Sandpaper sharpener:
A sharp pencil is indispensable for making precise layouts. One way to keep your pencils sharp at all times is to tape or glue a strip of medium-grit sandpaper or an emery board to your work-bench or a nearby wall. To sharpen a pencil, just rub the pencil point back and forth a few times against the abrasive surface. To achieve the chisel-shaped point that’s best for marking wood, rub only the opposite sides of the point.

Another one-handed sharpener:
You can also glue a small plastic pencil sharpener to the underside of your workbench. To catch shavings, position the sharpener over a rubbish bin.

Chalk talk:
The coloured chalk used for snapping lines is highly visible, but it can be hard to remove from porous surfaces such as brick and unfinished wood. To make cleaning up easier in such cases, carry in your tool kit an extra chalk box filled with talcum powder. The white powder is almost as visible as the traditional chalks on dark-coloured surfaces and is easy to remove. On lighter surfaces, however, the white can be hard to see.

Snap line holder:
When snapping a chalk line, both ends of the line must be anchored while the line is snapped. On wood, tie the line around a nail driven into one end of the plank or panel. Or cut a narrow saw kerf and hook the string in the kerf.

Mechanical compass:
To avoid having to resharpen and reposition the little pencil in a compass over and over again, substitute a mechanical pencil for the wooden one. You’ll have a durable marking tool that needs no sharpening and little adjusting. All you have to do to get a fresh point is push down on (or twist) the end.

Draw anywhere:
Ceramic tiles, glass, and metal are hard to mark. One solution is to cover the area to be marked with a tape that’s easy to peel off, such as artist’s tape, or with a sheet of contact adhesive paper. This way you’ll be able to draw (and see) your pencil marks. Leave the tape or contact paper in place until you’re finished cutting. Then remove it.

Unconventional tools

Circle chain:
Use a length of flat-link chain to draw various-size circles. Drive the tip of a nail through one of the links and into the centre of your circle. Use this nail as a piliot point, and insert the point of a pencil at the desired radius. To make your circle accurate, keep the chain taut and the pencil perpendicular to the work surface.

Pegboard circle:
A 2″ (50 mm) wide strip of pegboard makes a great substitute trammel — a tool used to mark large circles — because the pegboard’s holes offer a variety of radii. To use your pegboard trammel, first locate the pivot point by fastening one end of the pegboard to the workpiece with a screw. Use a screw that fits the hole, but leave it a little loose so that the pegboard can pivot freely. Place a pencil in the appropriate hole and rotate the pegboard to draw an arc or circle.

Improvisations

Marble-ous level:
If you don’t have a level, you can still check your work. Place a marble at the midpoint of the work and at various positions along the work surface. If it doesn’t immediately roll off in any direction, your work is level.

Here’s the pitch:
If you want an easy way to align your work to a specific angle or pitch, try this. Place the level at the desired angle; then mark the positions of the bubbles by placing tape on the glass vial at the ends of each bubble. To duplicate this pitch, angle the level in a new location, centring the bubbles between the pieces of tape. When the job is done, remove the tape.

Plumb bob impostor:
If you don’t have a plumb bob handy, try using a chalk line box as a substitute. Secure the hook end of the chalk line and extend the string: then mark the spot, using the tapered bottom end of the chalk box as a reference.

Checking up

Test for square:
Every so often, it’s a good idea to test your combination square to see if it is true. Place the tool on a straight plank and draw a line along the square’s blade. Then turn the square over, place the blade at the line, and draw a line: if the lines match, the square is true.

On the level:
Always check a level before you buy it, and test it periodically afterwards. To make the test, place the level on the floor or on a table, mark where you’ve placed it, and note the bubble positions on the vials. Then rotate the level, end for end, align it on the same spot, and note the reading. Finally, turn the level over top to bottom, and make a final reading. All three readings should be the same. If your level has tiny screws, you can adjust them to true the level. If there are no screws and the level isn’t true, you’ll have to buy another level.

Protect your tools

Bubble cover:
It’s easy to break one of those little vials in a level inadvertently. To protect the glass, cut 3″ (75 mm) lengths of garden hose and slit them lengthwise. Between jobs slip the covers over the vials.

Hanging square:
The best way to ensure the accuracy of a square year after year is to take good care it. Try not to drop it accidentally, and always hang it on the wall when you’re not using it. To hang your square, take a piece of 3″ x 1″ (75 mm x 25 mm) timber and either bevel one edge at a 45 degree angle or cut a thin groove to accept the square. Nail or screw the strip to the wall.