Marking, Cutting and Mortise Gauges

These simple tools—the marking, cutting, and mortise gauges closely resemble one another—haven't changed much in generations (no doubt the old cliché about not fixing things that aren't broken applies here). For marking off straight lines parallel to the edge of a workpiece, for certain cutting tasks, and for laying out mortises and tenons, these tools are unsurpassed, as they are fast, efficient, and easy to use. You'll master them in a matter of minutes.

Each consists of a shaft or beam (it's usually square in section) along which slides a donut-shaped stop called a stock. The stock is locked in place with a thumbscrew threaded through its side that presses a brass shoe against the beam. The stock, preset in this fashion to a specific position, acts as a fence when butted to the workpiece.

These gauges are usually made of hard, stable woods like beech, mahogany, or rosewood, and occasionally of steel. Some particularly handsome models have brass strips let into the face of the stock, which add an ornamental touch to the face as well as reinforcing it.

The Marking Gauge. Also known as a butt marking gauge, this tool has a brad-like steel pin or spur fixed near the end of the beam that scribes the workpiece as the stock is pushed along the edge of the piece. The pin helps make this the accurate tool that it is, as a scribed line is thinner than a pencil line.

The marking gauge is especially useful for marking out a number of identical pieces. Using the marking gauge will save measuring time (you set it once, then mark as many pieces as you wish) and helps ensure that the pieces will be the same. Marking gauges are usually between eight and ten inches long.

Let me offer a few hints for using the tool. First, when marking with the grain, make two light passes rather than a single harder one. Second, keep the pin sharp by filing its tip. Most marking gauges have a scale inscribed onto the stock, so, third, check the scale periodically to be sure the spur hasn't bent, making the scale inaccurate.