I am in need of a new (and hopefully better) mortise marking gauge. I favor the traditional design but like the idea of a fine adjusting screw and a (replaceable)cutting “knife” (not a pin). This is a gauge I am planning to use regularly, so I am looking for one that works and is not just a pretty face… If you have experience with one that you like, I’d appreciate your source and reasons…
Thanks,
Glaucon
If you don’t think too good, then don’t think too much…
Replies
I prefer fixed pin mortising gauges. The pins are permanently set to my mortise chisels. The pins have a half football cross section and are elliptical in plan view, so they cut with the grain very well. Knife like pins are usually reserved for cutting across the grain as the some woods (like oak) will pull them to follow the grain.
I like prefer the French design with a captured wedge perpendicular to the arm as it doesn't move the arm when tightening and can be fully adjusted one handed. Obviously, I make these myself. No one makes them commercially. But its a fun afternoon job with a few challenging aspects. You could make them out of any wood and inlay brass wear plates if you wanted.
Adam
Adam beat me to posting the plug for the French gauges. I'll second his recommendation, these gauges are my favorite.
-Dean
Hi Glaucon
I have a couple of different types: pin, wheel and blade. I was using a vintage Japanese mortice gauge when I was gifted a modern version. This one is tauter and longer (larger reference surface) than my old gauge.
New one on the right:
View Image
View Image
So simple to use: Place your chisel on the spot you plan to cut and push it into the wood. Now use this to position the blades in the gauge, and away you go.
These cut nice clean and deep lines.
As a bonus, one blade can be slid into the body and the other now functions as a single cutting gauge.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Derek,
Where did you say you got this?
I can't speak to a lot of different types. I've had only one, but I've been very pleased with it. It's the Lie-nielesen Tite-mark. It cuts very well. It's blade is replacable, but I've yet to need to do it. It's very finely adjustable. It works for me, but it wasn't cheap if memory serves correctly.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Glaucon,
I bought the Tite-mark also a couple of years ago. I was looking for something that would allow me to mark mortises in oak without being pulled offline by the grain, it has worked well. It's key feature is the ability to set the depth quickly and accurately.
I use a Crown mortise gauge and a Crown marking gauge. A Mortise gauge has two adjustable pins and is used long grain or with the grain. A marking gauge is used cross grain with a single sharp edge as a knife. I had a similar thought as you about using an edge instead of the pins on marking the length on long grain.
The problem is the single slicing edge is difficult or almost impossible to see with the grain. It's there but... you would have to put a magnification glass over it to see. So.. back the the standard pins on the mortise gauge. I suppose that's why they put them there to start with as someone already figured it out. :>)
Good luck Doc...
Sarge..
G,
I'm sure you'll have already devoured this article from FWW; but just in case:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011164080.pdf
May I also recommend David Charlesworth Book I article (Page 13) on the mechanics of using marking knives and gauges. The article also has a bit about modifying pins into knives, if you would consider that aproach to getting exactly what you want out of a traditional tool.
As to usage: I no longer employ the traditional style gauge you are preferring; but the Crown one I used to have was well made albeit spoiled a bit by the finish. I found pin-based marking difficult in some circumstances as the pin was prone to follow the grain - the reason why most kinds of marking do seem to go better with a cutting blade, at least in my experience. I suppose it also depends on the exact profile of the pins or knives; and also the user skill.
Crown stuff is rather like the Two Cherries stuff - good materials and basic design yet requiring modification by the user to improve the fit / finish to get the best out of it. I have one or two Crown tools (marking knives, small saw, a couple of chisels) because of this good price/quality balance; but all needed a little bit of fettling to improve them.
I use the Titemark wheel gauge these days, with its various fixed-width double knife additions for mortising. It's a very well made tool that performs flawlessly. The knife markings are very visible perhaps because a wheel cutter is very sharp but also thicker than the knife blades typically found in traditional mortise gauges. It's curved profile also seems to aid in making a deeper cut for a given pressure.
