Veritas Micro-Adjust Wheel Marking Gauge
#10
In addition to the new Combination plane, there is another new tool from Lee Valley/Veritas, an adjustable wheel marking gauge ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#11
Quote: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 ...

I'm sure you're aware (or perhaps not), that Lee Valley/Veritas has been making a "dual collet" micro-adjust marking gauge for a couple of decades now.

Being able to use a marking gauge one handed isn't a deal breaker as it works quite well enough for me.

An offset fence would be a nice addition. Too bad they don't sell that separately.
~Dan.
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#12
(08-17-2017, 02:02 PM)Dan Moening Wrote: An offset fence would be a nice addition. Too bad they don't sell that separately.

I was lucky enough to get one of the stainless markers, and the offset head is one of the best features of that tool.  I don't see much advantage to the new design, sort of like solving a problem that does not exist.  That being said, if I didn't have several gauges already that work well, I'd consider this one.
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#13
Derek.....Although this product didn't receive much attention here, it appears to be selling out during this period of free shipping. 
Big Grin
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#14
(09-09-2017, 10:04 AM)rlance Wrote: Derek.....Although this product didn't receive much attention here, it appears to be selling out during this period of free shipping. 
Big Grin

I just noticed they sell the micro adjust rod; why not just the head, as it is a superior design.
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Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#15
Do the cutting wheels break or wear out quickly? I read somewhere that the metal wheels--generally for disk cutters--is brittle, or difficult to keep sharp. 

That said, I have an old Stanley double beam with cutters nearly to the rods. Not even much good for 'marking' lines.
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#16
(09-09-2017, 01:32 PM)hbmcc Wrote: Do the cutting wheels break or wear out quickly? I read somewhere that the metal wheels--generally for disk cutters--is brittle, or difficult to keep sharp. 

That said, I have an old Stanley double beam with cutters nearly to the rods. Not even much good for 'marking' lines.

Bruce, how long is "quickly"?
Smile

I replace wheels on average every 2 or 3 years. Perhaps it is longer than this. I don't keep track. Even if I could recall exactly, I don't know if it would help either, since I have 4 or 5 of these gauges circulating in use. What I can say is that the life of the wheels does not seen to be an issue for me. Every now-and-then I hone the face of the wheel (just unscrew it, place it face down on a worn 600 grit, and run it around). I generally replace a wheel after a while. This is sooner than others are likely to do.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#17
(09-09-2017, 07:55 PM)Derek Cohen Wrote: Bruce, how long is "quickly"?
Smile

I replace wheels on average every 2 or 3 years. Perhaps it is longer than this. I don't keep track. Even if I could recall exactly, I don't know if it would help either, since I have 4 or 5 of these gauges circulating in use. What I can say is that the life of the wheels does not seen to be an issue for me. Every now-and-then I hone the face of the wheel (just unscrew it, place it face down on a worn 600 grit, and run it around). I generally replace a wheel after a while. This is sooner than others are likely to do.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,

You didnt say why you replaced the wheel cutters. I used to have only one marking gauge for about 10 years or longer (?) and used it for most marking. I did replace it once after the gauge fell on the ground and broke a bit of the cutter. However, I could still use it for a while by orienting the broken bit away. Anyway, the cutter wasnt expensive and so I had it replaced.Now I have two to use (including the anniversary version).

Why did you replace the cutters regularly? From heavy use? If so, they must be your favorite marking tools because you have shown many marking tools before.

When sharpening, I apply even pressure on the center of the wheel so as not to deform the even-ness of the cutting edge.

Between the regular and the offset s.s. Vertias gauges, I actually prefer the lighter and non offset kind and use the offset version only when I need to make multiple settings. I havent had a chance to try out the new micro adjust offset gauge (or the new comb plane). It would be quite a hit to the pocket when both combo plane and micro gauge are ordered!

Simon
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#18
(09-10-2017, 10:23 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: Derek,

You didnt say why you replaced the wheel cutters. I used to have only one marking gauge for about 10 years or longer (?) and used it for most marking. I did replace it once after the gauge fell on the ground and broke a bit of the cutter. However, I could still use it for a while by orienting the broken bit away. Anyway, the cutter wasnt expensive and so I had it replaced.Now I have two to use (including the anniversary version).

Why did you replace the cutters regularly? From heavy use? If so, they must be your favorite marking tools because you have shown many marking tools before.

When sharpening, I apply even pressure on the center of the wheel so as not to deform the even-ness of the cutting edge.

Between the regular and the offset s.s. Vertias gauges, I actually prefer the lighter and non offset kind and use the offset version only when I need to make multiple settings. I havent had a chance to try out the new micro adjust offset gauge (or the new comb plane). It would be quite a hit to the pocket when both combo plane and micro gauge are ordered!

Simon

Hi Simon


I use the wheel gauges more than the Japanese cutting gauges, at least 4:1. The cutting gauges are great for end grain, such as tenons, but the wheel gauges leave a fine line, which is my preference otherwise.

Why do I wear out wheels? They get used frequently, but also the wood I work is very abrasive. Some contains high levels of silica, and some abrasive gum.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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