Why does nobody talk about the difference a proper marking gauge makes on drawer fronts?

I always just used a pencil and a square, but a client in Nashville pointed out my dovetails were a bit proud. I bought a Tite-Mark gauge last month, and now my lines are so crisp I can't believe I ever worked without one. What's your go-to tool for layout that you put off buying for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy_jackson1mo ago

Oh man, a marking gauge is a total game changer, isn't it? But hold on, you said you used a pencil and a square before? I'm pretty sure a square alone can't scribe a line parallel to an edge, that's the whole point of the gauge. You must have been doing some kind of tricky measuring and marking each corner, which sounds like a huge pain. No wonder your lines got way better with the right tool.

gavinw451mo ago

Yeah, "tricky measuring and marking each corner" is putting it nicely. I once tried that on a long board and my lines looked like a toddler's drawing by the end.

julia_lee17d ago

Hang on, you were using a square and a pencil? Like a carpenter's square? How did you even get consistent spacing? That sounds miserable.