Marking gauges traditionally use a hardened point or an easy-to-lose graphite point to scratch a layout line, but this marking gauge from Gladstone tools instead uses a regular hexagon-shaped pencil to draw lines as far as 8″ away from the edge of your work.

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Crown’s multi-angle try square does more than just right angles — it lets you layout or check 90°, 60°, 45°, and 30° angles with the same tool.

Crown Tools, based in Sheffield, England, designed this K-shaped square based on traditional tools still used in Europe.  They make the handle from plantation-grown rosewood and the blade, facing plate, and pins from polished brass.

You can find Crown’s multi-angle try square on clearance right now at Hartville Tool for $36.

Multi-Angle Square [Crown Hand Tools]
Multi-Angle Square [Hartville Tool]

You’re not going to drop upwards of $140 on a T-square unless you need a precision instrument, but if that’s what you’re looking for, Woodpeckers is prepared to sell you one of their precision aluminum T-squares.  Available in 12″, 24″, and 32″ lengths, these T-squares not only allow you to draw lines perpendicular to the edge, but by putting a pencil in one of its 1/16″-spaced holes you can drag the square along the edge to produce precisely spaced parallel layout lines.

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In days gone by, I’d have called this a James Bond-style pen, but since 007 doesn’t use gadgets anymore I’ll just say it’s cool.  This perfect shop pen features a laser and an LED.  I know you’re all cheering, but if you’re prone to over-excitement, you’d better sit down — you can get the Quad for only £26, or around $39 for those of us on this side of the pond.

In addition to laying down ink, this full-featured pen can also operate your PDA with its stylus tip.  As if that weren’t enough, the Quad comes in a stylish case with storage space for an emergency battery set.  O ye scoffers, tremble, the future is now — that is, unless you’re not susceptible to gadgetry, in which case it’s just a gimmicky pen.

Quad XP4 [Infiniter]

Wizard Industries crams a few tools you use all the time — a straight edge, marking gauge, ruler, level, and compass — into one tool to make their Measure Level.  With this 8.7oz tool you can measure, transfer measurements, mark straight lines, find level, and create circles and curves.

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Make thin, precise, easy-to-follow lines with Tajima Tool’s Ink-Rite auto-rewind snap-line.  The fast-drying permanent ink resists smudging and won’t wash away — let’s see your chalk line live up to that.

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Laser Products modified the simple but versatile framing square by adding some lasers.  Now, instead of checking just a two-foot section of the wall for square, turn on the lasers and you can check the entire length of the wall.

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These laser enhancement glasses from DeWalt both look cool and help you see your red laser lines in bright or outdoor lighting.  They also extend the usable range of your equipment, because they increase the visibility of otherwise marginally detectable laser lines.

Made in China, expect to pay anywhere from $7 to $15 for a pair of these glasses.

Laser Enhancement Glasses [DeWalt]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

All2ools.com is selling the Starrett 298 key seat clamp set for the lowest price we’ve found, $34.34. This pair of small clamps attaches to your steel rule so you can scribe an accurate parallel line along a round workpiece, for cutting keyways and other layout tasks. Now the price is typical of Starrett, and you can often find used sets much cheaper on eBay, etc. But we’ve yet to find a better tool for the job.

Starrett 298 Key Seat Clamp [All2ools.com]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

Wholesale Tool is offering Heimann transfer screw sets at great prices — the one pictured above is $13.24. A transfer screw works a lot like a transfer punch, but it transfers the center of a threaded hole to another workpiece. You screw it into the hole, put the other piece over it, whack it with a hammer, and presto, all the hole locations are marked. I’ve provided a link for the #8-32 set, but other thread pitches are similarly priced. Each set includes six transfer screws and a container that doubles as a wrench for screwing them into the hole.

Heimann Transfer Screw Set [Wholesale Tool]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

Reader Bob The Drywall Guy suggested GridMarX as a great alternative to building a laser grid to keep your nails on the studs. Although I have to say that a DIY laser grid is a totally Toolmonger thing to do, I admit that using drywall with a preprinted grid sounds a lot easier.

Here’s the catch, though: I don’t see any pricing. Cost might be a big issue, so I’ll make a suggestion and then put the question to all of you. I’ve used tape on the floor and ceiling to mark studs, and then a chalkline to cut down on the guessing in the middle. Is that the best solution?

How else can a Toolmonger keep his nails on the straight and narrow without spending a bundle? Let us know in comments.

GridMarX [National Gypsum]

Wholesale Tool is selling this universal transfer punch (1/4″-3/4″) for $6.50. A universal transfer punch helps to transfer the location of an existing hole to a workpiece underneath, when making a bolted assembly for instance. The punch self-centers with a spring-loaded cone in the hole — just whack it with a hammer to put a prick mark on the piece underneath. These come in especially handy for odd-sized holes that an ordinary transfer punch set won’t work for.

Universal Transfer Punch [Wholesale Tool]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
3/16″-5/8″ Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

Mark points without having to measure or draw perpendicular lines — and do it more accurately — with Incra’s 6″ x 3″ precision XY Marker.

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Love ‘em or hate ‘em, companies keep coming out with multi-use tools. Some multi-use tools, like the combination square and the layout square, have stood the test of time and have found their way into just about every handyman’s pouch. Does the Universal Square fit into this category, or is it yet another tool doomed to be forgotten?

D-Unique, the makers of the Universal Square, designed this 12oz aluminum tool for framers, but they claim other tradesmen such as iron workers, electricians, carpenters, and cabinet builders will find it useful too.

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The Veritas dividing rule makes it easy to divide boards into halves, thirds, quarters, all the way up to tenths — it works on boards eight inches wide and smaller.  Change the orientation and it also functions as a marking gauge.

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A professional drywall contractor probably won’t need Johnson Level’s Rockripper drywall scoring square, but the DIY’er that only occasionally hangs a few sheets of drywall might find it useful. Perforations every 1/16″ in the blade accept a utility knife point for scoring. This makes ripping drywall much easier and more accurate for those of us who haven’t mastered the skill.

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Everybody loves lasers, but sometimes they’re more of a gimmick than a useful guide. Miter saw laser guides help out a lot if the laser shows the edge of the blade — and they’re worse than nothing if the blade and laser aren’t aligned. If your miter saw isn’t fitted with a laser-site guide, chances are you can cheaply retrofit it with Harbor Freight’s laser arbor disc.

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