And the plastic ones don't even have good straight edges. Most of the pretty anodized aluminum ones were accurate on the 90-degree angle, but they were all off considerably on the 45-degree angle. For example, I was recently trying to buy a good speed square. If I shop for a square at a big box store, I always have to test a bunch of them in order to find an accurate one - and often I cant find a single good one. That doesn't bother me personally, though, because I always handle my tools with care, and no one else uses them. But with the bodies of the Woodpeckers tools typically being aluminum, they're not as rugged. Their accuracy is comparable to some vintage Starrett layout tools that I own. I have a few of them, and all are top quality. TS Cross-Cut Sled (Nick Ferry Design), Bandsaw Circle Cutter (Inspire Woodcraft Design)ġ996 11' Bandsaw (upgraded thrust bearings and installed Carter guides in 2020) Incra V120 Miter Gauge, TS Sharkguard, Jessem TS hold downs If you can discipline yourself to one or two purchases a year you won't be sorry.ġ990 Mark V upgraded to 520 in 2007 (originally a 510 purchased in 1992 at a garage sale) In my view the Woodpecker tools are well engineered and beautifully constructed. Having accurate and well-engineered layout tools has definitely improved my joinery. And just a couple of months ago I order their one-time-tool 6' Carpenter's Square that should ship in September. Earlier this year I purchased their 8' Saddle Square which is my go-to square for marking (I really like the way it wraps around the edge of the board). In 2019 I picked up a set of their Precision Squares (12' and 18') that I use all the time, especially when aligning equipment or marking large pieces. An unbelievably accurate and indispensable tool I used when building a deck. My first purchase in 2018 was the 12' Angle Square with angle reference plate.

A couple of years ago I decided that my layout tools were not up to scratch and so have been systematically upgrading them ever since. Like Ed, I have not found a Woodpecker tool that I do not like. Bottomline, Woodpeckers makes high quality tools.often they are filling a niche with certain tools, but they fill that niche very, very nicely. Other than Woodpecker's pricing, this is the next most annoying thing for them IMHO. Unfortunately some items from Woodpeckers are ONETIME tool purchases so if you miss the sale window then you have to wait for them to resurrect that tool again to order it. Initial testing so far seems to indicate that the dog holes are square enough to suit my needs. I just finished my new assembly/worktable top with 20mm dog holes using this jig and it worked great. Not a tool, but a jig from them that I have is their hole boring jig. I find the Woodpeckers 26' square to be a great companion for my tracksaw tracks. Until then, I have been using my 26' square often with my track to get perfectly square cuts. I finally switched over to cutting plywood using a tracksaw this year and I don't have all of the track accessories that I want for it just yet. I also have the 18' & 26' squares set from Woodpeckers (on sale right now from Woodpeckers. Personally I have never liked those Incra style rulers with multiple measurement indents, but that is just me. As an alternative, they do offer stainless blade squares and even have the squares with indents for a pencil to fit in (similar to Incra rulers), e.g. I have never had a problem with it, but for some they don't like the potential marking error of sighting down from this thick blade to the work surface. Only negative (in my mind) with this square is the blade of the square is a bit thick because of the aluminum design. It just has the right balance in my hand so it is a joy to use. That square just sits in a drawer now because I love the heft and feel of the Woodpeckers 12' square (model # 1281).

Prior to this, I heavily used the stainless 6' square that I got when I purchased my Mark V new.

By far, the one tool from Woodpeckers that I use the most is their 12' aluminum square. Granted, Woodpeckers doesn't give more than a small discount typically, but every bit of savings counts. It is hard to get over the price, but if you are strategic with your purchases you can usually buy the item you want on sale. Everyone has their own tool preferences, so take my comments with a grain of salt.I own a few Woodpeckers tools and like all of them.

Woodpeckers one timetool marking gauge