Marking Gauges

I like marking gauges. My first purchased one and my first made ones were disasters, but I have gotten better since then.

The first one worth keeping was this one.

Unless it got knocked, this one did a nice job, but I was getting addicted to new tools.

Here is one that is rotated to lock. Cam action wedges it.

As long as you push it the right way, it works great. The wrong way unlocks it!

This was my first large one. Mostly used to mark plywood sheets with.

These are my prettiest. I absolutely love them. I have posts detailing their making. The Pecan Gauge came first and has the details. The Mesquite Gauge shows a bit more on how I made the markers.

I built a scratch gauge option into a sliding square made from mesquite.

This Odd Job using an acrylic bar and a ground roll pin for a blade has helped me make some of my best dovetails. I can’t take credit for this idea, Timberwolf over on WoodNet Forums came up with this.

Some of my purchased ones are pretty nice too.
I like the two headed pocket marking gauge from Lee Valley quite a bit it is the most portable and convenient gauge I have seen. For mortises, the two bladed Japanese Gauge I got from Stuart at Tools From Japan, is hard to beat.

All in all though, my favorite now is the Carving Gauge.

These two gauges are what I would keep if I could only keep two gauges.

I don’t plan make any more gauges, unless I need to replace these.  It has been a fun journey exploring the possibilities, but I am now pretty content with the destination.   These carving gauges mark, carve, and cut with precision and strength.

Bob