Home grown hand tools
by asharrownu » 07 Sep 2015 02:40 pm
45 years ago, when I was 22, I got inspired by an old tool catalog and decided it would be fun to try to make some woodworking tools. The only power tools available to help with the job were a drill press and a wood lathe.
I had hardwood pallet wood and an oak wagon axle that had been out in the weather for 20 years (it was on the wheels, so off the ground).
The mallet, square and marking gauge at the bottom of the first photo were made from these materials. I sawed the parts with handsaws, planed as needed, bored a hole in the marking gauge head with a bit brace, and chiseled the hole to fit the bar. The screw eye-thumb screw is flat on the end and bears on a metal clip I made. The blade of the square is apple (I had read that rulers were often made of apple. But that was no reason to think it would be good for this use. I was just an ignorant kid.)
The top three marking gauges I made in the last three or four days after getting inspired to try to do better. I must admit that I used power tools except for chiseling the square hole, but the gauges are hand tools.
The only annoying part of making these is marking the scales. I can do the spacing for the inch and half-inch easily. The quarters and eights take longer and more care. But the real stinker is how to make the lines. I tried cutting them with a chisel, but the stress popped a couple of spaces loose on the eighths. Then I tried burning them, but that darkened too much wood. Finally resorted to just scoring with a knife. There has to be a better way.
The bars and head are ipe, the thumbscrews are holly. A chisel might be OK on a softer wood.
I now have a marking gauge for each of my tool boxes and one for the bench. I might make some more for my sons or grandsons--IF any of them show any interest in woodworking....
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