Heirloom Brass Compass
Sharpen your skills by making this custom layout tool. Plus, learn simple techniques for working with brass along the way.
Made entirely from brass and steel, this layout tool is sure to be the perfect addition to any shop. If the thought of working with brass and steel seems a little intimidating, don’t worry. There’s really not a whole lot of difference from working with wood. The metals we selected for this project are easily machinable with common woodworking tools you probably already have in your shop. The brass can be cut on a band saw with a standard wood-cutting blade. A hacksaw works well to cut the steel. Files clean up the cut edges. The only real difference is that instead of using glue to hold parts together, you’ll use solder. If you’ve ever sweated a copper pipe fitting, you’ll find the process much the same.
SELECT YOUR PLAN PACKAGE
What You Get:
- 5 printable (digital) pages of step-by-step instructions
- 16 full-color exploded views, photos and illustrations
- Full-size patterns for all parts
- Shop-tested tips ensure your success
- Materials list
- Retail sources for hardware and supplies
Product Recommendations
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
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.
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.
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.