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They really hit a home run with this new wrench. This 6 in x 150 mm wrench is the perfect gift for a homeowner with limited tools. One end is for standard fasteners and has a maximum opening of 15/16 in. The other end is for metric fasteners and has a maximum opening of 24 mm. Made in the USA.

I made this jig to adjust the drill press table perpendicular to the quill.

A dial indicator is bolted to the jig and it is chucked into the drill press. Zero the indicator on one side of the table. Next, rotate the chuck by hand and check the other side. If the table is perfectly adjusted, the indicator will remain at zero. If an adjustment is needed, move the table half the difference, zero the indicator, and check again. The table can also be checked front to rear, but usually this can only be adjusted with shims.

I have a 12″ x 18″ granite surface plate that I use for precision work. I really didn’t want to use it for sanding and lapping. I saw a reasonably priced 9″ x 12″ surface plate at Woodcraft and decided to buy it. With this second surface plate, I can glue down pieces of sandpaper with spray adhesive and go to work.

Today I was at Woodcraft and noticed a neat tool. It’s a yardstick compass.

Yardstick Compass at Woodcraft

The two pieces are slipped over a yardstick and used to draw large circles. One piece has a fixed point and the other has a collet to hold 2 mm lead. I wish the tool had included an extra point to use in place of the lead. That would allow the tool to be used for scribing steel. I could probably make a replacement point out of a nail. The tool is made by Griffin Manufacturing in the USA.