That marking gage is a thing of beauty!
Member
That marking gage is a thing of beauty!
Contributor
The locking of the beams/blades is very important when marking offset mortices. This is the weak area of the Kinshiro. I was tempted to modify mine, but decided instead to build a "kinshiro-type" with fixed blades that where the beam could be adjusted. This is the easiest way in practice (just more work to actually build one)...
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...ingGauges.html
So, this is a vote for the beam locking type over the Kinshiro (no longer in production anyway).
Regards from Perth
Derek
Last edited by Derek Cohen; 03-24-2015 at 7:42 PM.
Member
Derek,
I agree....today I needed to mark a couple of sets of double tenons. The mortises were chopped with a 3/8" pig sticker and it was a simple procedure to drop the cutters into the far mortise to set the fence then mark all the far tenons. Once the far tenons were marked, then drop the cutters into the near mortise, reset the fence and mark all the near tenons. No butt scratching, no monkey motion, just a quick mark out and the tenons fit perfectly off the saw.
The Matsui is a great marking gauge, in fact I ordered another one from Stu today.
ken
Nice ken! that pic shows potential color change in oak over time..... lolOriginally Posted by ken hatch
There isn't much. I have three twin beam mortise gauges, the one on the left was acquired back in the late 70's early 80's and I haven't a clue about who made it or brand name. The middle one is a Kinshiro and you can see some slight differences between it and the Matsui on the right but functionally there really isn't any other than the Matsui has a locking screw so you can lock the two cutters together. I find that function very useful so the Matsui will normally be the primary marking gauge for a build and the others are used as secondary gauges.
Last edited by Matthew N. Masail; 03-25-2015 at 5:13 AM.
Has anyone tried one of these from Mitsui ?
Vernier gauge.jpg
it's a shame they don't invest in some better pics
I have wondered and asked the same question Matthew. I believe the Vernier gauges are single blade gauges. Most posters seem to be fans of the double blade gauges. With an actual scale, it would seem the user could move between various settings, although to do so obviously requires the additional measuring and set up time. One could also use two gauges but this means extra money and marking time. I understand that many like to set their two blade gauge to the width of a specific chisel that they plan to make a mortise with to save time and increase accuracy. Still it would seem there would be a place for a gauge that could be set for an actual measurement from a plan....
Thanks Mike, so I suppose now one had tried it here yet, at least not a poster. I agree the double blade ones seem much more popular, probably because they can be used both as a mortise and a regular gauge, and they have a traditional feel.
I'm interested in the vernier marking gauge as a single gauge and what is has to offer in terms of usefulness. for mortise\tenon work I ordered the same gauge as the OP just last week (so it was double nice to see this thread). I think the vernier gauge might be real nice for marking stock to thickness or anytime we want a mark at a precise distance, applications and usefulness seem countless. for example one could use it to set up other gauges by making a mark and then setting a non scaled gauge to that mark. repeated marking would also be much quicker to set. I don't think it will technically do anything a regular gauge won't, but it sure would be useful to have.
it's funny to think that most marking in woodworking is relative, that is marking from the same face so the precise measurement doesn't really matter, or marking the width of a dado directly off the board that will fit into it. in that sense it's easy to see why non scaled marking gauges are all that is needed. still, I think the vernier gauge might be very handy.
Member
Man, that marking gage is one to lust for.
Contributor
I use one of the single blade Matsui gauges. The blade is much nicer than my other two kebiki gauges. On those less expensive gauges, the blade has a tendency to chip and get ragged in a short time. The steel in the Matsui so far has great edge retention, and is very sharp. It is not as comfortable to handle as a more traditional gauge, since you are wrapping your hands around the vernier instead of a smooth wooden beam. It takes a short adjustment period, but does helps to reinforce a light touch when using the gauge. The blade lock mechanism is very secure, and I have not had any problem with the blade working loose. The vernier scale is metric, and I have been very surprised how often I use it. It certainly has me measuring more projects using metric. It is very accurate and can be adjusted by loosening two screws and moving the head relative to the wood body. I had to adjust mine when it first arrived.
[OP]
Member
HI David. That's good to know. Coming from an engineering background i have to say that i looked long and hard at the possibility of a vernier gauge, but in the end concluded i didn't have enough experience with gauges to stray from the more traditional format - i didn't know enough to decide between the pros and cons Mike raises above.
Do you use it to mark stuff requiring double lines too?
Last edited by ian maybury; 03-28-2015 at 3:51 PM.
Contributor
I have not used the gauge to mark mortises since the blade bevel would face the wrong direction for one of the lines. I tend to mark mortises in pencil anyway. I don't measure my motives by the chisel widths.
Contributor
Had the opportunity to add a small Kinshirou to the mix, glad to have it, but I actually find the Matsui to have a nicer action.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Nice picture, they look very similar. I like the way you store them.
Apparently quite a few people ordered a matsui double gauge for TFJ, because there is quite a wait for them at the moment. I have been waiting just over 2 months so far. it seem that like most good things, they are worth the wait.
Last edited by Matthew N. Masail; 05-24-2015 at 4:33 PM.
Member
Not quite sure of the dialogue in this thread. Can this gauge be set and locked to specific mortise size and have the fence only adjust for different distances from edge of stock?
Contributor
The major differences seem to be in the blades and the mortise. Kinshirou does the through mortise, where Matsui does a blind mortise. The Kinshirou blades also have ground hollows on the length of them, presumably to aid in sliding. Both are quite wonderful to use. The Matsui blades are ground on all surfaces and have an interesting sliding action which allows them to be situated between themselves then slid as an assembly in the gauge. The version of the matsui gauge I have does not have locking blades.
Matsui offers a variety of combinations. Some can lock, some do not lock.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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