Combination Gauge

identity

Name: Combination Gauge
Regional / alternate names: Combination Marking Gauge; Combination Mortise Gauge; "mortise and marking gauge" (Stanley's 1934 catalogue section heading; Joseph Marples's current rosewood range) [CG18][CG19]. Retail listings blur "combination gauge" and "mortise gauge" [MOG3][MOG18].
Family / category: Layout and marking tools → edge-referenced scribing gauges → Marking Gauge family, dual-function branch (sibling to Butt Gauge)
One line: A gauge that combines a single marking spur and an adjustable mortise pair on one beam, with one shared stock — "Combination gauges typically have three cutters: a single cutter on one side of the beam for use as a marking gauge and an additional pair on the other side of the beam for laying out mortises" [CG15].

✦ how NOT to use it

Not-for

• Jobs needing several independent fence offsets live at once — use more gauges or reset between steps [CG11].

Dangerous — rebuilt (review fix 7, the holding finding)

The tool has exposed sharp spurs. No injury anecdote was found in the Run 511 search; that is a research result, not a reason to omit controls.

• Inspect the lock and pins; stop if a pin or lock is loose, cracked or damaged — a loose pin can break or release [CG22].
• Secure the work when control is uncertain; keep the free hand and body out of the scribing path; trail with light pressure so the spur does not slip abruptly [CG14][CG22].
• Cover or orient points safely in storage and transport [CG22].
• Pin-making or retrofit work is a small metalworking operation. Sellers describes retrofitting a pin made from a hardened combination-square pin [CG10][CG11]; this entry does not reproduce "snap the pin" as a quick method — hardened steel can eject fragments when snapped. If a reader modifies a gauge: wear eye protection and contain fragments; secure the metal and cut it with a suitable metal-cutting tool; deburr and shape the pin; clamp the wooden part for drilling; and verify a secure fit — or follow a complete, competent procedure [CG22].

Damaging

• Disc cutters (attributed and scoped, review fix 8). Common Woodworking's buying guide says the disc-style cutters it observed "tend to be brittle and fracture in places around the circumference... difficult to re-sharpen and if broken can be impossible" [CG13]. Sellers/Common Woodworking's observation about those products — not a property of all wheel or disc cutters.
• Wear plates. The same source reports wear plates that "can protrude above the wooden surface" with humidity, "and this can affect the accuracy of your marking" [CG13] — scoped to the products observed.
• Mis-set from the shared stock. Flipping to the other face without noticing that the stock offset serves both can put a line in the wrong place.

Beginner-trap

• Assuming two independent settings survive a flip. The pin spacing survives; the fence offset is shared.
• Pressing instead of trailing — the pin follows the grain [CG14].

Lineage-misuse

• Treating it as a full replacement for a set of gauges — Sellers's own shop runs on several dedicated gauges [CG11].
• Treating Williams's or Sholl's patents as its proven ancestors — they are antecedents; descent is not established [CG1][CG2].
• Treating a Stanley No. 65 or 5061 as a combination gauge — both are marking gauges [CG18][CG21].

correct use

Before use. Inspect the beam, stock lock, mortise slide and pins. Do not use a cracked body, a loose lock, or a loose or broken spur [CG22][CG13].

Setting. Set the mortise pair to the chisel you will use. Remember the stock is shared: after setting the stock for the mortise pair, the marking spur is at that same fence offset; resetting the stock for a marking line changes the mortise layout offset.

Marking.

• Register the stock fully against a straight, prepared reference face [CG14].
• Trail the pins with light, controlled pressure; pressing down lets a spur follow the grain or slip abruptly [CG14].
• Secure the work in a vise or against a reliable stop when holding it one-handed would reduce control [CG22].
• Keep the free hand and body out of the likely path of the pins.

Tool condition (review fix 6). Check that the tool is sound and that its geometry lets the pins engage and track consistently; return or correct a materially misaligned new gauge [CG13].

Storage. Cover or safely orient the points; do not carry the gauge loose in a pocket or tool bag where the spurs can contact a hand [CG22].

✦ matching

does: makes one edge-parallel marking line, and a pair of edge-referenced mortise/tenon lines, from one beam — one shared fence offset at a time; reduces tool count for simple joinery kits.

suits: one edge-referenced single line; one mortise/tenon width; prepared wood reference faces; repeated joinery using one shared fence offset; general bench joinery, cabinetmaking, training, travel, and compact or budget kits [CG11].

kit-fit: PAIRS WITH the mortise chisel used to set the pin spacing, layout references and workholding (a separate marking knife is adjacent, not required). SUBSTITUTES FOR a basic marking gauge plus a basic mortise gauge for many tasks [CG11] — not for multiple independently preserved offsets, and not for every cutting-gauge application.

not-for (project-keyed): layouts requiring multiple independent fence offsets at once — e.g. Sellers's hinge case, one setting for hinge thickness and another for hinge width [CG11]; deep or cross-grain knife-quality cuts where a cutting gauge is preferred; work whose reference edge is not prepared and stable.

access: cheap and conceptually simple; the real gates are understanding the shared stock and trailing rather than pressing [CG14].

revival: a common single-purchase entry into gauge work for beginners and travelling makers [CG11].

