Cutting gauge wedge material

[ED65]

Was at a market I get to visit very infrequently this week because it's on a Thursday and while my favourite vendor wasn't there someone else with a really good spread of tools was and I got a nice selection of things for a tenner, partly because it was a scorcher and the seller said he was too hot to bother sorting through what was in my hands :mrgreen:

One of the items was a 9" rosewood cutting gauge by James Howarth in really nice condition for its age under the dust and grime, but missing its cutter and wedge.

Going by the only other one I could find pictures of online, an old listing on OldTools.co.uk, the original wedge was brass so should the replacement be in the hardest material I have or does it not matter too much?

 

[AndyT]

My old cutting gauges have brass wedges but for non-intensive trade use I reckon a sliver of hard wood from your collection of little offcuts would be just fine.
Remember to orientate the wedge the right way round.

 

[Harbo]

Nice find, I’m sure wood would do but it would be very easy to fashion a brass one from a small section of bar.

Rod

 

[ED65]

Thanks gents.

Remember to orientate the wedge the right way round.

Yes, now if I could just figure out which way that is for this gauge! It's generally sideways right? The one on OldTools had it the other way and measuring the slot on this one with my calipers it only tapers noticeably along the long axis of the beam :?

Nice find, I’m sure wood would do but it would be very easy to fashion a brass one from a small section of bar.

I have no brass of a suitable thickness on hand currently but I would like to do a brass one in due course for originality. TBH though I can't decide how important that is given the replacement blade I'm planning will be HSS and significantly thicker than was first fitted.

The stock needs to do some drying before it's safe to take apart and fit back together again so who knows I may have acquired some brass by then!

 

[SteveW1000]

As others have said brass is what would originally fitted. Why HSS? Generally they are rather thin, would think that a bit from a broken hacksaw blade would work. Bit from an all hard blade rather than a bimetal one as most of the blade would be rather soft.

 

[ED65]

Why HSS?

Why not? A proper reason is I don't have any suitable silver steel or tool steel, and anyway I fancy the idea that in HSS the cutter would need honing so much less frequently.

Generally they are rather thin, would think that a bit from a broken hacksaw blade would work.

That was the plan, but from a power hacksaw blade. I got lucky and picked up a couple of these at a car boot and I have the steel earmarked for various cutters and scratch blades.

 

[Lons]

What size wedge do you need ED?

 

[lurker]

I have in the past, made brass wedges out of the earth pin from a 3pin plug.
Not sure if this comment is at all helpful

 

[AndyT]

That sounds helpful to me! An ideal easy source. I can't photograph one at the moment but a search would probably find one in an old thread - I think this question has come up before.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I have in the past, made brass wedges out of the earth pin from a 3pin plug.
Not sure if this comment is at all helpful

I have a small collection of pins from 13A plugs saved with just this in mind. Glad it's not just me that hoards oddments like this !

 

[Lons]

Not just you Lurker. I've got all sorts of stuff in drawers which will find a use, maybe, one day. :lol:
That's why i asked for size as I'm certain to have something.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A piece of string fell out of the pocket of my wheelchair. My wife picked it up and asked what it was for - I said I put it there in case someone asked me for a piece of string - I'd feel stupid if I had to say I didn't have any. Later that evening at the turners a guy walked past me muttering there must be a bit of bloody string here somewhere ..................

 

[ED65]

@lurker, hugely helpful ta!!