Panel Gage

Re: Panel Gage

ThomD

>Well, since nobody else has jumped in... I haven't done it myself, though I have made smaller gages. The biggest I made had a beam about 12".

Basically you have to decide what style of adjuster you like. I don't like any of the ones with screw drives, but I don't mind the screw tensioned ones. So I tend to make either the wedged ones, or the screwed ones like the Japanese sell. The latter look cheap, but I find them very convenient and accurate. But the point is you probably havea some favorite mechanism, and you just need to copy it. I do use the wedges and they are fine, but I find them less perfect than they are in planes. The best thing about them is they are so fast to make.

Next you need to choose a fence. I want the vertical dimension to be easy to grip, and I want the length to be probably about 12" in this application. One thing about those dimensions is they somewhat favour a wedge since one doesn't need to worry about drilling in the length of the fence to get the adjuster in. If you put the adjuster in from the top or bottom it doesn't square the beam up as nicely.

The beam needs to be hefty enough to not deflect.about 5/8 x 1.5 would be plenty. The beam raises the question of how the mortise will be cut. I like one side of the beam rounded, and the other flat. So any mortise process combined with any drill process should get you there, Cut the mortise first then size the beam to a perfect thickness for a smooth fit. I use a router to round over one side the of beam so it fits into the round end of the mortise.

The wedge (If you use one) has a stop at the thin end so it can't fall out with the beam in place. Just taper the flat end of the mortise to match the wedge, and put the wedge in the mortise before the beam.

An important point is what kind of point to use. On wider gages I like to drill a hole the width of a pencil lead, and counter-sink from the top. I hold the pencil in one hand, and the fence in the other. But there are other systems. I don't usually lay out joinery with a wide gage, so I don't need a knife edge, and a pencil is easier to see.

I don't use a beam gage mostly because I prefer a chalk line. LV and others are now selling really nice Japanese chalk lines with silk lines that lay down a fine line. I prefer to center a line to the figure or structure of a board I am using, and then draw out from the centerline. I find it allows me more freedom to orient the design to the board, while keeping joints in better line than I would with edge based joinery.

Re: Panel Gage

Frank D. in Montreal

>Hi Brian,

Thom gave a lot of good info, but here's link with plans (there are several kinds of gauges including a panel gauge) that can be a good start. As Thom mentioned it's a good idea to modify a plan to incorporate what you like the most about the gauges you use. Gorman's locking dowel mechanism can be used in a number of ways and I think it works great, not just to lock the beam but to hold a pencil too. Andr� Milette, a sculptor and plane maker, once told me that round wedges hold better than flat ones, and after trying out the dowel wedges on a few gauges of my own I see what he was talking about (I've also seen round wedges on his planes but that's another story). The round wedges also put pressure on the beam diagonally, so the beam can't rock as it is pushed up against two sides of the mortise (a problem with some screw mechanisms that push the beam flat against one side only). You can change the orientation of the wedges to suit your design (vertical, horizontal, or on a panel gauge add a small block, with the beam going through, to the back of the gauge just for a wedge).

If you rabbet the fence at the bottom there's no real advantage to a round beam (or half-round beam), although they're easy to make with power tools (use a forstner to drill the mortise, then a roundover bit with the same radius to round over the beam).

I also like a pencil (accurate enough for my panels or wide boards) to mark out the line, but you can use a drill bit (pin) at the other end of the beam if you want the option of both.

oops, the link  *LINK*

Frank D. in Montreal

>


Gorman on marking gauges

Re: Panel Gage - in the wild *LINK*

paul womack

>cooincidence - I snapped this only last week at a local auction.

Be aware that some fool has put the stem in backwards, which is why the rebate on the head is facing us :-)

The adjustment on this one is a wedge, which is traditional, and the commonest IME. The marker was a simple pin.

BugBear


http://www.wdynamic.com/galoots/4images/details.ph

Ooh, nice!

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>The panel gauge pics I've seen have all had symmetrical heads, but this one's obviously designed for pushing in one direction.

I should think you "snapped it up."

Re: Ooh, nice!

paul womack

>I should think you "snapped it up."

Only with a camera; it was in a large toolbox full of other stuff; the anteek dealers will have paid high (mainly for the box).

I ain't about to start doing enough trading to get rid of a whole box of stuff, just to get one item.

So I photo'd the item - I'm a big fan of shop made tools and jigs and gadgets anyway, so it goes in the "one day" file I keep.

BugBear