Mortise Gauge
A mortise gauge can be really helpful if you are cutting mortise-and-tenon joinery by hand. I don’t do that often, but I have the gauge! And I think it’s pretty cool.
When I started this years ago, I was really stuck on how to lock the inner beam in place. I wanted something compact and simple. Most of the gauges you can purchase don’t lock at all or rely on friction. Those that do typically have some type of screw that you dial into a setting. That wasn’t going to be easy to fabricate.
The solution hit me when I saw something similar on a non-woodworking related item. I don’t remember what it was, but the concept was perfect – a simple captive wedge. I soon created a prototype and my challenge was solved.
The beam and head are the same as the marking gauge. See the previous posts for how to make those.