Then there is Colin Clenton....... :-)
Lataxe
PS Not all the traditional gauges are good for marking agin' a curved edge. The Titemark will do it, sort of, on curves with a large radius; but not as well as one of those wooden ones with a couple of curvy fence points, I suspect. I have considered a Woodjoy for that (not yet got one).
Thanks to all.I am have a long (unexpected) project list, so I will eschew tool making for the present...I have a Titemark marking gauge, which works well enough, but has a limited "fence" area that makes it less friendly for some uses.I like the traditional gauge with the large, hand friendly fence. I will probably find one and file the pins into marking "knives".Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Well Doc... are you sure? That seems to be too logical and simple of a decision as one that would have been made years ago before high tech dominated everyone's lives. Someone might think you are perhaps a bit too old fashioned by today's standards. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
But regardless.. it certainly makes sense to me. :>)
Regards...
Sarge..
Sarge,You have a point. If I can free up some time in September, I will put in an NSF grant to develop a laser to file the pins for me...Best,Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
GlauconI have two Stanley 65 marking gauges with replacement A2 pins (A2 drill rod stock) sharpened to a knife edge. They work great, except I have a very difficult time keeping the dad gummed fence on the edge of the wood. When I'm marking out for dovetails on a drawer, I have a REALLY difficult time getting a good baseline down. I'm usually trying too hard or pressing the cutter in too hard, but even if I take several light passes, I screw up more often than not. It shouldn't be this hard, but for me it is. At WW school this year, I borrowed a classmates Tite Mark, and a whole new world opened up for me. The Stanley's have an advantage in some regards, say marking out a mortise with a precise starting and stopping point, but I'm saving my pennies for a Tite Mark just the same. You can find Stanley 65's on eBay for $20 or less. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
I've been all over the lot and went back to a plain pin gauge since its marks show up so well on end-grain (the tenon piece).
For some reason, every time I picked up my Titemark it showed a gash in the cutter(s). They're too delicate for my taste so now the gauge languishes in a drawer. A monument to brass gizmosity and a thorough waste of money IMO. The number of mortise and tenon joints marked, cut, and fit successfully by starting the process with an unadulterated pin gauge must rival the stars in the sky. Good enough for me and I regret my circuitous journey. Perhaps you'll re-think yours.
I haven't bothered filing the pins into little knives on my Crown gauge. I try to avoid "what the F am I wasting my time for this" moments of unnecessary tedium as often as I can. I suppose I no longer have a chip in the big "fettle every tool" game.
These little $15 a piece buggers won't make my childrens' eyes light up in an EBay gleam when I kick the bucket. Perhaps the furniture remaining will provide some solace.
When I've noticed somebody under my tutelage (you can laugh now) struggling with a pin gauge it is almost always because of using too much pressure which is a fault easy to correct. A relatively light mark (still shows up better than the Titemark), gone over twice if needed, is best. A deep furrow in the workpiece from shower-down pressure on the pin gauge may make your saw fall into the valley and that may or may not be your strategy depending on how you set the gauge vis-a-vis your mortise chisel (see Ian Kirby mortise and tenon article for his usual in-depth discussion).
Edited 7/6/2008 4:46 pm ET by TaunTonMacoute
Taunting One,
".....every time I picked up my Titemark it showed a gash in the cutter(s). They're too delicate for my taste....."
A bit like other woodworkers you interact with, eh? :-) You are a rough old beast. It's a wonder any poor tool survives your grasp. I expect the ones that do simply bend to your adamantine will, which is why the less well-engineerd (i.e. bendy) ones seem to suit perhaps.
Lataxe, a tool-buying fool.
My feeling is that the tite mark was designed to overcome the ignorance of a simple technique. When using a standard pin type gauge, you must hold the beam at an angle such that the pin drags behind. This produces a good line, nice and straight, and allows easy control over depth.Sharpening the pin so that it has one flat side is a good idea that takes less than a minute. Every woodworker working with hand tools needs a set of needle files. They are just the thing for this job.Adam
The only redeeming attribute of the modern gauge's pin length (too long, IMO) is that it does force one to really drag the pins (although these gauges always work better at an angle anyway), a feature by the way that I believe obviates the need to file the pins into little knives.
