Make a Marking Gauge with Micro Adjust

Marking and measuring gauges are always handy in the shop. I came up with this idea of making a gauge with the pencil attached inside. This gauge is easy to adjust and micro adjust just by rotating the pencil.

It fits nicely in your pocket and now you always know where you have a pencil. Making one is very simple, all you need is some hardwood maple, dowel, knurled nut and allen screw. 

Here are a few of my other marking gauges. I use them all in my shop and there is a video about each of them.

To start I will cut a slot in a block of maple it will be the width for the pencil. The slot is cut first since the slot is the most important cut. After the slot is cut I will cut the block to the right dimensions.

I tested several pencils and and found 7mm. works best.  I slowly moved the fence and made cuts then tested the pencil each time until I got the correct fit. 

The next thing is to drill a hole for the dowel. A pencil will fit in this dowel and it will swivel so it has to be a tight fit. I will use a 1/4" dowel and the drill bit I will be using is 31/64th.

Cutting a small piece if 1/4" dowel on my band saw

The dowel is put in a drill and taken over to the belt sander. One end is rounded, this will help when is tapped into the hole.

The dowel was tapped in the maple block and the ends are cut on the bandsaw, later they can be sanded smooth. Be careful when tapping so you don't split the block, if it doesn't feel right ream the hole a small amount with the drill bit.

A 9/32nd hole was drilled into the dowel to fit a pencil. I tested several pencils and drill bits and found this size works best. Also when I finished the piece I swabbed the hole with varathane which helped me get the right amount of friction for a tight fit.

                       

The pencil fits nice and swivels nice, I just have to trim the pencil down to the right length to fit in the gauge.
                           

Here I am making a stop block. I used a pair of pump pliers to hold a small  block to cut it to the right shape. The pliers made it easy to cut and I did not risk cutting my fingers.

My wooden machine vise was used to hold the block to drill the hole for the allen screw.

To attach the stop block an allen screw and a knurled nut will be used. I used my homemade hex driver for the allen screw. The block was drilled slightly smaller than the screw so it would thread itself into the hole.

The marking gauge is complete and it works great. It adjusts and folds nicely.  I now have another tool for my shop and I know I will get a lot of use from it.

See Also:


      Large Bevel Gauge                                                                      Pocket Bevel Gauge

                                        

Wire wheel angle grinder with adjustable height

Angle grinders come in handy in the workshop. They can be used for cutting, polishing or bushing and more.

Wire wheels are useful for removing rust and debri from a variety of items. This system allows you to set the height of the grinder to get the desired action of the wire wheel. The weight of the grinder keeps it quite solid on the base. The grinder on the base helps to control the polishing action.  Wire wheels leave a scratch pattern so you can always use a brass wire wheel.

See the video here: Angle Grinder Build

Here I will show you step by step how it is made.

The first thing to do is to make a base, since I don't have a piece of plywood thick enough I glued two pieces of plywood together to give me a piece 1" thick. 

After the glue is dried the piece is trimmed on the table saw. This will make everything look clean and will be a good solid base. It is 1'x 17.5".

Here I am cutting a piece of 1/2" plywood to 4"x8". It will be the back for the grinder. Blocks will be added to this back and this will be for the guides. 

The side handle slot for the bolt is angled so I used my mini bevel gauge to get the angle for drilling a hole for the bolt.

I used a block to set the height to get the approximate angle for drilling.

The back fits nicely on the grinder and the bolt angle is correct. Two maple blocks are cut out, they will be screwed onto the the back and will hold the metal pipes which are the guides.

Two blocks for the guides are clamped and drilled for the pipe. Clamping and drilling together is very important to make everything precise.

The block is clamped to the table to get ready for drilling the base. Everything has to be precise to make make the guides work.

 I used a forstner bit and tapped it with a hammer to make marks into the base. 

Pipes and bars where purchased at my local metal shop. The diameter of the bars are 16mm. After I cut the pieces the pipes are 10" and the bars are 14".

The base is drilled with a 15mm forstner bit for the bars.

Cutting the pipes to length, 10".  

 

Glueing and screwing the blocks onto the back.

Two slots are made in the back for a pipe clamp. They are about 1/4" long. I did this on the drill press. I marked the slot then drilled several holes and then used the drill bit as a router to finish up to  make the slot.    

A pipe clamp and the bolt hold the grinder secure to the back.

 
The pipes were very tight in the blocks so a Dremel tool was used to ream the hole to get the right fit. If I hammered them with force the maple block may have split. 



To keep the pipes secure set screws are made simply by using screws and cutting them to the right size and screwing them in until they touch the pipe, this is all they need to hold them in place. 

A stop for the grinder is made using a threaded rod. To adjust a nut and wingnut are used. 



To secure the threaded rod a nut was inserted in the plywood base. To do this it was first marked, chiseled out and then pounded in.

When the grinder back is placed on the bars it will rest on the top of the threaded rod, now it is easy to make the mark for the threaded rod.

This hole can be drilled free hand since it will be for a stop and not a guide.

To help preserve the base I found a piece of  metal in my scrap pile, cut it to size, then drilled and countersunk the corners. 

I tested the grinder and found it worked great. Setting the height was very effective for the pieces I was cleaning. 

I know this will come in handy in my shop. It is easy to make and I know there are many uses for it.

See Also:                                                                            

mini kerf maker                                

                                        

              Reciprocating sander