How to Make an Improved French Marking Gauge - Hand Tool Woodworking

[@TheSMEAC]

This one of the very best handmade tools I’ve ever encountered. The use of the flat side to drive the triangular profile of beam into the same complimentary in the head is absolute genius. I’ve yet to build this in a panel gauge, but the Lee Valley one I have is just fine. I know this, that if/when that ever gets rickety, that I’ll take the cutting wheel hardware from the Lee Valley and build the Bob Rozaieski styled panel gauge. I haven’t found that I’ve needed more than on panel gauge yet like we benefit/need of having multiple marking gauges.

[@scottgates601]

Honestly one of the best woodworking channels on YT !!

[@adambudda3822]

Your first French Marking gauge video was one of the first handltool things I made years and years ago. Probably took me far too many hours to make, but it still gets used today. I had a little happy moment when I saw this new video pop up.

[@joeleonetti8976]

Thanks Bob for making this video. I miss the podcasts but understand your time is limited.

[@androidgameplays4every13]

I enjoyed watching your old marking gauge video ten years ago and I enjoyed watching this new one even better with the improved design and the full HD video quality, so nice to see you are still making this beautiful work and sharing it to the world, thank you.

[@davidnonomura1975]

Great video! Made one of the original ones 10 years ago too, but cheated and split the head and cut the mortise on a tablesaw. So now it is splitting right along where it was glued together long grain to long grain. Perfect timing to make one of your improved gauges. Please keep up the wonderful woodworking!

[@egglyph]

Can't believe it's been 10 years since the first video!

[@tyremanguitars]

really nice, I made one of your original ones and will make a new one now, thanks for this.

[@johnburens3395]

Thanks for posting this. Today I am making a bow saw but I have marking gauges on my to do list next and this might help. Having a bit of knifemaking background I think I can handle the brass/wood mix of materials and produce a marking gauge of some decent quality.

[@johnwillis9511]

A beautiful tool, will add to my to do list. Will adjust to my left hand and will harden a cut nail thanks 😁

[@marc-andrepetit5277]

Beautiful gauge and very nice work! Thank you for sharing.

[@linkert810]

Superb work!

[@davidstewart1153]

I have an extra blade for the Veritas miniature shoulder plane (ordering mistake) which should work for a blade. It's A2, should hold an edge for a while. They sell some other replacement blades that would work.

[@kreech68]

ok.... another project for the list - thank you!

[@bigdteakettle8989]

Great video! When I first saw you I had to double-check to make sure you were not my nephew. You have a strong resemblance to him. I have hit the subscribe and the bell to see what else I can learn from.

[@BRFineWoodworking]

Thanks!

[@sd0427]

Hi, Bob great video easy to follow, really nice looking tool, thanks for the time you put into it. Regards Steve

[@pepon7676]

Beautiful, i love this kind of tools.. Best regards from Andalucia....

[@paulwennekes3555]

Hi Bob, nice video. I'll watch more of your vids. I learned a long time ago to take an onion and rub it over the brass. The onion does something chemical with the brass and the hhg will better stick. Maybe it was in stead of the aceton, i don't remember.

[@BRFineWoodworking]

Paul Wennekes Yep, a fresh cloves of garlic works too. It’s the acid in the bulb. It mildly etches the metal providing for some tooth for the glue. Sanding and cleaning with acetone should have the same effect. Not sure why it didn’t work well this time. I think maybe there wasn’t good enough contact between the metal wood and the glue didn’t bridge the gap well enough. Not sure though.

[@gbluetoo]

Two questions: Could you not use a round dowel for the beam with a flat planed along its length for the wedge to bear against? And, #2, regarding the hardened masonry nails; could you heat one to ~350-500F to temper/soften it some? I love that you used hide glue (my favorite to work with). A shame it didn't hold. I'd have liked you to try roughing both the maple and the brass to see if that worked. You might also try sizing the joint first. Unlike the modern white glues, hide glue will bond to itself, so sizing gives a double bonding experience.

[@BRFineWoodworking]

Yes, you could use a round dowel and plane it flat on top, but by the time you plane a sizable enough flat on the dowel, that ⅝” diameter dowel will probably only be about ⅜” tall. If you start with a larger dowel, the curve will not match. The mortise in the fence would be a bit more challenging as well as you couldn’t start with a 5/8” diameter hole. I really find this method the easiest way. It’s really quite simple to plane the curve on the bottom of the beam. It can be done with nothing more than a block plane (or a 5/16” round over bit in a router table if you prefer). Also, cutting the mortise for the knife and fitting the wedge is much easier to do while the stock is square. For the nail, tempering would probably work ok. I’ve never tried it. As for the hide glue, I don’t know what happened. It stuck to the wood just fine. It didn’t adhere well to the brass. But I’ve used it successfully before. I may not have had good enough contact between brass and wood. Maybe clamping would have helped. Maybe the epoxy filled some small gaps. Who knows. I do know that hide glue can be used to glue brass to wood. I have done it successfully before.

[@DraganIlich-r1s]

Thank you Sir.🎉

[@martincote9184]

Hi Bob, I really like your videos, actually I have made a few of the "regular" ones. Due to the quarentine, I have no access to brass stock, but I have some steel and aluminum bar, do you think that aluminum could be a good option or I should use steel???

[@BRFineWoodworking]

Either would probably work but steel will rust, aluminum will not. But Mcmasterr Carr and other places like that will ship right to you. I bought a 3’ long piece of ⅛” thick by ⅜” wide brass stock for this project for about $7 plus maybe $12 to ship it. It was pretty reasonable. I think it came from Grainger. As long as you’re in the US you should be able to get it even with quarantine (I did). If you’re outside the US then I’m not sure.

[@tomsatterlee8397]

Hello: Found you earlier in the day and watched your first video and now the second one. I am not a hand tool guy, but there was a comment on the internet that using a gauge like the one you have made would go a long way to keeping away from frayed edges when making box joints so I am going to try and and make the gauge. I very much liked your presentation and since I am here for the first time I know nothing about you but am hoping to find some information on your site. One question on your bench. Is it pine. Thanks

[@BRFineWoodworking]

Thanks! Yes the bench is solid white pine made from cutoffs left over from building our log cabin.

[@bentontool]

I like the beard... also rounding-off is a good idea. I rounded my beam mortise with a half-round file, then made the beam to match that shape... easy... less-round shape in the end.

[@tomjojo849]

v good well described .

[@libruhmoment6387]

An option better than the razor or x acto blade is a sawzall blade thats dull.

[@yasarmevlut8376]

👍🇹🇷