If one does decide to file the pins into little knives then I believe the first step when working on a new gauge would be to relieve them of at least a third of their length. However, for me this is all theory because it would take a gun to my head before I actually fooled with it. The gauges work fine as is. I've moved on.
Cheers.
Edited 7/6/2008 4:56 pm ET by TaunTonMacoute
I pretty much agree with your assessment of the pin type gauges. I have a Crown mortise and Crown marking. On the C. mortise gauge I lost in a move years ago I filed off the single pin on the back side as it is a "prick" so to speak. On my current and probably last one... I covered it with a dab of clear silicone glue and a small piece of duct tape over it.
After a leg stent and blood thinners... you avoid all the nicks and cuts you can. I keep a small compress bandage handy with a small bottle of super glue for on the job repair of free flowing blood to avoid down-time as nicks occur often. But... I have left that single potential "weapon" on the newer gauge just in case I might need a single pin someday. I haven't used it in 37 years but you never know when it might be necessary. ha.. ha...
I agree also that the pins might be a tad long.. but a slight angle that Adam mentioned makes it shorter without actually filing it down. I prefer a pin to knife in long grain.. but I do needle file the point pin to very sharp to reduce drag which the angle attributing. Pins work fine once you discover how to use them.
Sarge..
I am honestly so very thankful that I have a kit of tools in place that need no further attention other than normal sharpening and a wipe down with an oily rag from time to time.
Edited 7/7/2008 10:36 am ET by TaunTonMacoute
I can appreciate that after finally replacing twice before I finally put all things in proper respective about two years ago. The first two attempts were dissolved in settlements from former wives but after 20 years I found a keeper.
I occasionally do need a few things as I purchase a fresh bottle of glue about every three weeks.. and I do have to pick up some new glue needle syringes or sand-paper. But finally after all these years I can just go down.. hit a light switch and build something without any excuse for non production.
Life is good....
Sarge..
It wasn't a straight line for me either.
Sarge,Just make sure your tetanus tox is up to date...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Thanks Doc... Kaiser Permenante pretty much makes me. They had rather spend a few dollars on a shot than several thousand on a stent or extended stays from infection. And the good news is I got a vasectomy for only $5. What a deal!
Wish I had known about that one before instead of after having a kid which eventually evolved into a teen-ager. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Regards...
Sarge..
5 dollars, they used to be free if I remember my experience:)Troy
Inflation and rising cost everywhere, Troy. Our deductible before my wife retired from the State of Georgia was $10 and $5 for prescriptions. Now we pay $25 co-pay and $10 for prescriptions. Emergency room or stay at hospital is $50. More... but it certainly could be much worse.
She had an 82 day stay 10 years ago in a coma... total $457,837 and some change. The $25 at that time looked very good.. very good indeed!
Regards...
Sarge..
I hear you, for all the gripes I hear people have with Kaiser I think they are actually a pretty good outfit.Troy
Our local allows you to chose your doctor within the organization. We went through two before finding a "gem". She treats everyone as if you were her family with no short cuts. Her husband is a professor at a University here in Atlanta and both are extremely intelligent.
Anytime you are referred to specialist outside the group... in our case they are top notch in the Atlanta area and not just someone new that is not well established and willing to work cheaper for them to get the business.
Frankly... couldn't be happier with our plan and their procedural service. I am a realist and don't expect everything to be catered to me now as if I were the only patient they have. I pretty much think that the whiners are the same ones that gets their shorts in a wad when a fast food joint takes over 30 seconds to get them their "sludge food" out the window at a drive-up window as anything else short of that might cut into their useless cell-phone call time. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Some just appear larger and more important than they actually are while viewed in your rear-view mirror.
Sarge..
Edited 7/8/2008 10:34 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
Vasectomies were free at the Humane Society shelter...J
Very true although you might get a strange look when you ask for one:)Troy
Wheel gauges have been around a pretty long time. Maybe not as far back as the period you work, Adam. But still, at least twice as long as I have been alive.
Wheel gauges work fine. Pin gauges work fine. Neither works better than the other as regards making a line. I have some over a hundred years old (both pin and wheel). Several newer ones too, including the Titemark.
