Reddit mentions: The best saw gauges
We found 16 Reddit comments discussing the best saw gauges. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 11 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. ROBERT LARSON 605-1250 Beechwood Mortise/Marking Gauge
- Made of good quality products
- Select propellants that deliver consistent accuracy and performance
- Item Package Dimension: 4.0" L x 11.0" W x 2.0" H
- Item Package Weight: 1.0 lb
Features:
Specs:
Height | 2 Inches |
Length | 4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Pack of 1 |
Weight | 0.4 Pounds |
Width | 11 Inches |
2. Grizzly G9616 Feeler-Gauge Set, 32-Piece
- Includes blade thicknesses .0015" - .035"
- Package dimensions: 0.75" x 3.9" x 0.6"
- Approximate weight: 0.25 lbs
Features:
Specs:
Height | 0.6 Inches |
Length | 0.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.25 Pounds |
Width | 3.9 Inches |
3. Crown 138M Miniature Rosewood Marking Gauge
- Exceptional quality tool from Crown Hand Tools Ltd, Sheffield, England
- Kiln Dried Rosewood
- Brass Thumbscrew
Features:
Specs:
Weight | 0.07 Pounds |
4. Crown 135 Marking Gauge, Beech
- Exceptional quality tool from Crown Hand Tools Ltd, Sheffield, England
- Manufactured from Finest Kiln Dried Beechwood
- Plain Head with Plastic Thumbscrew
Features:
Specs:
Height | 2.6 Inches |
Length | 8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Width | 3 Inches |
5. Crown 152M Miniature Rosewood Mortice and Marking Gauge
- Exceptional quality tool from Crown Hand Tools Ltd, Sheffield, England
- Kiln Dried Rosewood
- Brass Thumbscrew
- Excellent for laying out & cross grain work
- Rosewood handle
Features:
Specs:
Height | 2.5 Inches |
Length | 6.25 Inches |
Width | 1.75 Inches |
6. iGaging Wheel 3 in 1 Marking Gauge with 1/32nd & 1mm scale & Mortise Gauge
Precision machined solid-brass body and knurled lock nut.Brass head with 8" Steel RodShaft is graduated 1 mm / 1/32 inch increments for easy referenceAlloy Steel Marking BladeCan be used as a depth and mortise gauge
Specs:
Height | 2 Inches |
Length | 9.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 5 Piece Set |
Weight | 0.04 Pounds |
Width | 3.6 Inches |
7. Rosewood Marking Gauge
Rosewood cutting gauge1/4" single-beveled cutting ironSolid rosewood fence with two inlaid brass wear platesOverall length is 8" - Accurate scoring without tearingWoodRiver is proudly made by Woodcraft, America’s leading supplier of saws, planes, power tools, hand tools, wood stain and paint, rout...
8. Pro Gauge Ii Mils
Pro Motorcar 2438 ProGauge II Magnetic Paint Thickness Gauge.The most popular paint gauge in history.Know when panels are repainted; know when paint is too thick or thin.Easy to use: just place on paint, read scale as gauge is pulled off the paint.Used by car collectors & insurance adjusters.
Specs:
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 1 Pounds |
9. Oneway Multi Gauge
- Solid 1 1/4 " thick cast iron
- Machined 90 degrees on three sides
- Includes dial indicator
Features:
Specs:
Height | 3.2 Inches |
Length | 13.5 Inches |
Weight | 3.79 Pounds |
Width | 5.7 Inches |
10. Digital Angle Finder by TickTockTools - Magnetic Mini Level and Bevel Gauge - Woodworking with Table or Miter Saw - Inclinometer - Precise Measurement Tool with LCD and Backlight - 180 Degree Rotation
Multi-purpose digital angle gauge with superior 3 button functionality includes a zero feature to determine relative angles and hold feature to freeze readouts; strong magnetic base for precision measurements and cuts that make your woodworking, carpentry, construction, and other jobs much easier; e...
