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Ruler
The
first tool I’m going to show you is a clear plastic ruler. This
comes in handy when you’re cutting sticks of balsa wood. When
you mark the balsa wood, make sure of three things:
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One,
make sure that you have the edge of the ruler aligned with the edge of
the stick.
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Two,
make sure you mark the length with a single dot. Otherwise, if
you mark it with a line, it will be crooked for sure.
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Three,
once you’ve measured it, be sure to measure it again. There is
an old woodworking saying “Measure twice, cut once”. That’s
because it is a lot easier to fix a mistake before you make it than
afterwards.
"T" Square
The next tool I’m going to show you is a T square. A T square is
used to put one piece of wood at a right angle to another. For
example, the vertical hip needs to be at a right angle to the gusset
plate. So later on, we’ll use the T square to orient the vertical
hip perpendicular to the gusset plate, mark where the vertical hip
meets the gusset plate with a pencil, and glue them together.
Combination Square
The next tool I’m going to show you is a combination square. A
combination square is used to mark a line lengthwise down the middle
of a long piece of wood. A combination square consists of two main
parts. The first part is a foot long metal ruler with a notch at the
end to hold a pencil. The second part is an adjustable steel bar that
slides. This lets you adjust where you want the mark to be.
We will use the combination square to cut a 36" x 3" x 1/16" piece of
wood into two 36" x 1 1/2" x 1/16" pieces of wood.
Level/Straight Edge
The final measuring tool I’m going to show you is a level. Levels
are usually used to see if a surface is perfectly level (meaning it
doesn't tilt up or down). But I use them to draw a straight edge.
A level is nicer than a wooden ruler for this because it has
brass edges and brass corners. That means the level's edges can’t be dented
or cut.
We'll talk
about cutting tools next.
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