Woodpecker One Time Tools

[Jim Becker]

I sure didn't mean that term intentionally placed in quotes to be an absolute. But there are folks who buy things all the time because they feel "that thing" elevates their status in the world, even if it's only in their own minds. You and I clearly don't do that...I buy something because it fits a need but I also consider quality and other factors as I'm making the decision. What's good about the Woodpecker's offerings is that they are pretty much high quality, so the "should I buy" is more about both function and what feels good. The feel-good thing is just part of being human and almost none of us are immune at some level.

As an aside, I recently bought some small DFM anodized aluminum squares and some of their scrapers. I noted them while watching some videos and found out they were a small business making things here in the US, also in limited quantities it seems. I had been looking for something like this to add to my layout arsenal anyway. I might have actually bought Woodpeckers, but went "blue" instead ...the feel good here, aside from addressing a need was an opportunity to support a business I didn't know about previously.

[Alan Lightstone]

...the feel good here, aside from addressing a need was an opportunity to support a business I didn't know about previously.

I couldn't agree more.

I still feel horribly about the woodworker who made great shooting boards, but lived and had is business in Paradise, California which both were destroyed by the Camp wildfire. He posted his competitor's information if people needed stuff. Great guy, I hope he has been able to put his life/business back together.

It's been real rough for small businesses this year. I do everything I can to help them.

[Christopher Wellington]

This may not be that much of an issue as all the WP stuff is anodized. The hardness of type 2 anodized aluminum is comparable to many stainless steels. I don't know if Woodpeckers uses Hard anodizing (type 3) but if they do, the hardness is comparable to tool steel (unhardened). I've not seen an issue using a marking knife with my WP rules, although I admit I am fairly careful with them, and all my precision tools.

The trouble is that anodizing does not do well with sharp edges. The process builds a layer out from the surface, so any sharp edge where two surfaces meet will have at best a very thin layer of anodizing. Anodizing is also not a particularly thick layer even on surfaces. We're talking a few tenths to maybe a thou thick, depending on process. A slipped marking knife or just general wear and tear will dent and gouge anodized aluminum more readily than steel.

It's not a great choice for precision-edged measuring tools like squares and rules. There's a good reason everyone else uses hardened steel. For me, it's pretty difficult to justify the high cost of Woodpeckers tools when they're made from aluminum, anodized or not.

[Ben Rivel]

Bought and sold a lot of Woodpeckers in my time, number one thing that always seems to blow me away is how they can get away with charging the same price or more for tools of a lower build quality than Starrett.