Specs:
Height | 1.1023622036 Inches |
Length | 2.3228346433 Inches |
Weight | 0.181 Pounds |
Width | 2.3228346433 Inches |
11. Draper 125mm Profile Gauge - 89719
Easy to useRobust designMulti-purpose item--suitable for tasks such as carpet laying, tiling, flooring and plumbingEasy to trace aroundComes with a Draper Tools guarantee
Specs:
Height | 0.94488 Inches |
Length | 8.85825 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | February 2009 |
Size | 125mm |
Weight | 0.57 Pounds |
Width | 7.36219 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on saw gauges
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where saw gauges are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Woodworking with power tools revolves around the table saw. If you go that path, get the best one you possibly can. But used so your money goes father.
Woodworking with hand tools needs a few things:
I'm a big believer in starting small and cheap and working my way up. With a few hand tools, you can get started for under $200 and have everything you need to make good quality stuff. The skills you learn with those tools will transfer to every project in the future, no matter how big. Fine joinery is the same, whether the boards are cut with a hand saw or a table saw, and you will never learn to read wood with a power jointer, planer and table saw like you will with a handsaw and bench plane.
As you reach competency with these tools, you can decide how you want to expand your tools to achieve more. That may be more hand tools like a dovetail saw, additional planes, cabinet scrapers, etc, or it may be power tools with a table saw, band saw, dust collector, etc. Or it may be somewhere in the middle.
Personally, I do this for relaxation, so a quiet shop and a face free of respirators and face shields is much better to me. Since I am in no hurry to finish projects, I use primarily hands tools (I have a few power tools from a previous life that I'll pull out on very rare occasions. I think often about selling them).
If getting stuff done drives you, though, power tools are a great way to do that. It changes woodworking a little because it becomes a skill of setting machines up correctly (not a trivial skill!) to get the correct cut.
The Wood Whisperer, who coined the phrase and, literally, wrote the book, Hybrid Woodworking, does a pretty good job blending hand and power tools. If I cared more about getting things done (and had the space and money to devote to it), that would be the path I would follow.
Stay away from pallets please, cough up some money and some time (if you go to a box store) getting some okay dimensional lumber for projects.
If you decide to go the hand tool route, I've got all sorts of info and what not, I'd share. (Im a historical furniture maker's apprentice, I like to think I've got some decent knowledge) I've included a list here if thats the route you go.
Used this list for a couple posts, its about $200ish in all to get you started. This list uses chisels in lieu of say a router plane for dados and doesn't have an option for grooves but that's later down the road. I've got a big enthusiast list as well if you'd be interested.
> Crosscut/Ripsaw: Irwin Double Sided Pullsaw https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-Tools-Double-Edge-9-5-Inch-213103/dp/B0001GLEZ8
> Joinery Saw - I think this is the one Japanese saw I own? works okay https://www.amazon.com/Z-saw-Dozuki-Z-Saw/dp/B001DSY7G6/ref=pd_sbs_469_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001DSY7G6&pd_rd_r=RBVEGF6TKKCZHVCH7WSH&pd_rd_w=16INj&pd_rd_wg=gFI50&psc=1&refRID=RBVEGF6TKKCZHVCH7WSH
> Chisels https://www.amazon.com/Narex-Republic-Woodworking-Chisels-863010/dp/B00GPC74ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302108&sr=1-1&keywords=narex+chisels
> Marking Gauge https://www.amazon.com/Crown-135-Marking-Gauge-Beech/dp/B00EC9AOZQ/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZBYMV8TF850C6M5JDGDG
> Bevel Gauge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XC2NYKS?psc=1
> Mallet - I'd personally make one or buy a used one (of heavier wood, good grain and quality construction.) Amazon has some though. https://www.amazon.com/Narex-gram-Beech-Carving-Mallet/dp/B00L7BQL54/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302341&sr=1-11&keywords=mallet
> Combination square -does the work of several sizes of squares for the price of one - https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-Combination-Square-Metal-Body-1794469/dp/B005XUHIBG/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302407&sr=1-2&keywords=square
> A No 4 or 5 sized plane - I buy old Stanley's/Bailey's because they're great, and usually cheap for bench planes - Flea Market/Antique stores/ebay -$20 ish --- Amazon also sells new (I give no guarantee on quality however) - https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-404-Adjustable-2-Inch-Cutter/dp/B000FK3WI2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499302507&sr=1-1&keywords=stanley+plane
> "Workbench" - temporary thing to hold pieces while you make dovetails - https://www.amazon.com/WM125-Workmate-350-Pound-Capacity-Portable/dp/B000077CQ0/ref=pd_cart_vw_2_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CA9X21QD5D7QAXKMGE6S
> Woodscrew clamp, used to clamp peice to workbench while chiseling waste - https://www.amazon.com/ATE-Pro-USA-30143-Handscrew/dp/B0006A4A5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499303583&sr=8-1&keywords=wood+screw+clamp
>
> Other than clamps, glue, mortice gauge, etc, this is good enough to get you started making carcass (dovetailed) pieces of furniture, like a shoe cubby or bookshelf.
