How to Set a Mortise Gauge | Paul Sellers

Using a mortise gauge help ensure mortise layout accuracy and consistency. This is critical when cutting a mortise. Paul shows how he centres the mortise gauge.
For a beginner friendly version of setting a mortise gauge, visit our sister site: commonwoodworking.com/setting...
For more information on these topics, see paulsellers.com or woodworkingmasterclasses.com

[@JerGoes]

Paul always makes it look so easy, I probably need to sharpen my Mortise guage

[@aleblanc3547]

Nicely done...I could see "in principal" what you were explaining, even if the visual left a bit to be desired. Thanks, Paul!!

[@joedaq6678]

Excellent Paul ... It's amazing how often we Don't have to rely on a Measuring Rule to Lay Out for Mortising, Dovetails etc.
Thanks

[@thomasarussellsr]

Yeah, Mr. Sellers, for the mechanically inclined, that seems obvious. But I have seen so many people struggle with centering things by eye that this is an awesome tip for more people than most might realize. Thanks for another great tool tip. God Bless.

[@surfearth1]

Paul I love your videos! I would love them even more if you had very close “close up shots” of certain things. Like when you talk about the dual pins or when you take a chisel to deepen your scribe lines. I think macro shots would do wonders for the quality of your videos. Awesome stuff I wish we were neighbors I could learn so much!

[@jinksto]

Excellent video! Thank you.

[@Daniel-ie3mt]

Nice short video thanks

[@NubianP6]

Clear and precise explanation. Thank you sir. 👍🏽

[@jongmassey]

Well, turns out I've been using a mortise gauge wrong for the past couple of years! Thanks for the vid, Paul!

[@DrJason7]

Paul Sellers. Hero of woodworking!

[@rick91443]

Thank you Mrs Sellers. I have never figured this out, no kidding. Glad I clicked on this window...cheers...rr

[@rafah4329]

I like this. Great idea showing beginners how to use the tools you use in your videos. This would be a great series “how to setup and use x tool” and focus on the tools you use in your builds.

[@jinksto]

There are a lot of these on Paul's website already. I think you have to register for an account but I think almost all tool and process videos are free. He only charges for project videos which, honestly, is quite cool of him I think.
woodworkingmasterclasses.com/video-library/
Also, many of these videos are on TH-cam. You can search for them.

[@lilcicero77]

jinksto he is utterly generous. It's mad really. It's quite moving.

[@roxannegaudet8723]

Love your videos!!!

[@ziggen78]

Grande Paul!! Saluti dalla Rep. of San Marino ;)

[@headknocker8999]

I need to put a couple new brads/nails in my old stanley dual mortise gauge, It was great grandpa's & never wanted to damage it
The one I made with a sharp screw from a door knob cut out has been the most usefull so far..

[@chhotelal7182]

Thanks ..Paul ,i am from india

[@TheWoodYogi]

Thank you Paul :) ॐ

[@Jasonsdesignshop]

Got it Thanks! Ya close up would be helpful.

[@stevenosman1356]

Hi Paul, thanks for another informational video. Your knowledge sharing has inspired my approach to my next project, I'll figure out another way to let you know about it. In the meantime, I have a question about this video:
Often you hear woodworkers talking about having one face that they use for registration and doing all their registration off of that single face only. In this case, you used the two opposing faces as registration faces in order to ensure that your mortise comes out centered. That suggests that the two opposite faces are perfectly flat and parallel to each other (and square). Am I thinking about this wrong?

[@Paul.Sellers]

You are overthinking this because all we are doing is centering the gauge where the mortise hole and tenon need to be centered in the wood. Following that you will still use one registration face to register the stock of the gauge to.

[@crazyrees23]

if i am doing a 2x6 butt joint into a 2x6 how do i determine the width and depth and length of the mortise?

[@drekowski]

Would you usually check again with the chisel whether that width may have shifted?

[@Paul.Sellers]

Yes, this happens from time to time.

[@ekw555]

it seems my mortise gauge's moving pin is on a bar that's too short.
so I can't use the gauge on wide stock, because I can't move the block far enough away from the pins to center them.
It ends up moving the moving pin back.
is the gauge I have only for narrow stock, or am I doing something wrong?
( I am trying to mark the mortise for work bench legs

[@sethwarner2540]

one of my pins hits the wood but not the other, should i file the one down?

[@ranjdall]

Lol you couldn’t even get it off centre by accident. Wish that happened to me once in awhile.

[@billmorton1821]

Hi Paul, do you use this gauge to lay out for a inlay band ?

[@Paul.Sellers]

Hi Bill. You can.

[@metamud8686]

Even in full screen, the pin points and the lines you made were all but invisible, except the final two lines. In a specific video like this, zooming into what you are trying to show is .. well .. crucial I guess. Thanks for trying though!

[@artemdavinci]

Make a video how to make such mortise gauge.

[@tombird2013]

Артем Полянчук Now be nice... Say please.

[@artemdavinci]

Please, please, please.

[@tombird2013]

:)

[@tombird2013]

Hey! Look what I found:
th-cam.com/video/mZnh7VHz_T4/w-d-xo.html
And:
th-cam.com/video/ryOcRnkz92U/w-d-xo.html

[@artemdavinci]

I have seen these videos. I meant a design like this video.