Hooks and picks are great for cleaning, removing, and manipulating small parts, and many times these are the only tools that can get the job done properly. These Ullman picks and hooks may be small, but they are sharp, strong, and durable.

I’ve used this set to separate wires, remove O-rings and gaskets, toggle hard to reach micro-switches, clean/scrape grooves, retrieve small parts, clear swarf from a drill bit, and accidentally give myself new scars.

Buy Now(via Amazon)

A 4-piece set should be enough for most common tasks, but 6-piece and 8-piece sets are also available.

Vaughan 19oz Steel Framing Hammer for $9, eligible for Prime or super-saver shipping. (Update: currently sold out from the 3rd party Amazon-fulfilled seller & full price from other sellers.)

General Tools Pocket Precision Screwdriver 24-pack for ~$8 (slight hassle risk in case a single item is mistakenly listing as a bulk pack)

Dewalt DC759KA 18V NiCad Drill for $90 via Lowes through 9/5/11. Note that this is the same drill that has been offered for $90-$100 during the past few holiday shopping season. (Amazon price comparison)

Beta Tools Blowout – we’re not what’s going on here, but every Beta tool that we’ve been keeping an eye out for dropped in price significantly overnight; looks like a clearance to us.

Just a reminder, today is the last day to order Woodpeckers’ saddle t-square, their newest “one-time tool”. In case you’re wondering, I opted to order the 4″ inch version and 6″ inch/metric combo version for personal use. Woodpeckers offered similar mini precision t-squares late last year, but with built-in saddle square features, I find these to look a bit more versatile despite their higher cost.

Woodpeckers Saddle T-Square via Woodpecker

Starrett’s 135-series pocket levels feature a hexagonal body with curved ends and a satin nickel-plated finish. They’re available in two lengths, 2-1/2″ and 3-1/2″, with both versions featuring a single clear bubble vial.

These look to be great for machine-shop use, and other applications where an ordinary 9″ mini torpedo level might be too large or awkward to use.

There’s also the potential to stow one way in a portable tool kit for on-the-go leveling use. Even though there are plenty of iphone and Android bubble level apps available, I have never used any of these applications in any real capacity.

You can find these levels (135A, 135B) at your favorite industrial suppliers for about $23-25 each.

Starrett 2-1/2″ Pocket Level via Amazon
Starrett 3-1/2″ Pocket Level via Amazon
Product Info via Starrett (PDF)

If you need a relatively compact pocket-friendly level, but don’t need the precision or durability these Starrett levels provide (or the cost that comes with all that), you could always pick up a simple bullseye level for cheap.

I have to admit, I am just as particular about pens and pencils as I am about tools. Most people (hi, Dad!) are less picky and will use any ol’ pen or pencil as long as it has got ink or graphite in it. A few weeks ago I had been searching for a good mechanical pencil for technical drawing and more precise shop use, and came across the Pentel GraphGear 1000.

Quite a few well thought out features separates the GraphGear 1000 series of pencils from those you’d ordinarily find on the rack at an office supply store. First, the 4mm sleave retracts back into the pencil when you release the pocket clip, meaning that the risk of punctured pants pockets or a bent tip is virtually eliminated.

Second, the pencils have a knurled metal barrel with soft cushiony pads poking through. To be honest, I don’t think that these pads are really necessary since the knurling is well defined but easy on the fingers, but they they certainly aren’t a bother. It’s too soon to say whether this is the most comfortable mechanical pencil I’ve ever used, but it comes close without a doubt.

I’ve been using the 0.7mm pencil for about a week now, and I liked using it so much that I went ahead and ordered a 0.5mm version as well. When I first ordered the pencil, it was priced at ~$18, but it looks like the price has come down a a few bucks since then.

For the same $15-18 you can instead buy several dozen wood pencils or quite a few plastic-bodied mechanical pencils, but in my opinion the GraphGear 1000 is well worth it.

These pencils have straight extra long tips that make them excellent to use with rulers, straight edges, and other layout tools. Plus it’s one less thing to have to sharpen.

Pentel GraphGear 1000 Mechanical Pencils via Amazon
Product Info via Pentel

Pentel GraphGear 1000 pencils are currently being produced in Japan. They’re available via Amazon and various art supply and drafting supply sources.