>
> Thats around $200 for getting you started. Add a mortise chisel and mortise gauge and you can start mortise and tenon work. Invest in pipe clamps when you reach a glue up point.
I think it's wiser to learn how to properly setup a guitar on your own. It's not as difficult as many people think and only requires a few amount of tools. Here's what I use:
That's basically it. You don't really need anything else unless you are getting into advanced guitar repair stuff like fretwork or wiring and the like (in which case I would advise you do take it to a pro unless you know what you're doing).
Total cost = $39.93 That's cheaper than any professional guitar setup I know of.
From there you just have learn how to do simple things like neck adjustments, intonation, string height, and pickup height. You can find out how to do all of this stuff with a simple search on youtube.
The advantages of doing it yourself are plentiful. You can find out exactly what relief you like in the neck and exactly what type of action you like on your strings. Professional setups just setup the guitars the way they think they should be setup which isn't always the way you would want to do it.
Also, my guitars go out of whack with the seasons as the neck can fluctuate with the temperature and other things. Rather than pay another x amount of dollars to get it setup again, you can just set it back to the way you original set it up.
TL;DR Learn to setup a guitar yourself. It's better.
EDIT: You need a tuner too. For some reason I just think every guitar player has one of these already.
The shaft started pretty much as a square, and I used a combination of a spoke shave and rasp to make it sort of an oval shape. I actually bought a marking gauge ( something like this http://www.amazon.com/Crown-138M-Miniature-Rosewood-Marking/dp/B001V9KOSC/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1408115284&sr=1-4&keywords=marking+gauge) and
it gradually turned from a square, to an octagon, to a 16-sided-agon, etc. until it kind of blended together in a circle and then I hit it with a strip of sandpaper.
Having the lamination was sort of like having a natural ruler on the side of the shaft, so I would shave down to the next glue line between laminae and know where to stop. Having a solid piece would be more of a challenge for sure.
It is by no means perfect, and the fact that my shaft is laminated with two highly contrasting woods makes any wobbles or missed areas stick out like a sore thumb, a lot of the finishing was by sight at that point.
A router with the right bit could probably get you pretty close the first time through.
This winter I hope to have some time to make another paddle that is a little more ornate with some inlays or something, i'll be sure to take more pictures to document the process.
Craftsman Table Saw Model # $150
Shop Fox model #G8826 fence system $275
Freud P410 Premier Fusion 10-Inch 40 Tooth Hi-ATB General Purpose Saw Blade $80
Wilton 15” drill press $100
Parks 12” planer $600 This requires a little road trip
Atlas 6” jointer $150 Model #
Delta 10” bandsaw, Powerkraft radial arm saw and Rockwell contractor table saw $200
I would resell one of the tablesaws Just pick the nicest one and sell the other.
Oneway Multi Gauge $97 This is for setting the jointer perfectly and the dial indicator can be removed to make planer setting jig as described by Bob Vaughan (see youtube) or fine woodworking 107.
Angle block set for machine setup $30
Bessey Bar Clamps $14x3 plus maybe $10x3 for bars Say $75 total
Stanley sweetheart chisel set of 4 $80
This leaves $243 left for misc things like drill bits, planer/jointer knives or sharpening F style clamps a cordless drill, random orbit sander, sand paper ect.
