Marking Gauge

Marking gauges come in several styles. I own two from Lee Valley and several from antique stores and other woodworking stores. I have altered the points on some by filing one side flat to make a knife edge, which improves their performance. None of them work as well, however, as the one Steve Latta taught me how to make in a class at Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe. Steve's design works like other marking (and slicing) gauges, but with improvements. For instance, the knurled knob is on the bottom where it doesn't get in the way of your hand and it uses replaceable exacto blades, which are mortised into the wood behind the brass plate. The end of the blade is filed down a bit, so the tip doesn't break off in use. This gauge also excels at cutting thin strips of wood for inlay. Plus, it was fun (and easy) to make!