What type of wood for a french marking gauge?

[samson]

Since I don't access to any mesquite, I wonder that woods would work really well for making this kind of tool.

[RicodJour]

that's soft if you'll be treating it gently. Seriously - you could use just about anything. I've seen them in walnut, oak, mahogany, ipe, various flavors of pine. Most people make them out of pretty offcuts.

R

[jo4hn]

You might think about Ipe with maple highlights or vice versa. j4

[Fred the Red Shirt]

birch at the low end of the cost range, and boxwood or rosewood at the high end. Once in a while a marking gauge pops up made of ebony.

You want reasonable dimensional stability and wear characteristics.

[samson]

Thanks, Fred. Much appreciated.

S.

[RicodJour]

I understand the reasoning, but why is that really necessary? As long as the wood doesn't twist or cup after you've made it you can use pretty much anything. You're rubbing wood on wood, and not applying a lot of pressure so a wood like pine is plenty hard enough to withstand decades of use. Even wood that has a fair bit of movement due to humidity change won't affect it because both pieces of wood will grow or shrink. I wouldn't use cedar, redwood or bass wood, but other than that it's all fair game. Besides, you're going to make a prototype, and having more than one is useful so you don't have to reset the gauge.

R

[dadiOH]

[Fred the Red Shirt]

You don't want the bar or wedge to swell or warp and bind in their respective mortises, nor do you want them to be so loose that they wiggle in use.

Not so important for the wedge, as it is tapered, but definitely a factor for the bar.

In the olden days time was money and time spent making a durable tool paid off in time saved remaking them. Time spent making a pretty tool or tool chest paid off as a sort of advertising. My introduction to router jigs was done while making some doors with a guy who nailed them together from

1 x 2 and 1 x 3 leaving the nail head up so he could easily pull them out to 'reset' the jig. Those are pretty much the two extremes to consider and each has its place.

Multiple gauges are very useful. It also helps if they are strong enough to not break when dropped or when something heavy is dropped on them. Plus someday a woodworker may be able to remark to his/her/ son or daughter that this is a tool their grandfather made. Wish I had a few of those.

[Phisherman]

Most any hardwood can be used, the nicer looking colors/pattern, the better. For such a small piece you can go with more exotic woods.

[Andy Dingley]

eBay is good. They grow ready made, and they're only cheap.

Otherwise any stable, close-grained hardwood is perfectly suitable. Rosewood, mahogany or ebony are traditional for high-end pre-20th century ones, beech is common today for cheap ones. Maple would be fine too. Use something with good surface hardness for the wedge (boxwood, hard maple).

[Leon]

eBay is a wood?

[RicodJour]

There are many Bay trees - eBay is probably a local name for one of them.

R

[samson]

I think he meant that you can buy marking gauges from Ebay.

S.

[jo4hn]

I took it to mean Ipe (pronounced ee-pay). mahalo, jo4hn

[RicodJour]

Well, that gave me a chortle. Next time I'm at the yard I'm going to demand some ebay wood. ;)

R

[beecrofter]

got lilac?

[Leon]

Yeah Ipe sounds like eBay and I just wanted to make sure. My spell checker, "it", has, more often than I care to count, substituted words that "it" did not recognize with words what "it" thought I meant. "It" will do this if "it" happens to be working on that day. '~)

[DS]

French Ticklerwood?

[Rob Lee]

How 'bout "bois" ?

:)

Sorry - just couldn't resist, and saw you already had some good answers...

Cheers -

Rob (back to lurk mode)