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Layout & Measuring

With a small collection of the right tools, you can handle just about any layout task — efficiently and accurately.

With a small collection of the right tools, you can handle just about any layout task — efficiently and accurately.

Often, the first tools you pick up when starting a project are the ones used to lay out the parts and joinery. So having a complete set of these essential tools is key to getting the job started down the right road. Here's a short list of the basic layout tools that you shouldn't be without, along with tips on how to use them to get the best results.

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Imperial Plans

The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.

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Metric Plans

The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.

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Premium Plans

All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.

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Layout & Measuring

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