# Mortice gauge marking and morticer bit



## johnfarris (15 May 2018)

While chopping my mortices out today I noticed that my mortice marks I had made with my gauge seemed to be wider than the actually bit I was using to chop them out. 

I think that it must be when I set my mortice gauge using the bit I push the bit to the back of the pins when maybe I should have set it just using the front of the pins?

John


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## Jacob (15 May 2018)

johnfarris":34auq39v said:


> While chopping my mortices out today I noticed that my mortice marks I had made with my gauge seemed to be wider than the actually bit I was using to chop them out.
> 
> I think that it must be when I set my mortice gauge using the bit I push the bit to the back of the pins when maybe I should have set it just using the front of the pins?
> 
> John


I always set the gauge with a scale, having measured the chisel first (or read it off the body). Seems easier somehow.


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## johnfarris (15 May 2018)

Jacob":1un5w2w0 said:


> johnfarris":1un5w2w0 said:
> 
> 
> > While chopping my mortices out today I noticed that my mortice marks I had made with my gauge seemed to be wider than the actually bit I was using to chop them out.
> ...


Hello thanks for replying. When setting do you use the exact same measurement? Is the mortice bit supposed to take out the marking gauge lines?


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## Jacob (15 May 2018)

johnfarris":22b0b9wo said:


> Jacob":22b0b9wo said:
> 
> 
> > johnfarris":22b0b9wo said:
> ...


In theory, for most things, the cut should remove half the width of the line i.e. to be spot on - exact same measurement.


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## Phil Pascoe (15 May 2018)

johnfarris":ptwkrw4n said:


> I think that it must be when I set my mortice gauge using the bit I push the bit to the back of the pins when maybe I should have set it just using the front of the pins?
> John



It's the sharp ends that make the mark, not the other ends. Your marks will be wide by the diameter of a pin. (assuming of course that the pins are the usual shape)


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## Racers (16 May 2018)

Hi

You need to use the pointed ends of the pins when setting the width, or use a gauge with knife edge pins.



9th September by Racers, on Flickr

Pete


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## johnfarris (16 May 2018)

Nice gauge did you make it?


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## Racers (16 May 2018)

Thanks, yes its one of mine.

Pete


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## johnfarris (16 May 2018)

That must give you a great sense of satisfaction using a hand tool you have made. 
What is the wedge made of? How do you find adjusting it?


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## Peter Sefton (16 May 2018)

I always set the tips of the pins to the chisel near the cutting edge, sound like your lines will be bigger by the thickness of two half pins.

Cheers Peter


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## Phil Pascoe (16 May 2018)

Or one whole one ............. as I said.


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## Racers (17 May 2018)

johnfarris":3qj3nq0w said:


> That must give you a great sense of satisfaction using a hand tool you have made.
> What is the wedge made of? How do you find adjusting it?



Its not bad to use I have since made an another clamp so you can lock the stems together before setting the offset.
When the top of the arms are flush it only makes a single line so you set the arms to the width of you chisel to get the exact width.

The wedges are Rosewood and the rest is maple.

I tend to make a batch of gauges.



Marking gauges by Racers, on Flickr

Pete


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## memzey (19 May 2018)

Great stuff Pete. What do you use for the pins BTW? At a guess I’d say they aren’t sharpened masonry nails which was what I was thinking of using.


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## Racers (19 May 2018)

3mm Silver steel, easily filled to shape then hardened and tempered with a blowtorch.

I got mine from eBay.

Pete


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## ED65 (19 May 2018)

memzey":2z0dai6k said:


> At a guess I’d say they aren’t sharpened masonry nails which was what I was thinking of using.


Nowt wrong with those. Hard steel is hard steel, no matter what you get it from. 

Cheap HSS drill bits are even better. But the best possible material would be the shaft of inexpensive carbide burrs; using solid carbide it's entirely possible they'd never need resharpening by the majority of us.


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