A Pencil Gauge for Curves & Chairmaking
A few years ago, we developed a “Redneck Pencil Gauge” that was put together from odd parts. We started with a basic Joseph Marples beech marking gauge and modified it by adding a hole for a pencil in the beam, plus a steel piece on the head that allowed it work against inside and outside curves.
We sold out of our first run of gauges, and I never got the time to make more. Now I don’t have to.
Joseph Marples took this idea and made its own pencil gauge with a couple improvements to ours. I bought one at full retail from Workshop Heaven and have been using it for a few months. This is my report.
The Marples gauge is quite good. The thumbscrew is knurled brass (we used yellow plastic in ours). But the pressure plate inside the head of the gauge is plastic. That’s a good choice because it doesn’t scar the gauge’s beam. So it’s a nice blend of class (brass) and function (soft yellow plastic).
Marples also made the pencil clamp fancier. Our gauge had a friction-fit hole that held your typical pencil for keeping your golf or bowling score. The Marples gauge has a hole that is kerfed. The kerf is opened and closed with a brass screw. This allows you to hold a wider range of pencils and makes them easier to adjust up and down.
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