The Titemark is a fine gauge. Possibly the best made of its type. The blades are fragile, as mentioned. Might be over-hardened in an attempt to make them stay sharp longer, I don't know. I have broke a single mortising blade in gosh, 8 years of several people using it.
Of all the gauges I do have, I like the Seaton ones that appeard in PopWood by Dean Jansa some time back for most of my personal woodworking. Different beams with pins for a particular mortising chisel, and several heads make mortise and tenon layout quick.
When I have something odd to mark needing a single pin, I have an old Boxwood gauge I favor. And when I have something needing marked needing two pins and the Seaton ones are tied up, a Disston mortise gauge is used.
However, if I need something really precise and the grain could run wild, or is a relaly hard wood needing marked? The Titemark is hunted down and used. Never has failed me.
Take care, Mike
I have had a lot of fun experimenting with different types of gauges - pins, wheels, knifes, pin-into-knife, vintage, modern, shopmade, plain-knife-and-square. You name it and I have probably used it.
They can all be made to work well and, if one (of any type) was all I ever had, it would surfice.
Charlie, you made a good point in noting that the pin gauge needs a light touch. But then so do all of them. I suspect that most novices try to emulate the lines cut by the likes of Rob Cosman in his DVDs, but lack his technique.
Of the pin gauges, the only one I still happily to turn to is the angled Stanley #65. It is a great design. The point on mine was already filed to a knife profile when I acquired it. Perhaps a vintage woodworker knew something?
I have both the LV and the TM wheel gauges. One really only needs a basic type (like the LV) but sometimes the TM's fine adjustment is useful.
Currently I like using a Japanese cutting gauge I was given as a gift. Mark the wood with a chisel, set the knife(s) into the mark left by the chisel and tighten up the setting. You are ready to go, and it cuts a very clean, easy-to-read line
Regards from Perth
Derek (still having fun with woodworking)
You will have to excuse my ignorance and look over the fact that I may be over-simplifying things here, but when you change the shape of a "pin" aren't you really creating a profile that works like a wheel?Chris
Yes. Keep in mind that tools like gauges were "kits" (much like modern tools). Some amount of user modification was intended. The "pins" in my gauges are actually cut nails. The elliptical shape of the pins is not my invention. Its as old as the hills. It works so well, it makes me wonder why anyone feels they need a wheel gauge. I certainly don't see the wheel as a design improvement. Its a solution to a problem I don't have. Its also a step backward in functionality since it requires two hands to adjust. I'm not a big fan of the wheel gauges. If folks like it and find it helpful that's great. But as we attempt to evaluate it's design, it's helpful to understand how the older designs actually functioned. Adam
In a 1/4 century I have never felt the urge to sharpen a gauge pin. I think sharpening a gauge pin makes it harder to use. All I am looking for is a dent in the wood that doesn't follow the grain. If I use a knive or a sharpened pin the wood fibers will be cut and it takes a lot more work to remove the line later and any cut in the fiber will catch finish and look crappy. A dent is just enough of a guide for a pencil and will work out trivially.
A sharpened pin also works less well with the grain that a slightly blunt pin because the line wanders less.
With the beam tilted up correctly a long pin gives you more visual queues on when to stop marking if you are marking a mortise or something with limits.
Joel
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
Though it seems really minor to repeat, the advantage of the shaped pin is that it can be flat on one side such that the line doesn't move as the mark deepens. At the very least guys have done that in the past. I use my gauges with and cross grain. The shape I recommend is a good compromise for both of these operations.Adam
a slightly dull pin does the same thing. I've never noticed moving problems or any other issues that are frequently mentioned here. With a slightly dull pin the pin doesn't work deeper into the wood unless you try very hard, and you get a consistent line ready for a pencil mark.Joel
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
Joel,
The way I read your post is that after use of the gage, you "brighten" the indent up, with a pencil line?
