Fast and Easy Wood Marking Gauge

Intro: Fast and Easy Wood Marking Gauge

Quick fast, easy wood scribe.
Inscribe on wood easily, with this fast instructable.


You will need.

A metal rod (size of a pencil)
A nut that will fit over it.
A nail.
A drill.
A set-screw.

STEP 1: Step 1

Place the nut over the rod near the end, then drill a hole. Make sure it goes all the way through the rod. Remove the nut when done drilling.

STEP 2: Step 2

Friction fit a nail or solder into the hole you just drilled. Leave 3/8 inches sticking out

STEP 3: Step 3

Tap your nut, and insert a bolt. Put back on the rod. Adjust to where you want it, and then scribe the wood.

STEP 4: Step 4

Now, mark your wood.

STEP 5: Author's Note

Use a drill press. I didn't, and the hole in the rod was slightly off, but it still works.

Comments

[ThinkBeforeYouSpeak]

Wow, I have the same drill, it was cheap, works well and we've used it really hard and had it forever.

[Visitor]

I think this could be made a bit more simple by using a long bolt and two nuts instead of an aluminium rod. Take a long bolt and saw off the head. Leave some unthreaded rod on the bolt. Find two nuts that fit the threads on the bolt. Attach the nail as in your gauge. Now you can lock the gauge by screwing the two nuts tightly against each other. The other nut might even be a wingnut for easier locking. What do you think?

[awoodcarver]

Yes that works well threaded rod will work too just harder to drill, this was a $1 store hobby knife and a nut i found in the janitors office . Moon I took a brass piece off a VCR head this morning and will add it to the one the art teacher kept to make it a bit more stable

[gmoon]

Good idea, something to widen it at the slider/nut would be an improvement. A threaded rod would scratch the workpiece, unless the gauge was set short. You could add a plastic tube or something to prevent that, but it would limit the minimum length of the shaft. The smooth one you have likely glides across very well, without trashing the wood.

[lemonie]

You appear to be using your belly as a work-bench. No offence is intended, but is this actually the case? L

[awoodcarver]

No it is my leg I am wearing shorts , it was to be a chain with ball in cage but i broke the cage on the end

[lemonie]

Oh yes, I see it now, it's your knee. (sorry, in retrospect it doesn't look right for someone's gut at all) L

[lemonie]

Go on then, what are you making there (out of wood)? L

[gmoon]

Nice. I have a fancy commercial gauge, but this one might still be handy. A little harder to keep this @ a 'right-angle' to the work, but with a little concentration, not too difficult.