Today in the shop ($4000 marking gauge)

[reible]

Well give or take a few dollars.

So I'm working on a project today and was about to do some marking with my cheap marking gauge. Here is a picture of it:

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In this case I wanted a line down the middle so I could mark hole locations along it. One would find the center then drag the gauge along to make the mark in a fashion somewhat like this...

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I also wanted to locate the center of the work piece using the rip fence on the shopsmith so I could drill the holes. Since I was setting up to do that using a pointer anyway I then thought how cool would it be to use the shopsmith as a expensive marking gauge.

By adjusting the quill so it was just able to be still moved I adjusted the depth to what I wanted. Now it was simple to slide the work piece along the fence and get my marking done.

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Did the other two pieces and so it happened that a shopsmith became a marking gauge.

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It also lived happily ever after, so that is the story of this post.

Ed

[richardrouse]

Awesome

[rjent]

I love it! Outside the box!

Great idea!

[JPG]

With the fence set to the 'marking point', there then is no need to 'mark'. Those added marks can be long enough to be where needed.

[reible]

With the fence set to the 'marking point', there then is no need to 'mark'. Those added marks can be long enough to be where needed.

I like to mark where the cross marks go right on the center line just using the ruler and pencil. You can of course do it how ever you see best. The idea is to keep it simple and accurate. If you look at the center piece in the last picture you can see the drill "spots".

I'll post a picture of the almost finished project later.

Ed

[reible]

I've been reorganizing a few things in the shop and this is part two of a four part effort. The parts cabinet I built and showed last year and this year I've been adding french cleat boards to the sides (2 per side).

This is all scrap wood and that is fine as I'm in it for the utility rather than the looks. It will be left natural at least for now, it would be more work to fill/sand/paint then I feel up to.

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Ed

[nuhobby]

Over this weekend I was on an annual Trek through I-294 by Chicago. As we passed the "Aurora" exit, I told my wife about the "Knight of the Shopsmith" who works somewhere in that vicinity. Cool stuff!

Regarding your marking-gage, reminds me of the "$500 scratch-stock" I once used to put a tiny groove on a machinest-chest drawer facing:

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Chris