Wedged Marking Gauge and Brass Hammer for Dovetail Tool Swap 2015

I made this marking gauge and hammer for BigRedKnothead as part of the Dovetail Themed Tool Swap 2015. The gauge is made from padauk, walnut, an old hacksaw blade, and a brass rod. I removed the paint from the hacksaw blade section and ground/sharpened a radius on the end for good slicing action (it cut me immediately after sharpening, of course). It uses a wedge to keep the beam set in the body, and is fairly easy to adjust with the included small hammer. A few taps on the wedge can set or loosen it, and tapping the beam can micro-adjust the position.

The hammer is a bonus item, and can be used to adjust the gauge. The head is a section of brass rod that I milled an oval hole into for the handle. One face is covered with felt to avoid marring wood. The handle is beech that I shaped mostly with planes, chisels, and spokeshaves. I wedged the handle in place with two darker mystery wood wedges.

In return, I received an amazing saw and nut driver from waho6o9:

It worked well as I braved my freezing garage to test it:

Thanks a lot my friend, I’ll try to put her to good use.

-- Allen, Colorado (Instagram @bobasaurus_woodworking)