4" African Blackwood Marking Gauge

To practice 'ART' ,I felt using a marking gauge that , in itself was sculptured 'ART', would resonate with the process and attitude that I am hoping to cultivate in myself to result in a work that reflects benevolent attention to detail and in return pluck similar chords in others.

This marking gauge achieves the intended technical utility . Particularly with the smooth gliding of the parts and precise setting of the marking blade with a turn of the brass knob without movement of the blade (!) as well as be an expression of benevolent "ART" .

This thing is so well made that even tho it looks like a delicate piece of art it still feels very sturdy.

This gauge just works.

This is without a doubt the most well made tool I own.

Buy one, you wont be disappointed

Thanks jeff!

I got this cutting gauge about a year ago. I do a lot of dovetails and the size of this gauge seemed about right. It proved to be perfect for multiple applications. The cutter is sharp and can make a very deep line. I found this to be a great help in setting the shoulders of tenons because the wood is cut in a very precise line. There is no scratching or tearing of the wood.
The locking and movement of the fence is smooth and secure. The face is longer than a lot of other gauges and is shallow enough to use on stock laid flat on the bench. The recesses on the back of the fence help prevent slipping. . It is much easier to use than the larger gauges.
The only drawbacks are that the cut line may be too precise to see in some woods. The cutting action of the sharp knife leaves a very narrow kerf. I found that highlighting the kerf with a 0.3 mechanical pencil helps me see the line (old eyes?). It can also cut deep quickly so when using this gauge you can make lines that are hard to remove. I don’t worry about them on dovetails – it shows customers that the joint was hand cut rather than machined with a router.
A cutting gauge is a simple tool but I have many other marking and cutting gauges and none come close. This is the one I use the most. If I had three, they would be the only ones I would use.