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Every year with this gift guide, I recommend one tool that is just a little more expensive than the others but is definitely worth the money. This year it’s the Lee Valley Cast Masons & Engravers’ Square.
This is a new item in Lee Valley’s catalog, and the minute I saw it, I ordered one.
This well-made tool excels at scribing lines that are parallel to the edge of a board or assembly. Yes, you can do this operation with a combination square. But with this tool you have far more bearing surface – the fence is 6-1/2” long – and you don’t get squiggly lines because your pencil tip slips into the divot in the ruler. (This ruler is divot-less.)
The fence is a gorgeous brass casting (as a toolmaker, I am quite jealous of what they could achieve here for the price). The ruler is a typical stainless 6” rule that is .022” thick. I wish it were just a hair stiffer, but it doesn’t affect the tool in use.
The Masons’ & Engravers’ Square is based on a vintage Preston model, and Lee Valley took pains to make its version something that Edward Preston would admire. The square is $39.50 – that’s a bargain for the workmanship and materials.
— Christopher Schwarz
To read past entries from this guide (and from former years), click here.
P.S. This concludes the 2017 gift guide. I hope you found a few things for your shop that will make your work more enjoyable. And by the way, don’t let anyone tell you that you can make a great hand cream by mixing Old Man Schwarz’s No-Kill Mutton tallow with sugar. That’s not a good idea.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
I looked at in and liked it. Ordered it. It is a very attractive and well finished tool that is exceptionally stable in use.
If you ask your dog, you will get another opinion on that hand cream recipe.
Chris, just curious if any of your longer combo square rules fit within that?
I looked at the picture but wasn’t sure about one. I’ll take a look the next time in the store. Hands on can make or break the desire.