Thanks,
Tony
Yes,
a very sharp pencil, dragged in the groove. for an even finer line erase the pencil mark by going across the groove and you have a thinner line.Joel
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
I use a 0.4 mm mechanical pencil for this purpose. The lead is harder, stays in the knife line and is < 1/64th of an inch in width.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
We must have a bunch of young whippersnappers out there - I can't imagine NOT putting a little pencil lead in the marked lines in order to see them.
And I can't imagine not having an old school type crank pencil sharpener farther away than 4' from the work-bench. Mine gets cranked much more often than a Japanese carpenter sharpens his saw in an hour while cutting joints. And that's often from my observation.
BTW.. enforcer or jazz on the now defunct Neon label? ha.. ha...
Sarge..
Adam - I'm thinking of making a couple of gauges like you've photographed. You state that you use nails for the pins - exactly what kind of nails? I'd always thought that the standard, wire nail ala Home Depot or the local hardware store was made with mild steel that cannot be hardened.
If that's what you used, how do you keep the pins sharp? Wouldn't they just fold over and dull at the slightest hint of something hard like maple or oak?
I've also got a pretty good supply of Tremont cut nails, and (I think) these can be annealed, hardened and tempered. Would you suggest that's a better choice?
I don't know if the "borgs" carry them, but some smaller home center/lumber yards might: the nails I'm referring to are hardened nails, made for drop ceiling wall grid installation on masonry walls. I've seen some of these nails as small as 3 penny common size, but hardened. Still may be a bit big for a gage though. Still may be usable by sharpening to a point using Sc paper.
Or why not take a brad and try hardening it with a propane torch? Do it after sharpening the brad to the shape you want.
T.Z.
I'll check out the source you're suggesting. The problem with standard wire nails is that (I think) they're made of mild steel, which is a low carbon alloy that cannot be hardened, either through heat treating or work hardening.
I think there's a reason for this - brittleness goes along with hardness, so a hard nail may be prone to stress-cracking and failure in use.
I don't think the steel in a nail is optimal for this purpose. A drill bit, made of a high carbon tool steel is a much better idea. These can be bought for a few dollars in the size required. Alternatively, you could grid down a Bosch jigsaw blade (I did to make my DT marking knives). In either case, I think the alloy would be more suitable.Just my 2p,Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
I've used nails designed for hammering into concrete - "concrete nails"? :) - when making awls.
I heat until red hot, then quench and temper. They end up hard and hold this very well. Without tempering they will be brittle.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Thanks, Derek & Glaucon.
I'll give whichever I run across first at the local hardware store a try (they're much friendlier than the Home Despot).
Another suggestion for the pin(s): needles from industrial sewing machines.
Mighty strong,good diameter, sharp. Too hard to file but if you want to change the shape they grind nicely, otherwise they stay sharp forever.Philip Marcou
Interesting. My dad, who was a metallurgical engineer, always used to say that heat treating steel was among the fussiest,and most QC intensive of procedures. I've never tried it- though I don't doubt your account. For me, for a few dollars I am OK with buying drill bits, pretreated and ready for grinding.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Hi Glaucon
Here are a couple of examples of scratch awls made from concrete nails ..
View Image
Regards from Perth
Derek
Very nice. The ruler must have taken some work, and pretty big nail...:^)Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Derek probably flattened the nail on an anvil for the ruler. Those Aussie's are kind of self-sufficient based on my observation on two trips strickily for observation. I will leave out it was observation of the Australian women that was the driving factor. :>)
Sarge..
Edited 7/13/2008 5:05 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
Sarge,
Ah yes! The Sheilas of Manly beach!!! (A misnomer in this day and age). I never used to be a fan of beach volleyball until that visit to see the daughter get married in Sydney. They had to come and drag me away from that beach.
In Britain the spoilsports would make such volleyballing illegal - not that it is quite warm enough on South Shields foreshore for the traditional Aussie volleying costume....
Lataxe, hording the last of his hormones.
I gather you have not seen co-ed Russian volleyball in Odessa...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
G,
Send a link (and a hankerchief).
Lataxe, sports-lover.
Nine words, and I can not stop laughing. Sports lover, To funny.
