Mortise Guage & Backsaw

[Victor Stearns]

Greetings to the Creek,
I will be attending a woodworking class at Marc Adams School of Woodworking this summer. Oh the joy of the shavings:)
Anyway I need to purchase a mortise gage and also a backsaw.
Therefore I am soliciting opinions on what works and what to stay away from.
Your Input is appreciated.
Victor

[Tony Shea]

Kinda need a budget of what you're looking at spending. I really like the Tite-mark setup when it comes to mortise gauges and use the fixed blade setup which matches my chisel sizes perfectly. But this gauge is not the cheapest thing going. A standard wooden micro adjustable gauge works as well but is a bit clunky for my taste.

And backsaw choices are endless. Your wallet is the only constricting factor when it comes to selecting your backsaw. You'll also need to know what you want for a filing. Crosscut or rip, and a tooth count as well. All my Lie Nielsen saws have not let me down and would serve you well. A tuned up vintage saw is another option but could be finiky as far as finding a good candidate to work on. Wenzloff, Bad Axe, etc all produce amazing saws that are impossible to be dissapointed with. Have been waiting on a 14" crosscut from Bad Axe that Im looking forward to. Oh, there is typically a little wait period with Bad Axe and believe that's true for Wenzloff saws depending on your model.

[Adam Cormier]

I don't use a regular mortise gauge but I have had great success with the Veritas wheel marking w/ micro adjust, then I purchased the mortise gauge head attachment for an additional $9. I really like it and prefer the wheel marking gauge over traditional marking gauges.

As for a backsaw, LN or Wenzloff are top of the line. But, you could also pick up a used Disston. I have an old Disston that I really like and I just ordered a Wenzloff because of the incredible reviews, a bit pricey though.

Adam

[Russell Sansom]

I would strongly suggest a wheel gauge to a person just starting out. The Tite-mark should last a lifetime and I think it's impossible to improve on it substantially. Well, ok...it will roll off the bench if you're not careful. You have the option of buying a set of mortise wheels ( 2 wheels spaced a specific distance apart ), or just go with the single wheel and mark out mortises and tenons in two passes. If you go the 2-pass route, one of the cuts made by the wheel will be wrong-sided ( slope of the wheel's cut will be on the outside of the mortise instead of the inside ).

Back saws. It depends on what you're going to do with it. Lee Valley will sell you a pair with (only)slightly unusual handles for a very good price compared to some of the other rolls-royce saws. I almost bought the pair just because of the great price.
Backsaw is a generic term. If you're dovetailing only in 1" lumber, then the "dovetail" saw is what you want. Filed rip with fine teeth.
If you are cutting tenons, that's another matter. You need a slightly coarser rip and a crosscut. Thus, the pair sold by Lee Valley for that precise reason. I gather you're going to cut tenons because of the "mortise" in "mortise gauge."
If you're new to it all, I wouldn't buy used and rehab. Get one sharpened at the factory, smartly set in the modern way and very shiny. You can take a secret weapon to the workshop: a mirror-surface backsaw. From the beginning of the cut, match the saw's reflection to the half of the cut on the reflection's side of the saw and align them straight. You will have the "truest" cuts in the class. Not that you're being competitive. True saw cuts are a reward unto themselves.

[Jim Matthews]

They're solid, and inexpensive.

After years of cutting (poorly) dovetails with good Japanese saws, these cut dead straight all the way to the bottom right out of the box.

I don't think their panel saw variant has enough depth of cut, but the dovetail version is an excellent value. One note, the handle is held on with screws much like a handplane tote,
and must be TIGHT for the saw to handle well.