marking gauge

[Tom Bussey]

My first marking gauge I got from a retiring patternmaker. The shaft is a hex and when it gets dull I just turn it one 6th of a turn and now a sharp part of the wheel. The shaft is a little long for 98% of the work I do but I have resisted shortening it. The body is about 6 inches long and that really helps it from not wandering, especially when the marking wheel is out quite a ways. The other thing I like and don't like at the same time is the shaft is at a slight angle so it helps pull the base tight against the reference edge as does the angle of the marking wheel, if one is using the right hand. Left handed I have to be careful. The plane body in the picture is a #5 and it is for showing length.

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Next I bought a round marking gage. I cut it in a couple of places so It would fit in the drawer. But the thing I am not to fond of is, if the marking wheel is to far out it is hard to get hard to get enough force on the wheel to mark very well. Also wheels do not mark pine very well at all.

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And I have been using a marking knife I made for some time now. I like using it , works well and easy to sharpen.

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Since I like the knife so well I decided to retro fit a marking gauge friend made using an exacto knife for a blade. A tip an exacto knife blade sucks in a marking gauge.


I am just now putting it through its paces and so far I like it real well. Even real far out the shaft can set on the corner and the cut ( marking) can can be accomplished by twisting the gauge. The depth is easily controlled by pressure on the twist.


Things I like about it is:
I can make a longer head like my original gauge
I can make shafts of any different lengths
I can add a pencil to a shaft and make it into a panel gauge
I can make heads with different angles ( right or left handed ) to help keep the head
against the reference edge.
And I can cut masking tape so that at my age I can see the line when sawing dovetails
without really marking the wood and I can come back later and remark for my chisel to
fit in


This is my prototype There are a couple of things I want to work on as far as the cutter and head go.

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Cutter can be turned around for different types of positioning.

[Tom Bussey]

And I can cut masking tape so that at my age I can see the line when sawing dovetails
without really marking the wood and I can come back later and remark for my chisel to
fit in.

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[Frederick Skelly]

Good stuff Tom!
Merry Christmas!
Fred

[Mel Fulks]

The marking gauge shown by Tom is a type used by pattern makers. I've only seen them for sale from pattern maker
supply houses, they are usually described as "panel gauges".

[Tom Bussey]

I really like the way the cutter is cut and for most of my marking work, believe it or not I find I prefer the wooden marking gauge over the other two. I changed the relief angle from 30 degree to 45 degrees. This should allow me to get the cutter farther back in the beam.

With the threaded insert being in the middle if the cutter was moved back to far the cutter rocked on the angle and the cutter wouldn't remain flat it the beam. Which makes using the actual work piece to set the distance ineffective. I elongated the other side of the slotted hole for better screw seating when the cutter is turned around so the actual workpiece can also used to set the distance.

Anyway I haven't gotten the new cutter slotted as of yet and I am also considering building a drill jig to move the hole up off center in the shaft. We will see, changing one think at a time.

[Derek Cohen]

I really like the way the cutter is cut and for most of my marking work, believe it or not I find I prefer the wooden marking gauge over the other two. I changed the relief angle from 30 degree to 45 degrees. This should allow me to get the cutter farther back in the beam.

With the threaded insert being in the middle if the cutter was moved back to far the cutter rocked on the angle and the cutter wouldn't remain flat it the beam. Which makes using the actual work piece to set the distance ineffective. I elongated the other side of the slotted hole for better screw seating when the cutter is turned around so the actual workpiece can also used to set the distance.

Anyway I haven't gotten the new cutter slotted as of yet and I am also considering building a drill jig to move the hole up off center in the shaft. We will see, changing one think at a time.

Hi Tom

I’ve make a number of gauges like that in the past. Here are two, posted before, one for cutting inlay and the other for slicing...

https://i.postimg.cc/zGtY9F2x/Gauges2.jpg

I like the Kinshiro-style for holding. Plus they are a good size for registration.

My favourite style blade in a woodie is the Japanese bent cutting iron ...

https://i.postimg.cc/43RXjQNR/CG2_zps06c8ddeb.jpg

... as it enables the gauge to be set to a thickness this way ...

https://i.postimg.cc/P5wt6RHM/CG7_zps6756d0bf.jpg

This is the advantage of wheel cutting gauges as well. It is worth trying to align the blade with the front edge of the gauge’s arm to achieve this. The holding screw needs to be recessed to sit flush.

Regards from Prague

Derek

[Tom Bussey]

My cutter and the screw are recessed so I can adjust the cutter off from a piece of wood and if one wants a little extra, One can put a sheet or two of paper under the board.

[lowell holmes]

I have some of the ones that Derek has. :)