You can make a huge variety of joints with just a few tools. This is close to what my toolset looked like when I cut my first dovetails.
Note: None of these are affiliate links. I don't get paid if you buy these.
$28 Dozuki "Z" saw
I prefer western style saws (like the Veritas saw /u/jbaird recommended), but you will be able to cut very nice joints with this:
https://www.amazon.com/Z-saw-07029-Dozuki-Z-Saw/dp/B001DSY7G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495827959&sr=8-2&keywords=japanese+saw+dovetail
$14 Empire combination square
https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Level-E280-Professional-Combination/dp/B000EU0ZB0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1495828208&sr=8-4&keywords=combination+square
$10 pocket knife for laying down lines:
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-10-049-Pocket-Knife-Rotating/dp/B00002X201/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495828775&sr=8-2&keywords=stanley+knife
$24 marking gauge:
https://www.amazon.com/Crown-152M-Miniature-Rosewood-Mortice/dp/B001V9KOSM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495828829&sr=8-1&keywords=rosewood+gauge
$35 chisel:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SG70L4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You could also get:
$49 DMT coarse sharpening stone. Only sharpening stone you need. Get a strop eventually.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001WP1L0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$5 Stanley Coping saw. Will help you remove dovetail waste.
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-15-106-8-Inch-Length-4-Inch/dp/B00009OYG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495829310&sr=8-1&keywords=coping+saw
Provided you're gonna buy lumber that's already prepped, you should be good to go with the above. I'd suggest building things rather than 'practicing joinery'. You'll get plenty of joinery practice along the way :)
Alright I'll bite. Hand tool shop
Narex Chisels 48.99
stanley Jack plane 59.99
stanley Smoother 45.00
Stanley low angle Block plane 31.25
HF combo square 6.99
HF Mallet 5.99
Stanley jointer 150
Sharpening stone (water) 33
Panel saw 1 (cross) 19.50
Panel saw 2 (rip) 16.99
Marking gage 20
Dovetail saw 26.82
Vise 26.46
marking knife 9
Total cost so far: 500.97
shipping from ebay depends on where you are but shouldn't be more than $60 so we factor that in:
560.97
build your own bench (not going to take the time to go into details but it shouldn't cost more than $500 for materials
so now you have
999.03 left to get whever else you want (more marking gages? switch some of the above for better stuff? spoke shave? cabinet scraper? router plane? brace and bit?)
You could get better prices for the ebay stuff above if you were patient that's just what's out there right now. the above is more than enough to do 90% of handtool projects though. Just watch those compound curves ;)
The challenge for buying something for someone that likes woodworking is that you don't know what kind of tools they want/need. Not to mention tools tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the price point you mentioned.
You could consider purchasing them something that will come in handy, if not immediately so. Router bits, saw blades, drill bits, or wood project packs are all something that would see mileage.
Here's a couple ideas from browsing Amazon.
Rosewood Cutting Guage
[Crown Marking Knife] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V9KOTQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=ILFECPNG7H6C1)
[Router Radi Guide] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040BNLRO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=I1EHDP8Y8SGNEO)
[A Flush Trim Bit for Patterns] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000225XQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=I1TEA98C23FQ2D&psc=1)
Edit: I should point out that not everyone may agree with this list. This is just stuff that, in my experience, is either a Quality of Life type item or something that people have to buy as bits tend to wear out, etc.
Is something like this a suitable alternative for us non professionals?
Profile gauge
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-89719-Plastic-Profile-Gauge/dp/B000PJDUO4
The "miniature" version (which is only slightly smaller and more than big enough to mark anything that doesn't outright require a panel gauge) has a thumbscrew. Slightly cheaper, too.
I ordered this one based on the reviews but haven't used it myself yet.
Your out feed table is just out a bit. With sharp blades I run my set my table(outfeed) between .001-.002 lower than top dead center of my blades. I get dead flat joints in 12foot long boards. I use one of these to get me there, I highly recommend any body with a planer or jointer to invest in one. http://www.amazon.com/Oneway-2289-Multi-Gauge/dp/B0002SA98I