posted by: Bedrock608
5/18/2006

Expensive, but worth it.This is one awesome piece of tooling. It is solid, precise and accurate, and has great presence!I bought this tool as I was somewhat irritated at the standard marking gauges that require re-working to even remotely work correctly. Several times the blades would follow the grain, even when the blades were sharpened to razor points. Since buying this gauge, I have had no problems, even in woods with reversing or other tough grains.The heft of this tool aids in making the cuts and the ability to fine tune the positioning of the cutters is a bonus.The main body is designed so as to not roll off the workbench and the cutters area reasonably easy to sharpen. You just need to screw the cutter to a short pencil size stick of wood and hone it until its sharp again. The blades do not dull easy due to the steel hardness. When it dulls, just loosen the cutter, rotate it a quarter turn, then tighten. When all four quaters are dull, resharpen.I have owned a Bridge City Tool Works Mortise Gauge and a Crown Toolworks Mortise Gauge. For the price, the Glen-Drake is outstanding and well designed. You can buy more expensive or a little cheaper, but those tools can aggravate you every time you use them.