Marking & measuring

Setting out: gauges, squares, bevels, and the marking knife.

• Marking gaugeA tool with a sliding fence and a fixed point that scores a line parallel to a board's planed edge.
• Bevel gaugeA hand tool, also called a sliding bevel, for marking, copying and carrying an angle that is not square.
• Try squareA fixed right-angle guide used to test whether an edge is square and to mark a straight line across wood.
• Mitre squareA hand tool fixed at a set angle for marking and checking the diagonal mitre cut across a board's end.
• Marking knifeA sharp knife used to score precise layout lines in wood before a joint is cut or fitted.