Woodpeckers Measuring and Marking- help decide

[Hojo133]

I'm looking for a little advice. I have the 4" Pocket square and love it. Now I'm wanting something bigger... I'm debating between the new release of the 12" triangle, the 1281 square, the T-square or ruler+Hookstop.

I will likely get one long  straight edge and one "square"

The T-square would be ideal if the crosspiece can be removed so I can check level across a surface... can it be used like this? Will the rule stop fit it?

I'm not sure on the advantages or disadvantages of the 12" triangle verse the 1281 square though... what would those who have used them recommend?

Thanks - John

 

[Neal W]

Here is what I own....

I own the 900mm (36"ish) rule with hook stop.  I am contemplating the 300mm one too, sometimes I need one that is a little shorter.  It is excellent.  Doesn't flex, consistent, very well made.  Probably more play than their t squares to have a perpendicular line drawn, but I don't use it for that.  That plus the hook stop, plus the 2" rule stop are significant parts of my amateur work flow.  I use the rule stop as a setup for my parallel guides as well. 

I own the 1281 square:  It is probably my most used for things like checking square on assembled parts, and when I need to do some quick and easy perpendicular lines.  It isn't the best to use for measuring and marking (the woodworking rulers are tapered which really helps for the marking side of things. 

I own the 18" precision triangle.  I use it some, but not as much as the other one time tool I'll describe below.  I thought about the 12" and decided the 18" would be better.  Besides you can't draw an 18" line with a 12" ruler, but you can draw a 12" line with an 18" ruler.  It is useful when setting up your MFT table, or making sure your saw track is square to the edge.  Longer lines than the 1281, but still a bit large.  If I had to do over, I might consider the Precision Triangle or even the Fancier more versatile MTR-18 Triangle from [member=59331]TSO Products[/member] instead.  It just adds more features when combined with the MFT table.  The TSO ones also are more readily available and will reach your workshop sooner.  (this is not me knocking Woodpecker, I really like everything I have purchased from them, but the OTT take a while to find their way to your door). 

I also own the 26" precision carpenters square.  This is a monster, and it is wonderful.  Great for marking lines on sheet goods, setting up saw tracks and your mFT table.  It won't fit inside of cabinets to check for square assembly, though.  But it has it's place and it ain't leaving my tool cabinet any time soon. 

The only thing a triangle gives you the 1281 doesn't is the ability to draw that 45* line. 

 

[ear3]

I think the 1281 would probably be the most useful for you at this point, as it is suited for a wide variety of operations.

The T cannot be removed from the T-square, btw.  I used the T-square a lot when I first got it, but less so now after I got the larger framing squares.

  I have the 24" and 48" rulers, and I'm really glad that I decided to get the 24" one with one of the scales having zero at the center.  That way you can set/find the center on wider panels. 

For leveling you might also consider go with the serx straightedge rule, which has a thicker body.  It's just that the hook stop will not fit on it.

If you ever come across the larger 18" or 26" precision squares, or if they come up again as a OTT, I highly recommend getting one or both them.  I use the 26" all the time to square my rail when cutting sheet goods.  And when I'm dominoing the vertcials for cabinet shelving, the 26" ruler is big enough to stretch across both boards lain side by side and serve as a backstop to the domino machine, which allows me to create exactly matched mortises on both boards in one go.

 

[nclemmons]

I have quite a few of the Woodpecker measuring tools.  I also have the TSO MTR triangle.  All are shown in the picture below
To your questions...

1 - I would not remove the T-part of the T-square as you will lose squareness.  And the end-stop from the rule will not fit on the T-square. 

2 - One item I use a LOT that was not in your considerations is the Woodpecker Story Stick.  See the photo above.  It's great for spacing shelves / dados or even spacing out Dominos across a board.  And the ruler is graduated with an end stop.  It's not a 'square' but does a great job as a measuring and marking tool - in some ways better than the 4' long Woodpecker rule with the hook stop.  The pieces do come off so you could easily use it to measure flatness across a piece given it is an extruded channel and you can stand it on edge.

3 - I have the smaller 12" Woodpecker triangle and the larger 26" square.  Both are great.  The smaller 12" triangle is handy for smaller areas - think aligning drawer glides in a cabinet where the larger squares might be too large or cumbersome.  Or squaring the interior of a drawer during glue-up.

4 - One other item that might be in your considerations would be the TSO triangle.  I was involved with their design but I have no financial benefit from their sale.  I was excited to contribute given I had not seen some features that I thought could be useful for woodworkers and cabinet makers.  I suggested that they offer two aluminum angle pieces that can be attached to the square for additional uses.  See the example in the photos of me gluing up a cabinet using the square in this way.  You cannot easily do this with the Woodpecker triangles or the Woodpecker square.  I use it this way and it's become one of my favorite measuring tools. 

When I get a chance, I might adapt the Woodpecker story stick t-slot to attach to the aluminum angles on the TSO square that would give me a LARGE 90 degree square that would offer a square mark across a 4x8 piece of ply.  All of these are quality tools.  It just comes down to your budget, project demands and needs.

Hope this helps -

Neil

 

[rst]

I have a large collection of Woodpeckers.  The pieces I use most are the 2618 square (one time tool, actually have the pair set with 1812), the rules, all four sizes (metric and centering), have the hook stops but actually use the rule stops the most.  I cut a lot of expensive plastics.  I use the rules and rule stops to set the size needed from the off cut side (size plus 5.5 mm - 3mm from aluminum rail edge + 2.5 for blade kerf) and the big square to ensure rail square to edge.

 

[Hojo133]

I appreciate the feedback and the suggestions you all had. I will do a little more research into a couple of them before making a purchase.

 

[heidtwd]

[member=167]neilc[/member]
Hi Neil
There's a lot to see in the photos you provided here!
The portable, folding work stand shown looks very substantial. Did you make it or is it a purchased item? Either way, could you please provide me some more info on it?
Thanks,
Bill

 

[nclemmons]

First, welcome to FOG - nice to have you here, Bill -

The table is a Walko table.  More info is here - http://www.walko.nl/en-uk/index.html  You might reach out to them to ask about US dealers or shipping to the US.

Woodcraft used to carry them and I've had a Walko 3 for maybe 8-10 years now.  20mm holes, adjustable wings, top level is within the height of an MFT-3 so great for longer work.  Folds flat for cutting panels if needed.  Adjustable sides, lots of flexibility.

Really sturdy.  My brother has a Walko 4 and he's built several projects with large timbers on one with no deflection.  I've made a china cabinet, 2 dining room tables, chests of drawers and many other projects on the table.  I recommend it if you can find them.