Wall mounted Plane and Tool Cabinet - Part 21 - Odd-Job Hanger

The Garrett Wade Odd-Job is a measuring device based upon the Stanley original according to their website  "Made from 1888 to the early 1930's, and rediscovered by Garrett Wade, the Odd-Job will provoke admiring glances. It's an inside mitre and try square, a depth gauge, a scribing tool for arcs and circles, a T-square, a depth marking scribe (excellent for marking out mortises), a plumb level, and a rule. Made of solid brass and steel, and carefully machined on all sides. Hardwood Rules are brass-bound and graduated in inches and metric units." - their words not mine.

The Odd-Job fitted with a 12" rule

Well I have one with 12" and 6" rules and use it constantly. It needed a place to rest as throwing it into a drawer is not good as it is liable to dings and scrapes. It is actually a precision instrument and, although intended to be kept in an apron pocket, does need protection.

The Odd-Job is a difficult device to hang as there are many protrusions, angles, screws and knobs to avoid. I came up with an idea to fabricate a hanger from scraps of walnut and shape it to fit the Odd-Job, provide support for it in the cabinet and also make it easy to extract.

Jigs and Fixtures - some of my personal history

When I was involved in engineering many years ago I designed tools, jigs and fixtures to hold component parts for the aerospace industry whilst an operation was carried out on it - drilling, welding, milling etc. To do this the component to be manufactured was drawn to scale - this was the old days when you drew on paper - and the jig/fixture was designed around it. You had to make sure that once the component was completed the fixture (or jig) could be unclamped from the component so you could get the component out! This was normally necessary when making welded components as the fixture had to hold many individual parts until they were welded making one complete component. There was nothing worse than finding out that once the component was welded you couldn't get it out of the fixture!

The Odd-Job fixture

I applied the principles and experience I had gained from my engineering days to designing the hanger (or fixture) for the Odd-Job,
As the Odd-Job has so many different faces/facets/bits sticking out I started first of all with the rear. The Odd-Job has a 90 degree rear that is canted over at 45 degrees and there is a space (due to the casting process) that was ideal for a 1/4" thick piece of scrap to engage and locate.

The rear of the brass casting

 I made a triangular piece with a large radius cut into the apex.

Then turning to the front of the Odd-Job I cut out two square sections of walnut and positioned them so they would support the horizontal lip on the the main body. I also cut out a thin strip of walnut that would act as a hanger preventing the whole lot from falling out of the fixture. Then using the actual Odd-Job as a template I simply glued the strips onto the triangular backing piece.

Using the Odd-Job as a template

Once dried I removed the Odd-Job from the hanger and set about cutting the fabrication to size. This involved cutting bevels and chamfers on the fabrication so that when mounted on the inside door the rear panel would not prevent getting the Odd-Job in and out of the hanger. This is why I ended up with such a strange shape.

The hanger before being shaped

Once it was complete a couple of screw holes were drilled and countersunk and the hanger was mounted into the shallow inner door. I also put a strip of walnut on the bottom face to hold to two 6" spare rules I have for the Odd-Job.

Hanger in position
Note the chamfer on the underside of the hanger
protrusion

Odd-Job hung

The chamfer on the hanger protrusion
clears the clamping screw when lifting out

A scrap of walnut holds the 6" rules in place.

So if you are looking for an unusual, surprisingly accurate but, in my opinion, very useful addition to your tool collection then the Garrett Wade Odd-Job gets my vote.