"Sheila" and "Bird"... names that bring fond memories. Buying opals in a small shop in King's Cross and being assisted by Miss Griffins who could stop traffic in the street by merely walking down the side-walk. Hating to leave so soon with my purchase and asking more questions than necessary just to avoid leaving so soon.
But alas... twenty minutes latter while sitting in an open air coffee shop a 1/2 block away... I felt the sharp sting of shrapnel hit the back of my head. A flip-top bottle cap from the old style Coke in a 6 oz. bottle ricocheted from my head to the floor. My luck as I had taken a brief week off to come here to avoid shrapnel. I turned to identify the perpetrator.
Miss Griffins standing 10 feet away (what a throw) with a smile from ear to ear and giggling as young girls do when they engage in mis-chief. I lurched from my chair toward her as if I were going to counter-attack. She swirled and ran still giggling.
Needless to say I caught here not far from the shop in "hot" pursuit as I highly suspect was the plan from start to finish. Miss Griffins had a way of getting one's attention and making a statement without a word being spoken.
And that's all you "need" to know other than I have very fond memories of two trips to Sydney!
Sarge...
Who was once young.... I think? ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Edited 7/14/2008 10:43 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
Edited 7/14/2008 10:44 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
Does Mrs. Sarge know of this sortie?Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Indeed.. indeed... we very openly communicate as the only real concern is what happens the day after Mr. & Mrs. Sarge said "I Do" in a vow. A vow is similar to an oath... and if you take an oath you don't break it.
So... I am not at all concerned with Mrs. Sarge's past relation-ship history before that point nor is she concerned with mine. It works very well for us as I personally feel that fewer would pursue out-side relation-ships if men and women really communicated and not just appeared to on the surface as I feel most do.
But... I suspect this is something that would be more appropriate in a different location so I will just end it with that. :>)
Have a great day and hug your wife even if ya did just yesterday as yesterday is yesterday... :>)
Sarge..
Who still has a way of attracting mis-chief...
Edited 7/14/2008 11:25 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
<"hug your wife even if ya did just yesterday as yesterday is yesterday">Amen, brother.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
L, in the late 80's I was properly vexed when told that I must fly to our warehouse on the left coast on a Thursday for an all day Friday prep meeting for a major executive presentation on putting in a second deck(60,000 sq.ft.) with conveyors on Monday. It was my project and I had my ducks all aligned.
On Saturday I slept till 8:30 then put a big dent in the profit margins of the lovely joint in Manhattan Beach at the sumptuous breakfast buffet they provided, took a book from the 50+ that they provide in each room, jumped in the company station wagon with a hotel blanket and headed for the beach. I stopped at the adjacent classy beverage store for a 6 pack of Sam Smith Pale and a Styrofoam cooler full of ice. So off I go only to find these volleyball guys blocking my beach so I kept walking till I came upon the girls. I left at 1800 hrs out of Sam and starving.
On Sunday had a short breakfast, got a bigger cooler, some portable lunch, no book and drove to Venice Beach the ultimate site for ladies volleyball. I had never seen so much woman and NO fat before, every single one was stunning.
I would invite you if I ever visit there again, but I fear that at our age it would cause terminal hormonal damage. All the best, Paddy
ps. I subsequently scheduled an on site status meeting every 30 days with me arriving Thurs. noon and leaving on the red eye(departs LAX 2230 hrs) on Saturday. They knew when Paddy was in town, 60 miles on the wagon and the radio tuned to Wolfman Jack.
Paddy,I hope you have a good cardiologist. You're gonna need one...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
G.that's why I fear going back!!! Paddy
Glaucon,
Railroad spike :-))
Ray
Very nice. The ruler must have taken some work, and pretty big nail...
Thank you. However it was not a big nail, but a very large hammer.
Regards from Perth
Derek
A comment to those reading this thread and are interested in making their own traditional woodworking tools. There are, of course, a lot of references that are de rigeur for 18th century tools, among them The Seaton Tool Chest, Tools: Working Wood in the 18th Century (Colonial Williamsburg), and the various books on making wooden planes, etc...
