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After 20 years, I finally wore out my grandfather’s Japanese-made trammel points. They were things of beauty, but the micro-adjustable friction mechanism began to slip and nothing could be done to fix it without the help of a machine shop.
I’m going to get them repaired, but in the meantime I have lots of arcs to scribe. Megan Fitzpatrick, in a moment of pure generosity, ordered me this set of Veritas Trammel Points and I’ve been using the snot out of them. They are beautifully machined and knurled, and the points are quite sharp, leaving a crisp scratch line behind. Oh, and they are made in stainless steel, a nice bonus for my damp basement workshop.
They are only $26.50 (yes, that’s the price for a pair).
The trammels are outstanding for high-tolerance work. My only wish (and it’s one that Megan noted in her review of the trammels) is that they offered a point that was a lead holder for marking out rougher layouts. But that’s a quibble.
If you don’t have trammels, it’s time to fix that.
— Christopher Schwarz
For Day 1 of this year’s gift guide, click here.
Day 2 is here.
Day 3 is here.
Day 4 is here.
For my gift guides from 2013 and 2014, click here.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
