Yesterday I went to the flea market and was able to complete two sets of tools.
From left to right – a center finder, a protractor, and a combination square attached to a 16” metal ruler.
The center finder is my newest acquisition. If you put a piece of stock in the angle and trace the ruler, then reposition & repeat, you’ll have accurately marked the center. It’s a bit of a one-trick pony, which is why I’ve not really been looking for one.
The protractor is very useful and you don’t see them frequently. Mine would probably be easier to use if it hadn’t been built for the military.
In addition to the olive drab paint, which really is not a big deal, the liquid inside the level is dark purple. Its useable in full sun, but useless in the shade.
If I hold the bubble level and turn the blade to match an existing surface, I can read the exact angle from the opposite side.
And lastly the combination square, which is probably my most used layout/ measuring tool. I like to lock the square on the blade when I need to transfer a measurement from one piece to another.
Two squares (or protractor set for 90* and square) makes for a field expedient caliper. Simply lock one piece at the one inch mark and slide the other firmly onto the thing you’re trying to measure.
The little brass bit at the bottom of the square is a scribe. It’s not very easy to hold onto because it’s tiny, but it makes more accurate marks on wood than a carpenter’s pencil.
The other completion was my set of combination wrenches. I found a 15/16 combination wrench so I now have imperial wrenches from 1/4 to 1” by sixteenths.
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