Today is the last day to order Woodpecker’s pocket compass, their latest One Time Tool. The compass works with mechanical pencils and is primarily aimed at woodworkers, but it should work well on plastic and metal materials as well, if used with a fine-tipped sharpie marker or hardened scribe.
The adjustable compass can be used to mark arcs or circles with radii of 1/2″ to 3-1/4″. It has inch and metric scales, with 1/8″ and 1mm graduations, respectively. Once you’re done marking your circles, the stainless steel pivot point threads into the end of the compass for storage.
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The first hole is for drawing your arc or circle, and two additional holes allow for 2″ and 3″ offsets.
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Price is $50, and shipping ETA is September 2013. If you miss the cutoff date for the one-time tool purchase (which is today), you can contact Woodpeckers directly to see if they can fit one more order into their production schedule.
These products will be made in the USA.
What’s a One Time Tool? Basically, it’s a special Woodpeckers product that is squeezed into their production schedule one time only. They design a new tool, create a 1-2 week window for preorders, and then fit in a production run a few months later. If there’s enough demand, one time tools may be offered again down the road.
Sometimes there is enough demand that a one time tool becomes a regularly stocked item, such as their 50″ rules, but this doesn’t happen often.
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First Impression
I ordered one. While I was at it, I ordered a bunch of other Woodpeckers tools from my wishlist. $50 seems like a lot for a compass, but I thought it was a justifiable purchase.
1. Marking larger circles can be a hassle. A plastic template, compass, or dividers, work work well for circles smaller than the 1″ minimum diameter. Or I can just stick on a printed template. Trammel sets are great for larger circles, but for medium-sized circles, I haven’t yet found the ideal layout tool. This pocket compass seems like it will do the trick.
The pocket compass doesn’t look to be a perfect design, but that only leaves room for improvement for a future model. I wish the inch graduations were finer, say with 1/16″ divisions. I would also like to see radius markings on the sides of the tool. Maybe one day there will be a decimal version.
2. It will last forever. These are made in USA from anodized CNC-machined aluminum. Unless I abuse it, the tool should last forever. The stainless steel pin might need to be retouched after years of use.
3. I regret not ordering some of Woodpeckers’ past One Time Tools. I have ordered quite a few, but passed on others only to later regret my decisions. This is a tool I know I can and will use for years to come. $50 might seem like a lot,
Charlie
A few years ago I was building a router table, and I heavily research which plate I was going to put into it. My final decision was to buy the Woodpeckers aluminum plate, plus I bought the 8 piece aluminum ringset for the plate. I have never regreted that purchase. But $50 for a small compass ? Especially for one that I may never be able to get replacement parts for, such as the pin that could be lost or damaged. I don’t need one that bad.