Marking Gauge: Wheel, Blade, or Something Else

[Andrew Kertesz]

What's everybody's preference for a marking gauge? I know there are wheeled, blade and pin types. What do you use and why?

[mike holden]

Wheel, could not get a pin type not to wander, and used a japanese blade type for awhile, but was difficult to adjust, but the wheeled type just works.
Mike

[Jim Matthews]

Blade for me is the best compromise.

If a pin is stout enough, it can be ground
to have a flat and then sharpened.

Pins that size are nearly impossible for me to see.

http://www.woodjoytools.com/layout/m...ng-gauge-blade

IMGP2480.jpg

[Mike Holbrook]

Glenn at WoodJoy makes marking gauges with either wood or brass bodies. Pins and wheels often try to follow grain patterns. The larger stronger blades like Glenn's 1/2" cutting blade are better at staying on track and can make a better line too. The pointed blade on Glenn's slides up & down within it's track allowing the depth of cut to be adjusted for specific woods. Glenn's gauge also features a three position fence designed to handle straight or curved wood. A sta-tite knob keeps the fence from slipping, a common problem with other gauges.

Glenn now offers a nice assortment of well engineered layout tools. His Total Square and Dovetail Layout tools are also very nice.

[ken hatch]

No one marking gauge is best for all things. The wheel type can be very good for marking cross grain when marking the base line of dovetails for a couple of reasons: first a cutting gauge is best for cross grain marking, second with a good wheel type (not so much the cheap ones) you can set one board on the other to set depth. For other cross grain uses a knife type can be better because you can shape and sharpen the blade easily. Cutting gauges are not so good for with the grain marking because they can tend to follow the grain, a pin type is much better.

I keep all three types at hand and ready for use, which one depends on what I'm trying to do.

If I had to go with just one marking gauge I would pick a pin type and use a knife and square for cross grain marking. As always and should be needless to say: YMMV.

[Daniel Rode]

+1 - I have a couple different types and plans to make more.

No one marking gauge is best for all things.

[Jim Koepke]

My preference is for a wheel gauge. In particular the Tite-Mark by Glen Drake is my go to marking gauge.

Here is a short review comparing a couple wheel gauges:

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

Sometimes the Veritas wheel gage comes in to use if the Tite-Mark is set up to something I do not want to change.

I also have some old Stanley pin type marking gauges. The tips on these have been ground and they work well with the usual grain following problem noted in previous posts. Having a sharp point, flat on one side and rounded on the fence side, along with being careful reduces the chance of any drift occurring.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Interesting discussion that might benefit from a deeper look. I am not super experienced with these devices but I have tried several.

Wheel Gauges
First I got a LV wheel gauge, which I like, however, I found two things that were issues. The wheel seems to pull the rest off the edge without me noticing. I suspect from reading other threads that the wheel needs to be removed and sharpened more. I'm just not sure I can see an object that small well enough to sharpen it accurately. I have read a post or two on how to do it, but the wheel is small and hard to manipulate and see.

Pin Gauges
Then I bought Kingshotts videos on making Mortises & Tenons & Dovetails. Kingshott demonstrates how to use a pin gauge to great advantage. I bought a mortise gauge from LV made by Les Outils Cullen Tools. I like it but the pins are quite small and do not appear to be replaceable, which makes me hesitant to use it for rougher work. My particular gauge has a fence issue that I need to fix too.

So I just ordered the WoodJoy gauge. It seems to me that a major factor, as is the case in many hand tools, has to do with maintenance, particularly sharpening. I know I can sharpen and maintain the blade on the Woodjoy tool. I'm not so sure about keeping the cutting surfaces on the other two gauges in good working order for all surfaces I may need to mark. The other factor for me is how well the fence system locks and maintains position. In my case I also need to be able to mark distances on curved surfaces which not all fences are good at. A solid square fence lock up isn't as assured as one might think.

As is mentioned above there are certainly advantages to each type of gauge. Another benefit of having multiple gauges is that each can be set for a particular measurement and left there until the project is done instead of constantly having to adjust and readjust a single gauge.

[Jim Ritter]

I made this one one for a swap and couldn't decide on the cutter shape so I made a bunch of different ones.



Jim

[Steve Voigt]

I really like the blade style. A stout sharp blade should not have much tendency to follow the grain.
I recommend the cutters sold by Hamilton marking gauges. $12 for the basic blade, and the last time I bought one, shipping was a dollar. Hard to beat that.

[Prashun Patel]

I say get a good one of each. There are subtle differences. I like the blade kind for their ability to be sharpened. But I dislike the blade kind because if they're not sharp they don't work as frictionlessly as the wheel kind. There are some times that one or the other just feels better in the hand. I'm glad I have one of each.

[Derek Cohen]

You can use a fine/thin blade when marking with the grain. It's all in the technique: take only very light strokes until you have severed the fibres.

Best gauge: Kinshiro (along with my shopmade version)





If you did not pick up a couple of the LV SS gauges when they were available, then you missed out on a great wheel gauge.



Regards from Perth

Derek

[ken hatch]

Like most things woodworking you gotta kiss a bunch of frogs to find something that works. I've the Les Outils Cullen pin gauge, the beam doesn't stay square but it is very nicely made and attractive. Shame a tool that nice sets in with the rest of the marking gauge frogs. The best new pin gauge I've found is the Marples screw adjustable gauge from TFWW, at $50 USD it is on the high end of mass produced gauges but it works so I guess it is worth the note. Of the wheel gauges the Tite-Mark is worth the extra cost. Knife gauges I have no real preference, most of the time if I want a knife gauge I will use one of the Japanese cheapies from Stu even though I have a Hamilton gauge on the shelf and a couple others as well.

My marking gauge jones is almost as bad as my sharpening stone jones, it's embarrassing to dig through the shelfs and cubby holes and see how many marking gauges are hidden away. There is a benefit to having a bunch of gauges, as you mentioned, once a gauge is set for a project I seldom need to change it until the project is finished.

[glenn bradley]

I have success with a wheel on cross and along grain marking. I do keep the wheel sharp so it doesn't wander but, slices like a blade. It is very easy to sharpen the wheel(s) on some of the same gear you use for other tools.

[david charlesworth]

I modify very cheap pin gauges from Marples.

The pin is ground and sharpened into a tiny crescent shaped knife. Unfortunately I have no suitable pictures, but there are some great close ups in my new DVD (from L-N) about the Secret Mitre Dovetail.

This should be out in the next month or so and was filmed in my workshop in Hartland, Devon. (1.5 miles from an amazing coast).

These pins are just like Colen Clenton's , but smaller.

There are other modifications so that the pin can be seen during use.

Best wishes,
David Charlesworth