Marking & Mortise Gauges:  Used for laying out lines parallel to the face side and/or face edge of the workpiece.  A number of versions are available and we have selected a range that offer good design features with economical pricing, from Crown Tools.  The common features of this range are the use of plantation-grown rosewood for all of the wooden parts and the brass inlays ("plating") on both the face of the stocks and on the bearing face of the stem, where the screw bears.  This resists wear and ensures a smooth sliding action.  The lockscrews are turned in brass and finely knurled.

The list features a straightforward marking gauge with a pin for marking; a cutting gauge in which the pin is replaced by a knife edge - excellent for cross-grain work - and two combination marking and mortise gauges.  In the first of these, type 153, the moving pin for the mortise function is retained in its position by the action of clamping the brass screw to secure the stock in place.   In the second model, the more sophisticated type 154, the position of the mortise pin is controlled by a screw mechanism located at the end of the stem and the whole is locked, after setting, by the brass lockscrew on the stock.

Standard marking gauges have to be tilted to just the right angle to avoid the pin chattering.  There is also a tendency for the pin to follow the grain of the timber, leaving you with a far from perfect line. Wheel gauges resolve both those problems and these smart tools from Veritas are well worthy of consideration by serious woodworkers.

These tools feature hardened steel cutters which scribe perfectly at any point on their circumference, obviating alignment problems.  Because the cutting disc has its bevel on the inside, towards the stock, it draws the stock against the timber edge reducing the chance of wavering lines.  Being a cutter - like a marking knife or cutting gauge - the line it leaves across the grain is perfectly clean.  Setting is aided by an internal O'ring which maintains just enough friction on the stem to prevent slippage.  Note that the graduated versions are marked in "Christian units only" (inches) betraying origins in the Veritas factory "across the pond".  A nice, smart piece of kit, well thought out, for all that.

The newer Micro-Adjust versions feature a thimble setting system which allows really precision setting yet gives a full 3/16" (~5 mm) of fine adjustment.  These are also available in both graduated and non-graduated versions

The cutters on all Veritas wheel gauges can be simply sharpened by laying flat on a fine diamond or oil stone and honing the flat surface.

Tri-Scribe from M-Power is a recently-developed tool which enables you to convert a rule into a trammel, a try square into a marking gauge (and a big one at that!) and, with the addition of the Tri-Blade cutter to make either of these into a cutting tool.  I've had a Tri-Scribe in my toolbox for a year or two now (sorry, I forgot to tell you) and have found it invaluable when needing to set out large arcs - for which I use my steel one metre rule - and when setting out parallels to an edge but some substantial distance from that edge.  The "heads" simply clamp onto the blade of your rule or square (which can be up to 2 mm - 0.080" - thick) using the smart brass thumbscrew.  The removeable points can be replaced with a normal pencil - or ballpoint pen - for marking applications or you can simply use the points when you need divider precision.  Again brass thumbscrews are provided to lock the point or pencil in position.

Tri-Blade: If the job calls for cutting capability allied to the features described above, then simply replace one of the points in your Tri-Scribe with the Tri-Blade cutter and you're ready to go.  The Tri-Blade uses disposable snap-off blades so you need never be at a loss for a sharp edge for that precision job.  Did cutting curved strips of veneer ever sound so simple?  Think of the possibilities ... ... ...

  Trim-Gauge:  Now here's one of those neat little tools that come along from time to time and make you wonder why someone didn't do it before (they probably did but you didn't hear about it!)  As a quick and ready way of scribing lines inset from an edge, setting reveals, levelling horizontals and setting verticals it is hard to beat.  It can also be used as a handy imperial (inch) to metric (millimetre) converter.  It is a Godsend for setting the height of router cutters, depth of saw fences, offset of saw and planer fences and the setting of drill depth collars.  It will also serve as an easy way of setting blade projections when setting up your tools in Tormek jigs.

Two spirit level vials are included, at 90 degrees to each other, the scales read from both top and bottom in dual units and the big, easy-to-use thumbscrew locks down firmly so there is no chance that repeat measurements will suffer from creep.  A handy tool.  All this in a package so handy you could almost lose it in a decent toolbag, but for the unmissably bright colour.

©1997-2006 P. Hemsley.  The information on this website is the copyright property of Peter Hemsley.  Coeur du Bois and The ToolPost are trading styles of Peter Hemsley.  Whilst reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, no liability can be accepted for errors in this information nor for contingencies arising therefrom.  If you are inexperienced in any aspect of woodworking, we would strongly counsel that you take a course of formal instruction before commencing to practice