Reccomended Mortise and Marking Gauge

[Matthew N. Masail]

I need one, but I don't have much to spend on it right now. would this be a good user http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2008509/16341/Footprint-Beech-Mortise-and-Marking-Gauge.aspx#Reviews
or should I wait and invest in something you recommend?

[Jim Koepke]

It looks to be a serviceable gauge.

The only way you could get away paying any less would be to make your own.

I think Derek Cohen shows how he made some gauges on his website > inthewoodshop.com <.

jtk

[David Weaver]

Those are decent gauges. I think I might have a beech and rosewood versions, though mine were branded crown (i wonder if they're all made at the same place).

You can make your own, but I personally would rather make a single pin or single knife marking gauge than a mortise marking gauge.

The difference between the rosewood and beech version (aside from double the price) might be durability in the long run, but it would be many years before you would wear out the beech gauge, and even then, I think the functional issue would be the pins and not the face of the gauge or the beam (just guessing, I haven't come close to wearing one out, either).

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Realistically, how many different settings of mortises are you going to chop? I have a full set of mortise chisels, and really only use maybe two of them regularly for making mortises. You could easily enough make a mortise gauge with the pins set a fixed distance for chisel you plan on using. Maybe one with replaceable beams, a separate beam for a different chisel. A wedge-lock marking gauge, like the "french gauge" detailed on PWW (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/hand-tools-techniques/mystery_of_the_marking_gauge) (that link has free download of the article) and the Logan Cabinet Shoppe (http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2010/11/episode-29/) (video) is a fun project you can knock out quickly.

Lately, I've been simply using a single gauge - strike a line for one side of the mortise, and then a couple of whacks with my mortise chisel show me where I want the other line to be. Sometimes I don't even strike the other line.

I've since lost it, but I once made something like this :

http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/a-simple-mortise-gauge-and-some-mail/

Considering that the majority of my mortises are for frame and panel door type things, that's really all I need most of the time - something for my 1/4" mortise chisel a 1/4" in from the edge (or whatever)

The nice thing about that is you could hammer one out in no time.

Another thing to think about is matching your tools - if you're doing something like a frame and panel door, depending on how the panel is mounted in the door, you may not even need a mortise gauge - if you plow a groove to mount your panel, and it's the same width and distance from the face as the mortise, you've aligned got something to help you align things without even needing a gauge!

I guess in the end it's going to depend on what you plan on doing. But at the end of the day, I'd rather have one nice single gauge, then a less than two gauges that I wasn't thrilled with, just to be able to have a mortising gauge, too.

[David Posey]

I almost hate to mention it, but I'll let you make your own ethical decisions: Harbor Freight sells one of almost exactly the same design for about $20 less. I have it and it works fairly well, except I had to sand some of the hideous shiny finish off of it. I'm not sure what shipping is like to Israel, but if it's a significant expense, I would seriously consider making my own. If you choose to base yours on that design, keep in mind that one side of the beam is usually rounded over or even pointed to match the fence so that it will stay in place once things are tightened up. I'm sure you can easily find other designs if you look.

[Richard Line]

Another option to consider is having 2 single pin or single cutter marking gauges and setting them for the 2 sides of the mortise, of course using the chisel as the gauge for setting the 2ndd marking gauge. The single pin gauges are easier/quicker to make and can be found for a lower price. Also having several marking gauges comes in handy at times.

[Tony Wilkins]

Maybe a dumb question and hope not to hijack but...

if you let your chisel determine your width, why do you need more than a single pin/knife?

[Matthew N. Masail]

I can see why having a few can come in handy... so I guess I'll be making my own then, thanks!

[Rob Fisher]

The short answer is you don't. If you work from one good face and one good edge, you should be fine.

For what it's worth I like my 6" Hamilton marking gauge. It is a knife gauge. They are more expensive that the Footprint one though.

[David Posey]

The primary advantage I see would be if you were working on a mortise that would be exposed (as with the outside of a through tenon) and you wanted to be sure the wood did not splinter at the side of the mortise. Granted, this is a very specific situation and would likely only apply to certain types of woods, but it is easier to make deep marks with a mortise gague if you need them than it is to knife in a line on the narrow edge of a board.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've still gotten by with one gauge then - mark a line off the reference face, make a few chisel marks to define the width, and then mark again with the gauge or a combo square and a knife using the chisel width to determine where to mark the second line.

[Jim Neeley]

Tony,

My $0.02... I set my "mortise gauge" to the width of my mortise chisel and use it to mark the tenons for hand cutting and use a single mark for my mortises. As far as I'm concerned it'd be better called a "tenon gauge". :)

[Jack Curtis]

[QUOTE=Jim Neeley;1940488]Tony,

My $0.02... I set my "mortise gauge" to the width of my mortise chisel and use it to mark the tenons for hand cutting and use a single mark for my mortises. As far as I'm concerned it'd be better called a "tenon gauge". :)[/QUOe,TE]

Me, too, except I go ahead and mark both sides of the mortises, too, since it's easier after the gauge is set.