Popular Woodworking Editors' Blog

From November 2006 Popular Woodworking

Pint-sized Accuracy

The combination square is standard equipment for many woodworkers, but it is overkill for most jobs. Most woodworkers need a well-marked ruler and a stop on it so measurements can be transferred or a line scribed parallel to an edge. Rarely is a combination square’s miter face, bubble level or scribe necessary. Veritas’ new Ruler Stop is an inexpensive and elegant way to perform these common operations without a bulky (or expensive) combination square.


The stop slides over a ruler (not included) and cinches down accurately on any ruler, as long as it’s 0.05" or thinner and between 7⁄8" and 1-1⁄8" wide. The Ruler Stop is fantastic on my Shinwa 12" ruler, but it really shines on our 40"-long machinist ruler. The long rulers for the combination squares are shockingly expensive. The stop won’t work on our shop’s 6" rules, which are 3⁄4" wide.

The Ruler Stop is well made and accurate. It has an edge over competing stops in that it completely encases the ruler, making it less likely to fall off when you loosen the knob.

— Christopher Schwarz

More information on the ruler stop from Veritas