EDIT: This type of pencil is NOT intended to be used as a carpenter pencil substitute. It’s for more precise lines on smooth surfaces. General shop use has been edited to now read more precise shop use. As Mac and JeffD commented, pencils with thicker leads are essential to complement mechanical pencils like this one.

Starrett recently reduced the price of their new 795 and 796 series electronic micrometers by about 25% and expanded the line with 15 new tools. So if you had your eye on these new mics, now’s a good time to take a closer look.

For the most accurate pricing info, your best bet would be to check with your usual Starrett dealer or industrial supplier.

Starrett Micrometers via Amazon
Starrett.com

In trying to match up a 6″ digital caliper with their new AngleMaster Pro v2 tool (sneak peek here), Bridge City Tools ordered many different models and did some testing. What they found out was that many of the cheaper generic imported calipers were plagued with “choppy resolution, sloppy travel, grungy travel and unreliable results.”

Bridge City Tool Works ultimately goes on to recommend the Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic caliper, model 500-196-20. I also happen to own and wholeheartedly recommend this exact caliper to all but the most casual users, but I can’t say that I went through $1000 of calipers before choosing it.

Digital Calipers Surprise: You Get What You Pay For… via Bridge City Tools Blog (also be sure to read through the interesting discussion in the comments)

Mitutoyo Digitmatic Caliper via Amazon
Mitutoyo Digitmatic Caliper via Enco

Woodpeckers’ creative juices must be flowing rich as they’ve designed another one-time tool, a 6″ x 4″ square. This square is machined from a solid block of aircraft aluminum and features a 1/4″ thick blade complete with 1/16″ or 1mm engravings depending on the model, and a 3/4″ handle.

I’ve been using Woodpeckers’ larger 12″ x 8″ square for some time now, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Like the larger version, the new 640 square has cheeks offset from the handle, allowing it to rest square on a workpiece.

Like the dovetail marking gauges that we recently reviewed, the 640 square has a limited time order window. The cutoff date to order a square is January 24th, with orders expected to ship the week of February 21st.

These squares are available in inch and metric versions at $40 each, or with fitted cases at $55 each.

Woodpeckers 640 Square via Woodpeckers

These squares are made in the USA.

Woodpeckers’ dovetail marking gauges are designed for quick and easy dovetail layout across the edges of a board without needing any additional tools.

Please note that these are one-time tools with a pre-order cutoff of January 17th, 2011. Orders are expected to ship out the week of February 14th, and there is no telling whether or not Woodpeckers will offer these gauges for sale ever again.

First Impression

Seeing these dovetail marking gauges in person confirmed what I thought after first spotting them on the Woodpeckers website - the markers are well designed and well made, and should last a lifetime and then some.

I particular like the beveled edges, but this might be more for looks than function. The machining is perfect, and the tools are anodized red with crisp and clear angle and ratio labels.

Design, Usability & Performance

The dovetail angles and right angles checked to be 100% spot-on and edges were completely straight. The markers proved to be extremely easy to use, and although the 1/2″ center leg is a bit short when used on 3/4″ stock, the marker has a 1-inch extension that functions as a saddle square.

Recommendation

While my hand-cut dovetails could use some (a lot of) practice, I am absolutely impressed with the performance of these dovetail marking gauges. Woodpeckers offers these markers in 1:6, 1:7, and 1:8 ratios, corresponding to the rule of thumb recommendations for use on softwoods, general purpose use, and hardwoods.

These markers are made in the USA and are priced at $21.99 each, which is actually quite reasonable compared to the other dovetail markers on the market. Don’t forget that the deadline to place a pre-order for these gauges is 1/17/11.

Bottom line, I highly recommend these dovetail marking gauges! If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask – I will try to post additional photos and maybe even a video between now and the pre-order cutoff.

Dovetail Marking Gauges via Woodpeckers, also available via Incremental Tools

If you ask 10 different woodworkers about which dovetail angle/ratio to use, make sure to bring some popcorn. 1:6 is traditionally used for softwood, 1:8 for hardwood, and 1:7 is a great compromise between the two. Personally, I prefer to use 1:7 and 1:8 ratios, but others find 1:6 to be more aesthetically pleasing.

