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• This one is a bit better quality.

• Protractors used to be common tools for making shop drawings. Now it’s much easier to use a drawing or CAD program and print out the plans.

• The angles in this gauge are actually the complement of the angle you want (i.e. 90 degrees minus the angle). You place it on one side of the blade in a miter saw and cut on the other side.

• This angle finder, called a goniometer, is specifically designed for measuring angles between parts of the human body, for example the range over which you can bend your elbow.

• This is what a fairly accurate protractor looks like. Most protractors have one mark on their scale for each degree. This one has a Vernier scale (explained in the section on calipers) that lets you read the angle to within one minute of arc, which is 1/60th of a degree.

• This plastic angle finder can be used to measure or lay out angles for woodworking projects.

• This slightly fancier angle finder tells you the angle digitally (meaning you have to find a battery for it, and it won’t work after a few months). It includes a level so you can use it to determine slopes, not just relative angles.

• This protractor has an edge you can hold against a board or sheet, and a ruler that extends the angle so you can draw a line. It’s cheaply made, but good enough for rough work.

• This is a very chunky little protractor. The Vernier scale can be read to within 10 minutes of arc.

• A digital inclinometer, if it has a working battery and hasn’t gotten wet, will tell you the angle it’s being held at.

• Same idea again, but much better made, and much more expensive. I got it from one of those stylish boutique tool companies back when I had more money than sense.

• This tool just transfers angles, without giving you a measurement.

• Goniometer

• This protractor uses a laser instead of a metal bar to project the angle onto a wall or sheet of plywood.

Do you have a better example of this kind of tool? Let me know by leaving a comment, and include a picture of it if you can so everyone can see!