veritas dual marking gauge

[Robert]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67466&cat=51&ap=1

WOW! Nice looking, I'd like to hear from anyone that has acquired one and used it.

(I'd show the pic, but I'm not that good.)

Robert

 

[thrytis]

Skip the baby version and just go for the Dodeca-Gauge.

 

[eyekode]

I usually like Veritas stuff but I don't really get this gauge. I like that both pins on my mortise gauge are at the same location not staggered. Wouldn't you run the risk of marking too far past the end of your mortise with one wheel and not all the way to the end of the mortise with the other wheel? Or maybe you rotate the gauge as you near the line to lift up the leading wheel? Eh...

Salem

 

[Tarhead]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67466&cat=51&ap=1

WOW! Nice looking, I'd like to hear from anyone that has acquired one and used it.


Robert

This is a new tool so I don't think there will be any reviews.

 

[ehpoole]

I usually like Veritas stuff but I don't really get this gauge. I like that both pins on my mortise gauge are at the same location not staggered. Wouldn't you run the risk of marking too far past the end of your mortise with one wheel and not all the way to the end of the mortise with the other wheel? Or maybe you rotate the gauge as you near the line to lift up the leading wheel? Eh...

Salem

FWIW, Veritas also makes a knife upgrade available for their marking gauges geared towards mortising. Instead of the single knife you can upgrade the standard marking gauge with a second knife that is mounted to the shaft and secured with a setscrew. You can mark both sides in one pass and both marks will begin and end at the same point.

That said, beginning and ending points aren't terribly critical. The marks are either on the waste side or they are hidden under the tenon shoulders -- so long as you don't overshoot the mark by too much. You can also pre-mark the start and stop points with a pencil (or a second gauge) if you wish, then use that reference to make your scores.

 

[manfre]

I usually like Veritas stuff but I don't really get this gauge. I like that both pins on my mortise gauge are at the same location not staggered. Wouldn't you run the risk of marking too far past the end of your mortise with one wheel and not all the way to the end of the mortise with the other wheel? Or maybe you rotate the gauge as you near the line to lift up the leading wheel? Eh...

Salem

It's designed to only use one of the markers at a time. I've been passively shopping for a marking guage. Still not entirely sure if I want to buy/build a tenon jig when the need arises or try cutting them by hand.

 

[ehpoole]

It's designed to only use one of the markers at a time. I've been passively shopping for a marking guage. Still not entirely sure if I want to buy/build a tenon jig when the need arises or try cutting them by hand.

I've only done a bit of mortise and tenon work so far, but I have used both a tenoning jig for the tablesaw and a simpler setup of fence (either rip fence or miter fence) and stop block on the bandsaw. I think the tenoning jig is great for repeatability and consistency if you are doing many tenons for a project, but if you're only doing a small handful I've found the bandsaw setup with a 1/4"-10tpi blade a quick and easy setup (my tenon was a perfect fit on my first try).

I have several of the standard (not dual) Veritas marking gauges so I can have all my different offsets setup without needing to change them -- so if I make a mistake I can easily duplicate my cuts since my gauge settings were never altered. I also like the Veritas marking gauges better than some of the cheaper third-party copies (e.g. Shop Fox, etc.) due to the friction provided by the internal O-ring. I find the Veritas marking gauges to make a far cleaner line than the traditional scratch-style mortise gauge (which I also have). I also find them useful for a whole lot more than just mortise and tenon work... For instance, when I need to install drawer slides on a new drawer box, I just set the offset on my Veritas marking gauge (for some reason I often use 2"), then scratch a line the length of the box side (stopping short of each end). This score becomes the center line for the slide and I center all my screw holes on the score line, this ensures my slides are perfectly parallel to the drawer along its full length. As for the score line, it is fully covered by the slide so not visible once the drawer is assembled and installed. You'll find other uses as well, I'm sure.

HTH

 

[jglord]

I agree with eyekode on the two cutters should be on the same shaft and have been very happy with the Tite-Mark gauge. You can take a look here on the Lie-Nielsen site. I do have the mortising cutters - several pre-set width double cutters and a set allowing adjustment of spacing.

I hope this helps.

 

[ehpoole]

I agree with eyekode on the two cutters should be on the same shaft and have been very happy with the Tite-Mark gauge. You can take a look here on the Lie-Nielsen site. I do have the mortising cutters - several pre-set width double cutters and a set allowing adjustment of spacing.

Actually, the above is almost exactly the same thing as the Veritas knife upgrade I refererred to above except that it only costs $9.95 if you already have a Veritas marking guage.

HTH