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Thread: What Mortise Gauge Do you Prefer

  1. #1

    What Mortise Gauge Do you Prefer

    Wondering what everyone prefers for a mortise gauge. I find myself wanting another gauge so I can keep settings one one without having to reset it multiple times. I have the lee valley and also an older pin style I bought on the auction site. Out of the two, I find the lee valley is easier to use - doesn't want to wander off line. Maybe that is because it's much newer and sharp - not sure? Since I'm in the market for another, I thought I would see what others have had success with. What mortise gauge do you prefer?

  2. #2
    john,

    Marking gauges are personal and you may kiss a lot of frogs before you find one to your liking. I prefer pin type gauges for marking mortises because they work better with the grain and across end grain, others like cutting or wheel gauges. As far as a mortise 'style" gauge (twin pin) vs. single pin it makes little never mind if you are chopping the mortise to the width of the chisel. Wider than the width of your chisel the twin pin is good to have.

    TFWW has a very good twin pin gauge made by Marples, it is not cheap at $50 USD, in justification of its price, the beam locks square and the gauge feels good in the hand. Philly Plane has a nice single pin gauge but it is also a little on the high end.

    Good luck, it can be a slippery slope,

    ken

  3. #3
    Taylor tools has one that's very similar to the Tite-Mark - at a decent price.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  4. #4
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    The Veritas one with the optional locking attachment. Love it, and I agree- get two so you can lock them to two settings during a project and keep them set.

  5. #5
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    Only have one marking gauge in the shop.....tend to lay out mortises using the chisel I will be using to chop them. Old marking gauge I have is just a single pin thing, nothing real fancy....

  6. #6
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    I like the wheel gauges, but I do have a pin gauge I use on occasion.

    I use it for marking a strip from a board. I find it easier to make a ripping mark with a pin rather than a wheel.
    Last edited by lowell holmes; 04-17-2017 at 6:33 PM.

  7. #7
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    Titemark and a wooden one made by Jeff Hamilton (if I remember correctly). Several runners up: several small LV (brass 3 in 1 and two sided stainless) and vintage Stanley 18 ( triangular wooden head-have a number of them, bought whenever). I have more than a few others, but these are the ones set, left and used.
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  8. #8
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    While I definitely like the Titemark gauge for general marking, I do not find that using it for mortise marking always as effective as I would like it to be. I find that sometimes (hard hardwoods I believe) it does not mark the far side of the mortise as well as it should. I have an adjustable double pin marking gauge that I tend to use more for mortise marking and save the Titemark for single line marking duty. I use the Titemark, a single pin marking gauge, a single knife marking gauge and the double pin marking gauge all during many projects so as to avoid having to re adjust any particular gauge before I truly want to. I would like to try one of those Japanese mortise marking gauges with the double knife arrangement that Brian and Derek have shown us.
    David

  9. #9
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    Flavored gauge for accross the grain is a Rob Cosman with the extra large wheel, even copied the flat spot that lets it sit on the table and not roll off. Put it on my Titemark and my Titemark clone. Also put one of Cosman's large wheels on each....

    With the grain it's an old pin gauge, probably home made, slightly larger than most they make today.

    Andy

  10. The one being sold by Taylor Tools is a cheap Chinese knock off of Glen-Drake's Tite-Mark. Please don't encourage such a blatant rip-off.
    Ron Hock
    HOCK TOOLS

  11. #11
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    Ron, this was the topic of a thread a few months ago. The great majority of the forum were behind you.

    Regrads from Perth

    Derek

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Hock View Post
    The one being sold by Taylor Tools is a cheap Chinese knock off of Glen-Drake's Tite-Mark. Please don't encourage such a blatant rip-off.
    Yep couldn't agree more.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Hock View Post
    The one being sold by Taylor Tools is a cheap Chinese knock off of Glen-Drake's Tite-Mark. Please don't encourage such a blatant rip-off.
    Well, the Taylor Tools marking gauge does not infringe any protected intellectual property. It works well and it's approximately one third the price of the Tite-Mark. It may not have the fit and finish of the Tite-Mark but it does the job.

    If a manufacturer does not make any effort to protect their intellectual property, they lose the right to complain when someone else uses that (now) public domain intellectual property.

    I know some people on the forum seem to feel that even if intellectual property is not protected no one else should use it but that's not the way the world works. A good example is the smartphone where Apple and Android (Google) copy each other's ideas immediately. We'd all be worse off if they didn't compete and copy each other.

    Mike
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 04-17-2017 at 10:06 PM.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  14. #14
    I have a new favorite gauge: the "copy" of the Kinshiro from Tools from Japan discussed by Derek Cohen. http://inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeToo...nTheCheap.html So far, I'm using it "as received" and thinking about making some changes along the lines discussed by Derek. I see his point about opportunities for improvements. Even without any changes, I've found the thing works very well for me, both as a mortise gauge and as a (single blade) marking gauge. Haven't had the chance yet, but can see the likelihood of good performance as a cutting gauge as well. I have some holly stringing to cut coming up in a bit and I plan to try it then.

    Thanks for all the information, Derek! I really appreciate your blog.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  15. #15
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    Talking about Matsui? That is a nice gauge, I have three (?) I think, and they're great.

    It's viewed differently in this situation, IMO, since Kinshiro is retired and no longer makes the gauges. Also the matsui gauge has a magnet embedded in the dai to help with setting the gauge.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

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