You wait all day for a marking gauge thread...

[Tiresias]

Well, if people are going to do marking gauge threads…

This is so as not to derail Dr Al’s or Mike G’s threads. And to be honest I can’t remember whether I have posted this before. But I use this:





It’s made from an old sycamore fire wood log, some fruit wood for the blade wedge, and the blade itself is made from the tip of an old (and previously much valued, I might add) rosewood handled decorator’s scraper, snapped off by my partner. Grumph.

There are, as astute readers will undoubtedly observe, a few key points.

1. It cost nothing.

2. It works.

3. It has a unique design feature at the far end of the shaft that almost looks as though the maker had cut the sloped recess the wrong way round. So the blade could never go closer than the wedge depth to the running surface. And then just reversed the shaft, had another go, and bunged in a tapered piece of pine that fitted so well that it seemed a crime to remove it and replace it with something less obvious.

And, as an aside, its method of operation is readily comprehensible to the meanest intelligence (i.e. me).

 

[AJB Temple]

^^ Great post. It almost looks....

 

[Cabinetman]

Nice one, I have a cutting gauge but I must say it’s a long time since I’ve used it, I shall have to rectify that as of course it will leave a much nicer line across grain, which is really silly of me as the last time I used my normal marking gauge was across grain the other day and I didn’t like the effect it gave Doh!

 

[AndyT]

Nice one. I like a simple wedge. Just to encourage you or anyone else to make some more, here are three from an assortment I bought cheap on eBay. All user made by an H.T.Galloway.

You can have the wedge in line with the stem or across the head.

 

[9fingers]

I think the last time I used such a tool was possibly 56 years ago at school.
I do very little marking out but when I do it is referenced off another part of the job.

Bob