08-17-2017, 12:09 PM
In addition to the new Combination plane, there is another new tool from Lee Valley/Veritas, an adjustable wheel marking gauge ...
I have been using this one for several months, and it has become one I like to reach for.
Some of you will recall that I have spoken fondly of a stainless steel Veritas wheel gauge that was sold as part of an Anniversary special some years ago. I liked not only the heft of these gauges, but also the offset fence. This fence offered a choice of more or less registration ...
The gauge did not have a fine setting, however this does not mean a great deal to me for most of the marking out I do. I am happy to use fingers to set the distance. The design enables this to be done with one hand.
The new Veritas gauge is in brass and shares the same fence and locking screw. It has the same nice heft and works the same way - loosen the locking screw and push the beam forward with pinched fingers. Lock down when ready. All done with one hand ...
One of the features I like about wheel gauges is that the single-bevelled wheel can be set flush to the fence. This enables precise settings when transferring the thickness of one board to another, such as tail- and pin boards when dovetailing. Let gravity set the depth ...
At the rear of the beam is a lock screw and a knurled knob. Loosen the lock screw and the wheel cutter can be fine tuned using the knurled knob.
The upside of this gauge is that it is possible to fine tune settings. It is like the best of both worlds - a quick, single-handed movement to get close, plus the ability to then fine tune the gauge precisely.
The other feature to note is that Lee Valley are selling the beam (plus adjuster and wheel) separately, and this may be used to retrofit similar wheel gauges. A cheap upgrade.
There is a downside, and this is that the fine tuning requires a second hand. Compare to the Tite-Mark, where the fine adjuster is at the rear of the fence, and fine adjustments may be made with one hand ...
Which do I prefer? Oh, no doubt here - the Tite-Mark fine adjuster is in a class of its own. I own two of the TMs, and I like them very much. Then again, the Veritas is half the price of the TM, and I find I reach for my Veritas gauges first, since I do not need the fine adjuster all that often. I am not giving up my TMs and I am not giving up my Veritas!
Regards from Perth
Derek
I have been using this one for several months, and it has become one I like to reach for.
Some of you will recall that I have spoken fondly of a stainless steel Veritas wheel gauge that was sold as part of an Anniversary special some years ago. I liked not only the heft of these gauges, but also the offset fence. This fence offered a choice of more or less registration ...
The gauge did not have a fine setting, however this does not mean a great deal to me for most of the marking out I do. I am happy to use fingers to set the distance. The design enables this to be done with one hand.
The new Veritas gauge is in brass and shares the same fence and locking screw. It has the same nice heft and works the same way - loosen the locking screw and push the beam forward with pinched fingers. Lock down when ready. All done with one hand ...
One of the features I like about wheel gauges is that the single-bevelled wheel can be set flush to the fence. This enables precise settings when transferring the thickness of one board to another, such as tail- and pin boards when dovetailing. Let gravity set the depth ...
At the rear of the beam is a lock screw and a knurled knob. Loosen the lock screw and the wheel cutter can be fine tuned using the knurled knob.
The upside of this gauge is that it is possible to fine tune settings. It is like the best of both worlds - a quick, single-handed movement to get close, plus the ability to then fine tune the gauge precisely.
The other feature to note is that Lee Valley are selling the beam (plus adjuster and wheel) separately, and this may be used to retrofit similar wheel gauges. A cheap upgrade.
There is a downside, and this is that the fine tuning requires a second hand. Compare to the Tite-Mark, where the fine adjuster is at the rear of the fence, and fine adjustments may be made with one hand ...
Which do I prefer? Oh, no doubt here - the Tite-Mark fine adjuster is in a class of its own. I own two of the TMs, and I like them very much. Then again, the Veritas is half the price of the TM, and I find I reach for my Veritas gauges first, since I do not need the fine adjuster all that often. I am not giving up my TMs and I am not giving up my Veritas!
Regards from Perth
Derek
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