These markers aren’t due to ship out until after the order deadline, but I was able to get my hands on this set of prototypes for review. Thank you to Woodpeckers for providing the samples!

Looking for quality woodworking bevel-edge bench chisels on a tight budget is no easy task. Cheap chisels are tough and time consuming to sharpen and hone up, and don’t hold an edge well. On the other hand, top-quality chisels are usually too expensive for casual enthusiasts.

I checked all my usual woodworking tool sources – Rockler, Woodcraft, Amazon, and Lee Valley, and still couldn’t settle on a set. With a limited budget, I couldn’t afford to do my usual “try ‘em all” routine. So, I scoured various woodworking forums and magazines, and saw the consensus was that Narex makes a great set of beginner chisels.

There are several options available. Lee Valley offers a 4 piece set (~1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″) for $35 and an 8 piece set (~1/4″, thru 1-1/2″) for $76. Highland Woodworking offers a 6 piece boxed set (~1/4″ thru 1″) for $60, sometimes on sale for $50. These chisels are metric sizes, so their inch equivalents are nominal.

After searching around and checking out Narex’s website, it looks like the only difference between sets is that the Highland set features beech handles, and the Lee Valley set features stained beech handles.

Ultimately I went with the Highland Woodworking set since I don’t think I’ll need the 2 largest sizes anytime soon and because it offered reasonable value.

Narex 6-pc Chisel Set with Box via Highland Woodworking

Here’s a Great Review by Tony at Lumberjocks

Micro Mark, the “small tool specialists” offers these miniature right angle corner clamps for use on small models and precision structures. It looks like they’re actually “guides” instead of true “clamps”, but that doesn’t matter as long as they get the job done.

The clamps can hold square or rectangular stock as small as 1/2″ x 1/2″ and up to 4″ x 5″. They’re priced at $15.95 each and are eligible for a quantity discount.

Mini 4-Corner Clamp via Micro Mark

We first mentioned these inexpensive digital calipers over a year ago, and it seems that people have been quite pleased with their performance. In addition to these calipers’ reasonable accuracy and repeatability, they’re great to modify and add to jigs and power tools as inexpensive DRO (digital readout) gauges.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s Ben’s tutuorial on how to modify a digital caliper for use as a digital drill press stop gauge.

6-inch Digital Caliper with Extra Batteries & Case via Amazon

Starrett is introducing two new inspection sets for automotive use. The new sets are ideal for measuring movement and play between parts, as well as component wear (such as ball joints). The sets offer several options for securing the measuring fixtures to nearby surfaces.

Mechanics and techs can use either the included locking pliers or a separate magnetic base to attach a dial indicator to take precise readings. Starrett’s Flex-O-Post allows for more optimal positioning of the indicator. 

Kit S898Z-1 includes pliers, a Flex-O-Post, dial indicator (.001” grads, 1” travel) and a fitted plastic case. The other kit, S898Z-2, is identical to the first but includes a magnetic base for additional mounting options.

Starrett Home

Our post on cheap mini pliers caught the attention of Lindstrom, who then sent us two cutters and two pliers for evaluation and comparison. After using them for a bit, I can honestly say that they beat the springs off all the other precision and mini pliers that I have ever used. Calling them tools is a bit of an understatement; they are better described as finely-tuned precision instruments.

If you use precision pliers on a daily or regular basis, you will definitely want to give Lindstrom a try. They offer a range of precision tool sizes and styles and cater heavily towards users in the electronics and jewelry making industries.

A formal review of the Swiss-Made pliers and cutters will be in the works for the future, but my opinion of the tools will likely remain extremely high.

Lindstrom Tools via Amazon | via Techni-Tool
Product Info via Lindstrom

Woodcraft put their 9″ x 12″ x 2″ granite surface plate on special for $20. A granite plate can be used for many applications requiring a true flat surface, such as sharpening and sanding.

To get free shipping, you need to pad the order a little with other items to bring the total over $25. These surface plates weigh about 30-35 pounds, which is why the free shipping is such a big deal.

9x12x2 Granite Surface Plate via Woodcraft