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My Best Hardware Layout Tool

8 comments
11 years ago
General Articles

transfer punch alignment pinsDo you have those tools in your shop that you have had so long and use so often that you forget they are even there? I got a question from a Hand Tool School member about something I used in a recent video. It was something I used to mark a hole for drilling. I immediately thought of my scratch awl but that wasn’t what he was referring to. I had to rewatch the video before I realized he was talking about my set of transfer punches (thank you to the social media sphere for that name as I had no idea what to call them) I have had these things so long that I have no idea where I got them or even what to call them. But it occurred to me just how dang useful they are and how often they come out of the cabinet when I’m installing hardware.

flywheel flange plateI have starting installing hardware on my treadle lathe and the level of precision has stepped up several notches as I have machined parts interfacing with wood. For this I need highly accurate layouts. This flange plate is located mostly by the inlay it resides in, but if you drill one of the screw pilot holes slight off center the screw will ever so slightly torque the plate when you cinch it down and throw off the alignment and the axle won’t ride smoothly through the flywheel. Enter my transfer punches. My set has just about any size you need and you can reference it off the hardware to precisely locate the center of the hole. Give it a tap, then let your drill bit settle into the mark and go to work.

If I remember right I actually bought these at an automotive store but the fact that I have seen a few of them pop up in woodworking catalogs lately tell me I’m not the only one using them for this purpose. When it comes to installing hardware whether it be a simple butt hinge or a more complex installation like a twin screw vise, you can’t beat one of these sets to make your life a whole lot more precise.

Your Turn

What little work aids do you have in your shop that get used so much you forget you have them? What other trades/hobbies do you borrow from to add that element of efficiency and/or precision to your woodworking? Please share in the comments below.

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Jamie Bacon

These are great tools. When I’m making a saw, I drill the bolt holes in the handle and then use transfer punches to mark the saw plate for drilling.

Stan P.

A little tool I use is what I would call a dissection pick. You can buy fancy all SS ones, but the one I use is basically just a 3 or 4 inch long 1/4″ wood dowel with a long needle sticking out of one end of it. I’ve bent the last 1/4″ or so if the tip of the needle at about a 30 degree angle. I use it to judge board alignment at glue-up. I’m still fairly new at this and I haven’t tried dowels, splines, biscuits. I haven’t had great luck with cauls yet to get my boards all on the same plane, but I’m working on that. In my first glue-up I certainly got the squeeze out that you want to see, but when I went to make sure every thing was in line I smeared glue all over the boards and made quite a mess. I figured there must be a better way and that’s when I thought of using the picks I had used when I was working. It hardly disturbs the squeezed out glue but give you immediately feed back as to whether or not your boards are aligned.

Jeroen

I use this thing to do the same. It is easier because you have one tool and not a hole set like yours.

http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/Precision-Measuring-Tools/Precision-Hand-Tools/Precision-Shop-Tools/Punches-and-Sets/819

Wm. D. Elliott

I have a set of dental tools that I talked my dentist out of. My dentist told me that he rotates his dental tools periodically to always keep fresh ones. He disposes of his old ones. A full set allows for effective cleaning out of corners, ridges, hard-to-get areas. The tools are stainless and tough. In fact, I doubt they are breakable within my range of strength.

Mike

It seems obvious, but my 12″ stainless cabinet rule. I relied on a tape measure for years, which is good for longer measurements, but is kind of cumbersome for small projects. It seemed unecessary to spend $15 on a ruler when I have like 15 tape measures but it has really made my life easier.

Dave

Another use for the transfer punches is to set fences for any of a number of power tools. Example : need a groove 1/4″ from the edge of a drawer side and you plan to use your router table? Place the 1/4″ punch between edge of router bit and fence and lock down fence.

Similarly, for setting depth of hole with drill ; “zero” depth stop at surface of material and then use transfer punch to set the distance between the depth stop and turret.

Trying to think of a hand tool example but drawing a blank right now.

Dave

    Shannon

    Dave this is a great tip. I used to have some set up bars that I used for this exact scenario. I never thought about using the punches that way but it is the same thing and you only need one set of tools to do both jobs. Great tip and a money saver as those set up kits can be pretty expensive.

Bob Daniel

As a pen turner, I know those transfer punches as “pen disassembly” tools. They’ve paid for themselves a couple of times over by using them to knock back out an incorrectly installed pen part, salvaging the project.