Nathan's posted swap tools made me think a few of my often used marking, and layout tools were living on the computer, via pics from swaps.
Eric (where is that guy anymore?) had me in a tool swapper a while back, and went heavy on some marking/layout tools. I find myself grabbing them often. A cross between well made, and a memory from the swap I think.
Most are shown here. The across the room shot is needed to get the 48" Circle jig shown at the bottom.
Closer shots of That Awesome Awl. Made from a ground drill bit, to a micro point. My use is primarily marking, spotting placements of holes to drill out. I use awls and marking knifes instead of pencils on layout, and having a registration mark instead of just a line, that following my line with cutting tools is easier, much much easier if using hand tools. Plus fraying, and splintering is reduced due to cutting of the wood fibers, prior to actually cutting them. It's like a mini scoring knife on every tool, but attached to your hand.
The head and base of the circle jig. I have an assortment of dowel, and aluminum rods it will fit onto, so size, and rigidity can be adjusted.
A handy depth, and height gauge, and a center finder.
Also included was a nice marking gauge, with quite a bit of adjustability, and an accurate scale.
I often am saying Thanks Eric when I am using these.
Another swap I sent out both a Morakniv shop knife, and a marking knife both housed in a base to give them a home to return to, so the edges don't get beaten up. I am at a total loss as to who I sent this to. Memory, they say it's the first thing to go.....Walnut and Curly Maple
No swap here, just marking and layout tools I could live without, but life would be a lot harder.
Nothing beats the transfer of one spot to another, even if you aren't using a dowel. Dowel centers, make a hole on one side that you want to correspond to another side. Pop in a center, press the 2 pieces together, and drill out the opposite hole at the dot the center makes. Easy Peasy. Often times these marks are done blind, or into a blind area. Later you can dowel plug, of use a face grain plug to hide the hole. If it's in a place you cannot see, because it was part of your joinery, does it exsist if you plug it or leave it open?
Probably all of us started out with a set of Whiteside set up blocks, or a Rockler, or other equivalent. Awesome for setting router depth, and distance from the fence. What we are learning is adding to this very basic set is that measurements come in a lot of other flavors (sizes)
Enter the iGaging 15 piece set up blocks, and add the the 1 2 3 blocks, and on measurement and saw fence set ups of up to several inches, you can be much more accurate, faster, and easier, by simply stacking these precision blocks atop of each other, and pitch that tape measure. Especially on really off fractions.
Transposition errors (An accounting term, with global application) For woodworking they may be. Errors made by misreading a tape, and or failing to take a good measurement and use it to lay out correctly that number onto your stock, or the set up of your machine. Or simply reading a number, and applying it incorrectly, are the #1 reason for miscuts, and errors in assembly because your parts aren't the correct size. IOW measuring mistakes.
I own a set of the iGuaging blocks, and also added to them a set of 15 off brand Chiwanese blocks to use as a comparison to the more expensive iGaging, and have found they offer a very value friendly option. I keep the off set with my router table, so I don't need to walk all over for them. I split the iGaging between the TS, and drill press. I find on every tool set up I use them, errors have fallen away to nothing.
