How does a contour gauge work?

A contour gauge holds a row of thin sliding pins in a frame. You press the pins against the shape you need to copy, such as an architrave, a pipe or a skirting profile, and the pins take up that outline. Lock the gauge, lay it on your board and trace round it. You then cut to the line for a flush fit.

What is a try square used for in woodworking?

A try square marks lines at exactly ninety degrees across a piece of timber and checks that faces, edges and shoulders are square to each other. Hold the stock firmly against the reference face, mark along the blade, then use the same square afterwards to confirm the cut. The brass wear edge on this model resists rounding off over time.

What is a pocket hole jig and do I need one?

A pocket hole jig guides a drill bit into timber at a shallow angle so a screw enters the neighbouring piece at a strong diagonal. It makes fast, solid joints in shelving, face frames, cabinet carcases and furniture repairs without cutting traditional joints. If you build or repair anything from sheet material or softwood, it pays for itself quickly.

Why use a scriber instead of a pencil?

Pencil lines sit on top of a surface, spread as the tip blunts and rub off. A scriber cuts a fine permanent line into metal, hard plastic or laminate, which is far more accurate and survives handling. On timber a scribed line also gives a chisel or knife somewhere positive to register, so the cut starts exactly where you intended.

Is the voltage tester suitable for UK household wiring?

It is a general purpose tester for confirming whether a circuit or accessory is live before you work on it. Treat it as a safety check rather than a diagnostic instrument, always test it on a known live source first, and if you are altering fixed wiring in a UK home, use a qualified electrician and follow Part P notification requirements.

How does a contour gauge work?

A contour gauge holds a row of thin sliding pins in a frame. You press the pins against the shape you need to copy, such as an architrave, a pipe or a skirting profile, and the pins take up that outline. Lock the gauge, lay it on your board and trace round it. You then cut to the line for a flush fit.

What is a try square used for in woodworking?

A try square marks lines at exactly ninety degrees across a piece of timber and checks that faces, edges and shoulders are square to each other. Hold the stock firmly against the reference face, mark along the blade, then use the same square afterwards to confirm the cut. The brass wear edge on this model resists rounding off over time.

What is a pocket hole jig and do I need one?

A pocket hole jig guides a drill bit into timber at a shallow angle so a screw enters the neighbouring piece at a strong diagonal. It makes fast, solid joints in shelving, face frames, cabinet carcases and furniture repairs without cutting traditional joints. If you build or repair anything from sheet material or softwood, it pays for itself quickly.

Why use a scriber instead of a pencil?

Pencil lines sit on top of a surface, spread as the tip blunts and rub off. A scriber cuts a fine permanent line into metal, hard plastic or laminate, which is far more accurate and survives handling. On timber a scribed line also gives a chisel or knife somewhere positive to register, so the cut starts exactly where you intended.

Is the voltage tester suitable for UK household wiring?

It is a general purpose tester for confirming whether a circuit or accessory is live before you work on it. Treat it as a safety check rather than a diagnostic instrument, always test it on a known live source first, and if you are altering fixed wiring in a UK home, use a qualified electrician and follow Part P notification requirements.

Cutting, Measuring & Precision

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Marking out is the part of a job that decides whether the cut lands in the right place, and this page collects the Rolson contour gauges, try squares and scribers that do that work. These are layout and checking tools rather than saws or tapes, so they earn their keep before a single cut is made. Everything listed is genuine Rolson Tools stock held in the UK and dispatched with tracked delivery.

Contour gauges and try squares for marking out

The plastic contour gauge is the tool that saves a weekend when you are fitting laminate, vinyl or skirting around a moulded architrave, a pipe or a curved kerb. You press the pins against the profile, lock it and trace a perfect template straight onto the board. The 230mm hardwood try square with its polished hardwood stock, steel blade and brass wear edge is the traditional companion, used to mark square across timber and to check that a shoulder or a carcase corner really is at ninety degrees.

Scribers, jigs and joint layout

The combined scriber and magnetic pick up tool marks a fine, permanent line on metal and hard plastics where a pencil will not hold, and the magnet end retrieves the screw you inevitably drop into the gap afterwards. The aluminium pocket hole jig in 6, 8 and 10mm gives you angled pocket screw joints for face frames, shelving and repairs, which is the fastest way to make a strong joint without cutting mortices. Complementary chisels, clamps and honing gear sit in the wider Rolson hand tools range.

Checking, magnification and electrical safety

Two checking tools round the page out. The all purpose voltage tester lets you confirm a circuit is dead before you cut into a wall, and the clip on spectacle eye loupe magnifies fine marking, small print and close repair work without a headband. For more magnification see precision tools, and for the small scale craft end of the range browse hobby tools. The full catalogue sits under Rolson Tools, general tools and DIY essentials.

Marking out accurately at home

Accuracy on a home project is usually lost at the marking stage rather than the cutting stage, and a few habits fix most of it. Choose one reference face and one reference edge on every piece and mark everything from those, so small errors do not compound. Mark once and cut to the waste side of the line rather than through the middle of it. Check a square against a known straight edge occasionally by drawing a line, flipping the square and drawing again, because two lines that do not sit on top of each other mean the square has been knocked out of true. When copying a profile with a contour gauge, press it on square to the surface and trace with a sharp pencil or a scriber, not a blunt one.