Marking Guage Use

[Mark Kelly]

Is there an appropriate way to use a marking (and/or mortise) guage? I find that if I pull the marking guage towards me, I can get a straight line. If I push it away, the guage tends to skip, and I feel I have no control. Am I using it correctly? Am I pushing too hard?!?

[Joel Moskowitz]

First of all the pin on the marking gauge should be sharp. a pin is a very narrow knive. The closer to a pin it is the less tendency it will have to follow the grain.

Second
THe best part of a beam marking gauge - and the reason it has been so popular for 200 plus years is that you can modify the amount of pressure on the pin so you can create very deep or very shallow scratches.
The way you do this is rest one corner of the beam (also called a stem) on the work, with the fence against the edge of the work (set correctly to the right distance) and tilt the pin down into the work. Then move the gauge along the work with the corner of the beam still contacting the work. This allows you to very easily control the pressure on the pin and you can really jam the gauge fence against the work because all the pressure is taken by the corner of the beam not the pin.

THe corner of the beam farthest from you should be contacting the work. This way the pin will be slightly tilted when you move the gauge away from you. Also you can see what you are doing. If you try it the other way the pin will dig in.

Note: stop when you approach the end of the board because the beam will go off the edge and you will lose control and get a splintery breakout when the pin follows. What you do is stop a little short of the
end. Rotate the beam a little and, starting from off the end of the board come back on and scribe the last bit. This gives you very clean ends.

I follow the scribed line by resting at low angle a very sharp pencil in the line and dragging it.

Because you can regular the pressure on the pin very easily on inside lines I will scribe pretty deep but for outside, visible lines I will make them just barely visible. THis makes the line much easier to get rid of than a knive guage and I personally hate having a line after I plane because the remains will catch the finish and I think it look aweful on a finished work to see the scribe lines.

[Mark Kelly]

Ok, maybe a minor detail, but I think I need it. When you say to hold one corner of the beam to the work:

when you mean corner, you mean the whole length of the stem corner from the top of the gauge to the fence? If this is correct, this is where you put most of the pressure when scribbing?

[Joel Moskowitz]

Ok, maybe a minor detail, but I think I need it. When you say to hold one corner of the beam to the work:

when you mean corner, you mean the whole length of the stem corner from the top of the gauge to the fence? If this is correct, this is where you put most of the pressure when scribbing?

Yes.
This is where I put almost all the pressur and I tilt down to put whatever pressure I want to on the pin.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Is there an appropriate way to use a marking (and/or mortise) guage? I find that if I pull the marking guage towards me, I can get a straight line. If I push it away, the guage tends to skip, and I feel I have no control. Am I using it correctly? Am I pushing too hard?!?

Joel's advice to tilt the gauge is good. In conjunction with that, another trick is to mark the end of the mark with the pins by simply pressing them in at the desired endpoint. Then you can press as hard as you need to without worrying about exceeding the length.

That said, I find it easier to control a gauge when pulling it, too; so I only push on occasion.

Pam

[wood nazi]

make shure the pin on the gauge is filed to an oblong section so the end of it is slightly rounded and flat on the sides ,this will cut the wood fibers instead of tearing across the grain.