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Thread: Marking Gauge - clone of Tite-Mark

  1. #1
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    Marking Gauge - clone of Tite-Mark

    I teach hand cut dovetails and provide tools for the students to use. One tool is the marking gauge and the one that most people like is the Tite-Mark by Kevin Drake. But at $90 each - and I recommend that they have two for dovetails - it's an expensive tool to bite off on.

    Recently I found a marking gauge by Taylor Tools on Amazon that appears to have the same ease of use as the Tite-Mark so I ordered one to check it out. It's operates the same as the Tite-Mark so you can do one hand adjustments. And the cutter is the same size and with the same screw threads as the Tite-Mark so if you break the cutter, you can replace it with one ordered from Kevin Drake.

    It sells for $30 so you can buy two for less than one Tite-Mark.

    The fit and finish is not as good as the Tite-Mark but it works fine.

    Here's a couple of pictures. The Taylor version is at the top and the Tite-Mark is on the bottom.

    Marking-gauges-01.jpg

    Looking at them from the end, the Taylor is on the right and the Tite-Mark on the left.

    Marking-gauges-02.jpg

    I haven't used it much yet but it seems to work fine.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  2. #2
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    I really enjoy my tite-mark and for myself I like the quality but for those who can't afford one or for loaning purposes this looks like a good option.

  3. #3
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    Mike, why do you recommend using two gauges for dovetails?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Stone View Post
    Mike, why do you recommend using two gauges for dovetails?
    If you're doing dovetails and the wood is different sizes (or for half blind dovetails) it's nice to have two where you can set them for the two dimensions and then not touch them again. If you only have one, you have to keep changing your setting on the gauge and you'll almost certainly have differences in the settings.

    If you're doing through dovetails and the two pieces of wood are exactly the same size, then one gauge is enough.

    Mike

    [And rarely are you doing only one set of dovetails. For example, if you're making a box, you'll do four, all of the same sizes. With a drawer, you need to do both sides.]
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 01-24-2017 at 5:05 PM.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    If you're doing dovetails and the wood is different sizes (or for half blind dovetails) it's nice to have two where you can set them for the two dimensions and then not touch them again. If you only have one, you have to keep changing your setting on the gauge and you'll almost certainly have differences in the settings.

    If you're doing through dovetails and the two pieces of wood are exactly the same size, then one gauge is enough.

    Mike

    That makes sense. Thanks.

  6. #6
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    I have the grinder tool rest from them. Probably better stuff out there, but for the price I think it is good value, and it works for me. If I recall correctly they list on eBay as well, and the eBay listing was cheaper than the Amazon listing.

  7. #7
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    Mike,

    You reminded me that there is a Tite-Mark in the drawer that hasn't ever been used. It's been there for at least five years. The Neander side of the hobby never bit me despite having all the tools.

  8. #8
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    Nice find Mike. Thanks for sharing that.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  9. #9
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    Mike,
    Have you ever used the Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge from Lee Valley? I will likely be ordering a gauge soon and was wondering how these stack up. The Duel Marking Gauge from Veritas is also being considered.

    Thanks,
    Andrew

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Nemeth View Post
    Mike,
    Have you ever used the Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge from Lee Valley? I will likely be ordering a gauge soon and was wondering how these stack up. The Duel Marking Gauge from Veritas is also being considered.

    Thanks,
    Andrew
    Andrew, here is a post on my comparison of the two:

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...as-Wheel-Gauge

    I am wondering if the less expensive copy is infringing on any patents or other intellectual property.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Andrew, here is a post on my comparison of the two:

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...as-Wheel-Gauge

    I am wondering if the less expensive copy is infringing on any patents or other intellectual property.

    jtk
    Was wondering the same thing. Or even the ethics of copying it.
    Paul

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Nemeth View Post
    Mike,
    Have you ever used the Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge from Lee Valley? I will likely be ordering a gauge soon and was wondering how these stack up. The Duel Marking Gauge from Veritas is also being considered.

    Thanks,
    Andrew
    I own 2 Titemarks, and one Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge. The Titemarks are jewels and worth every penny. The Veritas is garbage and a waste of money and time.

    Veritas has some excellent designs for their tools, and I relied on that reputation when I bought their marking gauge, sorry to say.

    Stan
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 01-25-2017 at 6:36 AM.

  13. #13
    Andrew, I have the Veritas Micro-adjust wheel gauge and do not care for it. It requires two hands to micro-adjust and it's (for me) not intuitive. In fact, it's unnecessary. I have a 'regular' wheel gauge that is every bit as 'adjustable' as the micro-adjustable Veritas, and it's easier to use.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Nemeth View Post
    Mike,
    Have you ever used the Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge from Lee Valley? I will likely be ordering a gauge soon and was wondering how these stack up. The Dual Marking Gauge from Veritas is also being considered.

    Thanks,
    Andrew
    Yes, I own two of the Veritas marking gauges (and four of the Tite-Marks). The Veritas gauges are fine but they generally require two hands to adjust, while the Tite-Marks can be adjusted one handed. It's really not a big thing because you generally have two hands free when setting your marking gauge, but like most people who have used both, I prefer the Tite-Mark.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Andrew, here is a post on my comparison of the two:

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...as-Wheel-Gauge

    I am wondering if the less expensive copy is infringing on any patents or other intellectual property.

    jtk
    I doubt if there are any patents on the concept of the Tite-Mark marking gauge but there could be a design patent on it. In any case, the Taylor Tools version is not an "exact" copy - it's a conceptual copy. That is, it does the same thing as the Tite-Mark but does not look exactly like it.

    Our economic system encourages people to make products that compete with other products on price and function. Looks to me that Taylor Tools is doing exactly that. People have a choice: They can purchase the Tite-Mark if they feel that the quality of its fit and function is worth the price - and they can purchase the Taylor Tools if they feel that its quality is sufficient for their needs.

    In any case, Quality is defined as meeting the needs of the customer (sometimes quoted as "Quality is what the customer says it is") and price is part of the customer's quality matrix.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

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