[OP]
Member
I don't do a lot of MTs and when I do they are loose MTs but with the new MT gauge I just may have to start using normal MTs.
The gauge really looks neat and easy to use and fast, no measuring just mark it and go....
What are your thoughts on it.
http://www.woodpeck.com/ottmtcentergauge.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=dB2P_0uVeKQ
main_3_mt_center_gauge.jpg
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If I ever win the lottery I am going to buy one of everything they make. Well-designed, well-made tools.
Contributor
It says on the bars "For use with pencils & knives Made in the U. S. A."
Those might be hard to find.
If you layout a lot of mortises & tenons & need to find the centers of board edges, this tool would make it fool proof.
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You sir, must be an incurable optimist. Never forget that fools are incredibly ingenious, and often the "beneficiaries" of assistance from Mr. Murphy.Originally Posted by Chris Rosenberger
It came to pass...
"Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
The road IS the destination.
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Their stuff always gets rave reviews, but man it's expensive. Seems like a smart guy or gal could fab something pretty close for a lot less money. It probably wont be as spot-on accurate, but it might be good enough. Seems worth a try.
Member
Bill, thanks for letting us know about the new Woodpecker tool. I have their 12" T sq and their 36" T sq and one other square. I find them to be very accurate and very well made. I would not want to be without them. However I've been struggling how to figure out what purpose this MT gauge would serve unless you do all your MT's by hand. I might be missing something but I don't see how it would help setting up machinery. Just my two cents.
Thanks John
Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway!
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It would help me in for setting my hollow chisel mortiser. Right now I do a trial & error process to center the chisel.
With the Woodpecker jig, just mark the location of the centered mortise, set the part on the mortiser & dial it in.
It just needs 5/8" & 3/4" bars also.
Contributor
I often wonder why a tool like this is needed. It's pretty easy to find, and mark, a center line with existing tools.
One way is to take a marking gauge and adjust it to approximately middle. Make a mark, then move the marking gauge to the other side of the wood and see how close you are to middle. You can see what the error is (the distance between the two marks) so you can get pretty close on the second adjustment. If you don't hit it with that second adjustment, you surely will with the third. Then run the marking gauge along the board and you have the center marked.
You can do a very similar thing with a double square (or a combination square) and a pencil or knife.
As far as marking a mortise and tenon, most of us make the mortise first and then make the tenon a bit fat and trim to fit. So on a 3/4" board, you'd probably make the mortise about 3/8". That leaves 3/16" on each side, which you can mark off with a double square. If your board is a bit fat (more than 3/4") you can leave 1/4" on both sides, or make the mortise a bit more than 3/8" - the size is not critical. Measure your mortise and make the tenon just a bit larger so you can trim to a tight fit.
If you make your tenon on the table saw, it's automatically centered.
This stuff is not rocket science, nor must it be absolutely precise. Most of the time we make to fit, not make to a measurement.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-24-2013 at 1:29 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
If one needed one of these, it is a very nice one and a very pricey one.
It wouldn't take much to build one for a lot less.
For a simple but accurate center finder, one can build one quick with a stick, 3 nails and a compass.
It is a highly refined version of an easily made shop helper. Too many of my M&T joints involve offsets so my shop made version (that I could of sworn I needed) is setting on a ledge (somewhere?). The design and execution are top notch as always and some good thought has gone into making it more than what many shop made versions can be. It does seem to be a paradox though as in my small world of woodworker's I interact with, folks that do a lot of M&T aren't doing standard, centered, boiler-plate type work ;-) Although it is not something I would use, I am sure it is well made and may benefit someone who has that requirement.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
Couldn't you use these (home made or not) for offset mortises by putting a right sized shim on one side before squeezing it closed?
Member
"I often wonder why a tool like this is needed. It's pretty easy to find, and mark, a center line with existing tools."
I used to wonder too, but the reality is ...in the difference between woodworkers and woodpeckers.
Best wishes,
Metod
Contributor
That's a solution hunting for a problem.
I make mortises with a plunge router and edge guide. I make two passes with the router -- one with the edgeguide on one face of the workpiece, and the second with the edgeguide on the other face of the workpiece. The mortise is centered. No fiddling around, no expensive center guides.
Member
I'll let you know i've order one. I hate this company! they have cost me a lot of money over the years!. I will say, all products are top notch!
Member
I slept on this one. Its very nice but I can't see 120 bucks worth.
The Romans, Egyptians and Mayans did very well without one
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