Woodpeckers OneTIME Modular Bar System (US)

[Shane Holland]

Ok, so maybe it's a two-time tool.  [smile] But, the modular bar system is back. If you missed it a couple of years ago, here's your chance to pick it up. Available in a T-LOC Systainer.

Order Woodpeckers OneTIME Tools

 

[richk]

I'd love to hear some discussion from those who bought this is the past...

Rich

 

[Cheese]

I'd love to hear some discussion from those who bought this is the past...

I purchased their first offering back in 2011. I also ordered the trammel heads which were, at the time, a separate OTT. Pretty stuff...the fit & finish of the rod ends is very nice, unfortunately I've yet to find an actual use for it in 7 years.

 

[ear3]

Lol.  Weirdly enough, I was finishing up a project this past weekend where I remarked to myself how this tool would have made the build a lot simpler, and I cursed myself for not ordering it up last time it was a OTT.  I guess the gods have spoken and they want me to get it.

I'd love to hear some discussion from those who bought this is the past...

I purchased their first offering back in 2011. I also ordered the trammel heads which were, at the time, a separate OTT. Pretty stuff...the fit & finish of the rod ends is very nice, unfortunately I've yet to find an actual use for it in 7 years.

 

[JZ Bowmannz]

Would WP story stick pro do everything this offered to do and provide a direct read as well?

 

[zapdafish]

I've got the story stick and never really used it as a bar system. I'm more of a wing it as I go woodworker and a story stick helps me keep track of measurements from weekend to weekend or month to month, lol. Image c from the link below.

I've got this version but haven't ever found a use for it.http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=69879&cat=1,43513,43553

 

[rmhinden]

Lee Valley also carries Veritas® Bar Gauge Heads.  Not bad for $15.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=32585&cat=1,43513,43553&ap=1

 

[upscale]

I'd love to hear some discussion from those who bought this is the past...

I bought the Lee Valley ones several years ago. They are very well made, almost as pretty and just as capable as the Woodpecker version. And, they're  considerably cheaper than the Woodpeckers version. (but then isn't everything?) [big grin]
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=69879&cat=1,43513,43553

 

[live4ever]

I’ve had the LV/Veritas one for quite some time and it has come in handy many times, particularly being able to switch between an inside and outside measurement via the mushrooms.  The WP one is maybe slightly prettier but also several times the cost.  The only functional advantage to the WP appears to be the option of trammel heads.

 

[tomp]

Woodpecker usually seems to think out their tools pretty thoroughly but I think they missed the boat on this one. Because of the offset between the two bars, it would be easy to measure on the diagonal rather than parallel to the rods. Think about measuring between the bottom of the grooves for a drawer bottom, the tool has to be tilted so that the tips go into opposite grooves - if you don't measure across the tips at the same angle, the measurement will be slightly out. The solution for this would be a link that attaches to the end of one rod; the link would have two holes in it, spaced the same as the rods - one end attaches to the rod and the lower one accepts the tip.  I have one of the Lee Valley Bar Gauges - I glued a short piece of wood under the one end so that the tip was in line with the other end so can eyeball that both ends are about the same distance down from a reference face and I know it's not tilted.

 

[ear3]

I think I understand what you're saying, but do you think you could snap a picture?

Woodpecker usually seems to think out their tools pretty thoroughly but I think they missed the boat on this one. Because of the offset between the two bars, it would be easy to measure on the diagonal rather than parallel to the rods. Think about measuring between the bottom of the grooves for a drawer bottom, the tool has to be tilted so that the tips go into opposite grooves - if you don't measure across the tips at the same angle, the measurement will be slightly out. The solution for this would be a link that attaches to the end of one rod; the link would have two holes in it, spaced the same as the rods - one end attaches to the rod and the lower one accepts the tip.  I have one of the Lee Valley Bar Gauges - I glued a short piece of wood under the one end so that the tip was in line with the other end so can eyeball that both ends are about the same distance down from a reference face and I know it's not tilted.

 

[richk]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts!

 

[nclemmons]

I have the set from their original release and have enjoyed using it.  Probably used it at least 20-30 times on different projects. 

• use it for measuring drawer bottoms or other inset pieces and it works best for this application.  Of course you can also use a carpenters ruler but the fact that the jig is fixed makes setup and marking easier
• use it for measuring interior divider length by taking into consideration dado depth on cabinets - both horizontal and vertical
• use it for checking diagonals on pieces.  This is probably my least used as it's really easy to grab a tape measure when building or clamping up a carcase
• used it to do an 8' radius on the ends of a dining table I was making.
• If you ever do panel cuts for things like a receptacle or a plumping pipe, this jig makes it really easy to get the placement and alignment perfect.  Yes you can use a tape measure, but when I'm cutting into the side or back of a cabinet, or a piece of drywall, this makes me 'breathe easier'
• one of the more unusual uses - the ability to have an 8' long stiff rod that you can assemble 1 foot at a time gives you a lot of flexibility when fishing wire.  I had a wall cavity that I needed to run flexible romex behind - about 5' long, with a 16" stud opening on each side - installing a receptacle to extend across a wall  The wall was in a basement with about a 1/2" space between the studs and the concrete wall.  Using this set I was able to incrementally assemble and place the rod behind the stud wall for fishing a wire from the other end 5' away.