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Where the work is

At the workbench

The bench itself: laying out, marking, drilling, joining and keeping the edges that do the cutting.

33 pieces land here, drawn from 4 shelves.

What this place asks of a tool

Layout decides the result

Most of what goes wrong at a bench went wrong before anything was cut. Marking tools earn their space by making the mistake visible while it is still a line.

Repeat work wants a stop

Making the same part twice is a job for a jig, a stop block or a template. Doing it by measurement each time introduces a new error each time.

Edges are maintained, not replaced

Chains, blades and bits go dull long before they wear out. A file and a stone at the bench keep a working edge for years.

Measuring and marking

Contour gauges, folding rules, angle finders and marking tools that copy a shape onto a plank before the saw touches it.

The whole measuring and marking shelf

Drivers, jigs and install kits

Driver sets, doweling jigs, handle templates and the small rigs that put a screw where you meant it to go.

The whole drivers, jigs and install kits shelf

How this page is put together

The bench is where a job slows down enough to be done properly. Nothing is urgent there, the light is good and the piece is held still, so this is the page for tools that reward a bit of setup.

It covers three stages in a row. Laying out with rules, gauges and angle finders. Making the joint with drivers, jigs and a small welder for metal. Then upkeep, which is filing a chain, dressing a blade and putting the edge back on the things that lost it during the week.

Not sure which of these it is?

Answer two questions about what is in front of you and the finder points at the shelf that handles it.

Start the tool finderBack to the shelves