Here's another one to add to the list - I purchased Graham Blackburn's "Traditional Woodworking Handtools" from a used bookseller on http://www.alibris.com last week. It's an absolutely superb reference on this subject. One reason I like it so much is that he goes into a fair amount of detail about comparing and contrasting the different forms and designs of various woodworking handtools. The chapter on marking gauges, for example, discusses more than 10 different alternative designs and their advantages/disadvantages.
If you're interested, buy the book immediately. Chris Schwarz may recommend the book in his Woodworking Magazine blog this week or next, and within hours of doing so, all of the inexpensive copies will be gone on the major search engines. Try to find a copy of Robert Wearing's "The Essential Woodworker" on the cheap, for example - they were bought up immediately after Chris recommended it.
I have successfully used drill rod blanks to make my pins. There are numerous online dealers if your local hardware store doesn't carry drill rod in the correct diameter. It's cheap and works great. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
There are plans in a PopWood from last year or the year before--sorry, they are at home and don't know what issue.
Done by the guy going by deanj here (iirc). Dean Jansa.
Edit--shouldn't be so lazy. From Adam's blog:
The mortising gauge’s arm features 4 sets of pins, carefully filed to match 4 of my most used mortise chisels. Laying out a mortise is as simple as determining where I want it to go. See PW’s Arts and Mysteries Dec 2006 issue for Dean Jansa’s article on how to make these yourself.
Take care, Mike
I didn't bother harden my pins. My pins don't roll over. They do need sharpening on occasion. Maybe once every year or 6 months. Remember, I don't work with very very hard woods. Maple is the hardest material I use, and I prefer soft maple to hard, so take my advice with this caveat.I also think that if you make your own gauges, pin wear isn't a big deal. If the pin snaps, I can tap in a new one and cut the end of the arm off. If worse comes to worst, I can make a new arm. If you have a purchased brass bound fancy gauge, I can see why one might want it to last longer (forever). But I think this is a fun DIY tool project that everyone should try, It's fun and the result is a great tool. Adam
I would basically agree with your opinion about pin gages (although I do like my Titemark). The pin gage I've had the best results with and is actually the gage I use is a vintage Stanley 65 (??? I believe that's the number). Its the gage with the triangular head with mustache shaped brass insert. The beam is also triangular shaped. The net effect is that you naturally have the pin trail in the proper manner.
For "ham and eggers" such as myself that have never been properly trained or corrected, I would suggest searching out for one of these. Got two at flea markets, and regularly see them. Usually cost all of a buck or two.
T.Z.
That's a very comfortable gauge in use. I had one once. I think an employee walked away with it.
>I try to avoid "what the F am I wasting my time for this" moments of unnecessary tedium as often as I can.<I'm working on a browser script plugin written in Python that will advance the scrollbar 35 lines whenever it encounters the string "Lataxe" - It may help with that goal whenever you're reading "Knots."Marples "Shamrock" traditional three-pin guage here, good for this and two-three more lifetimes.
I always appreciate a good laugh Ed. Thanks much!
I have a crown brand Mortise gauge I bought about 10 years ago and it works well it has two pins on one side and 1 pin on the other (both on the same end of the bar. I have thought about the tite mark gauge but after watching a video by the late Jim Kingshot on making mortises and tenons I saw the "light" and am able to make the crown gauge work well. That video as well as the others he made has a lot of good info.
Troy
Friends:
I know some of you avoid oak, but through a couple of unrelated chains of events, I have close to 1000 bd ft of good white oak (the real stuff, Quercus Alba)-- some q-sawn and up to 16 inches wide -- and I am going to use it.
That said, I have a lot of trouble with ALL marking gauges in oak or other open grained woods. Even if the pin/wheel doesn't veer off with the grain, t is extremely hard to distinguish the mark.
Any recommendations?
J
run a very sharp pencil in the groove so that you can see it. If you have trouble it the pin catching the grain follow these instructions:http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=NEXT&StoreCode=toolstore&nextpage=/extra/blogpage.html&BlogID=8and these:http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=BIGP&description=Using+a+pencil+to+make+a+scribed+line+more+visible&fullimagepath=/graphics/mortise_big/pencilmark.jpgJoel
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
I'll give it a shot. Thanks.J
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled