I am asking the questions, but the sales person will refer to my husband. He'll shake his head and say, "Don't talk to me, I don't have a clue. She's doing it. " I've even had a sales associate from Sears tell me, "You don't want a framing nail gun". I wanted to shout, "If I'm building a garage I do!" I haven't built a garage yet, but I have hung shelves from the ceiling of my garage and I used a framing nail gun. When I was in Jr. High, we had a quarter semester of shop, art, sewing and cooking that everyone had to take. We did wood working but we also made a pop can lamp. It was my first experience with electricity and I have used what I learned ever since. I also used a scroll saw for the first time. I loved it, but I don't own one. I already knew how to cook and sew since I started sewing in second grade. My very favorite tool to use is a professional wet saw for cutting tile. I don't own one but the ones that can be rented are high end and work like a dream. I'll repeat what some others have said. The loud noise should never be a problem because you should always be wearing ear protection.

thosmore One measuring tool every woodworker should have is a caliper. Precision avoids frustration.

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design Great tips on measuring tools! My good friends owned a residential cabinet shop and my son began his life work with them many years ago - I remember many times when I was called upon to assist with the planer - or at installs to help with hardware - actually used the router and built many a drawer - this article brought those fond memories back with its pictures and details -

alphaneenee When I was young I would watch my dad in his workshop and learned how to use some of his saws. I am still very intimidated by the power of these tools, but have a healthy respect for them. I love it when the neighborhood men come to the door to borrow a tool of my hubby;s. I tell them yes they can borrow it, but it is mine not his. I also coach the ladies on how to fix the toilet and easily clear clogs.
I am lucky to have a Woodcraft store nearby that offers classes. I am going to take some basic classes just to learn about use and maintenance of my tools.

alphaneenee There is a blog and now book geared to woman building furniture. It is Ana White, I just bought the book and several recommended tools. It is not as traditional in it's approach, but is great for building some very functional projects. Her book is called, "The Handbuilt Home."
I sent an email to the Rotozip people asking them to consider making a smaller "female friendly" handled saw. I feel like I can't grip the tool properly b/c of the size. A whole line of lighter weighter, smaller handled tools would be awesome. But really do not make them pink!