Frugal Woodworking

Woodworking Tips for Affordable Woodworking

Category : Marking

Best woodshop pencil

It is always a frugal win to celebrate when the best in class, is also the least expensive solution.

Here is a very strong review for the inexpensive PaperMate Sharpwriter mechanical pencil.

See the full review: Best woodworking pencil.

The underdog goes up against a fan favorite, and wins.

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Effective Marking Gauge for Under a Dollar

Paul Sellers brings this great video for how to make a marking gauge for under $1.  It is simple to make, yet brings a high degree of precision for marking dovetails and dado depths.

Tools needed:

  • saw
  • drill
  • screwdriver
  • sandpaper
  • file
  • chisel

Materials:

  • 1 steel flat-head screw 1 to 2″ long. Preferably slotted, rather than Phillips or square drive.
  • 1 scrap of wood roughly the size of a can of tuna-fish.

Watch Paul show you how its done without spending money on fancier marking gauges, beading tool, or scratch stock.  The simplicity is awesome, and so is the realization that this can be fine tuned more than any of the expensive marking gauges available for purchase.

And here is a short follow-up video where Paul addresses even more that can be done with his simple beading tool.

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Handmade Marking Gauge

It is easy to save money in the workshop by making your own tools.  This is especially true when the tools are simple in design.  This simple marking gauge is worth checking out.
frugal handmade marking gauge

I think that upgrading the needle to a nail filed to a cutter blade shape then heat treated might be a good idea, but maybe this needle works well enough as it is.

Here is another example of a shopmade marking gauge
americanwoodworker.com/blogs/tips/archive/2009/01/29/30-Minute-Marking-Gauge.aspx

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