These marking gauges are being made exclusively for us by Joseph Marples of Sheffield. They are being made with a Shortened stem only 8mm above the marking pin, this enables them to be used inside boxes and tight areas where the standard 25mm would not fit, the standard longer stem can also cause scratch lines if the gauge is not held level to the timber being marked. A fine Joseph Marples marking gauge. This marking gauge is made from the finest solid wood and comes complete with brass inlay strips and brass knurled thumbscrew. The pin marking gauge is used traditionally for marking timber to width and thickness prior to hand planing. A pair of gauges are used when marking out the recess for a hinge or lock, the pin gauge can be used very precisely to defined start and stop points. To personalize this marking gauge you can use a needle file followed by a diamond lapping file to produce a small chisel point rather than the standard pin shape, this can be filed at 5 degrees to the stock to produce a keel effect to the pin; this keeps the gauge pulling into the timber rather than going with the grain. The newly shaped keel pin acts as a rudder steering the gauge for improved control. This can only be done once the user has established whether he is a pusher or puller of the gauge as filing needs to be done to suit the individual's working practice. It is recommended that a small washer is dropped over the pin when filing to protect the wood stock from damage.