anatomy

• Beam/stem — one shaft, typically rosewood or beech; some later models use plastic parts (e.g. a plastic thumbscrew) [CG15].
• Single marking spur — on one face of the beam.
• Mortise pair — on the other face: one fixed pin and one sliding pin, adjusted by its own screw or slide, set to the mortise chisel.
• Stock/fence — slides on the beam and locks with a thumbscrew. It is shared by both faces.
• Shared setting (review fix 1): the mortise-pin spacing can stay set while the tool is flipped, but the ordinary marking pin has no independent fence offset. Moving the stock to set one face changes the fence-to-pin relationship used by the other. A second independent fence offset requires resetting the stock or using another gauge.
• Wear plates — some stocks carry brass wear plates [CG13].

variations

The earlier rows for Stanley No. 65, Stanley 5061 and "disc-cutter combination gauges" are withdrawn: No. 65 and the 5061 are marking gauges [CG18][CG21], and no named product with a disc cutter plus a mortise pair was documented.

trades

• Joinery / cabinetmaking [CG11][CG15].
• On-site / travel carpentry [CG11].
• Collecting — period Stanley No. 77 examples [CG16].

lineage

Ancestors

• The plain Marking Gauge and the twin-pin mortise gauge. The combination gauge puts one of each marking arrangement on one beam.
• Early patented multi-function-gauge antecedents (review fix 4).
  • Albert Williams, US 17,403, "Compound Gage," 26 May 1857 — a four-function gauge: mortise gage, reversible two-face head (metal and wood marking), machinist's point, and wood marking/cutting point, "all operating on the same end of the stem" [CG1]. Per Hank Allen's collector article, it became Stanley's No. 90 [CG4]; that product fact rests on collector evidence and is kept distinct from the modern form.
  • Christian Sholl, US 41,867, "Improvement in Joiners' Gages," 8 March 1864 — three or four separate, independently adjustable stems plus a sliding mortise gauge, held under one head and screw. Its rationale: "Experience has taught me the necessity of having three or four separate gauges at hand for certain work. In order to economize the expense… I was induced to invent this combined gauge" [CG2]. (The patent is signed "Christian Sholl"; Marking Gauge's [MG10] "Charles Sholl" is an error.)
  • These are mechanically different from each other and from the modern opposite-face three-pin tool. A direct line from either to the modern combination gauge was not established. Shared economic reasoning — fewer gauges, less expense — shows analogy, not genealogy.

Related later forms

• Stanley No. 77 — listed in Stanley's 1934 catalogue (No. 34) under Mortise and Marking Gauges, as a slide-type gauge [CG18]; per Jim Fox, Stanley's default mortise gauge from 1917 [CG5].
• Stanley No. 65 / 65½ — listed in the same catalogue under Marking Gauges [CG18]. Not a combination gauge.
• Traut's US 141,475 (1873) — an adjustable/tooth-clamping improvement (a slit beam and screw for adjusting or replacing a gauge tooth) [CG3]. It is not evidence of a mortise pair or of any specific model's combination architecture.
• Marples — William Marples's 1938 catalogue lists mortise gauges with an extra marking pin and combined marking-and-mortise models [CG20]; Joseph Marples's current rosewood mortise gauges have a marking pin underneath [CG19]; Fine Woodworking reviewed a Marples beech combination gauge in 2003 [CG15].
• Lee Valley/Veritas Dual Marking Gauge — two independently adjustable wheel cutters; a different answer to needing two settings at once [CG7, search summary only].

Contemporaries

• The dedicated Marking Gauge and the dedicated mortise gauge, used as a set.
• The Wheel Marking Gauge and Wari-Kebiki (Splitting Gauge) — different mechanisms, not combination tools.
• Stanley 5061 — a dedicated marking gauge Sellers preferred; he contrasts it with the combination gauges he used for mortising [CG21]. Related, not a combination gauge and not a descendant.

history

Recurring commercial evidence, not continuous descent (review fix 5). Dated points, kept separate:

• 1857 — Williams's compound gauge patent [CG1]; Stanley No. 90 per collector evidence (1867 catalogue price $22/dozen per Allen) [CG4].
• 1864 — Sholl's combined joiner's gauge patent [CG2].
• 1934 — Stanley No. 77 listed as a mortise-and-marking (slide) gauge [CG18].
• 1938 — William Marples catalogue: mortise gauges with an extra marking pin; combined marking-and-mortise models [CG20].
• 2003 — Fine Woodworking review of a Marples combination gauge [CG15].
• Current — Joseph Marples mortise-and-marking models [CG19].

These show the idea recurring commercially. They do not prove continuous manufacture of one product line or descent from Williams or Sholl.

The failure the tool answers. Williams and Sholl both state the cost and clutter of several single-purpose gauges [CG1][CG2]. Sellers restates the economics: "Mortise gauges tend to be more expensive because of the addition of the adjustable extra pin point and so we find a unique gauge we call the combination gauge... you get the extra marking gauge for free" [CG11]. He also names the cost of the combination: when several settings are needed, you end up "losing one for the other" [CG11].

✦ human side

Paul Sellers. Recommends the combination gauge as a minimalist/travel tool for its cost and compactness [CG11], while his own working kit is "two mortise gauges and three or four marking gauges" [CG11]. His 2026 account of the Stanley 5061 treats it as a marking gauge, distinct from the combination gauges he used for mortising [CG21].

A collector's find. "The Duke" (Gerald van Wyngaarden), quoting Norse Woodsmith: "The Stanley #77 marking gauges are some of the best designed marking gauges out there, but unfortunately are no longer available..."; he pulled a circa-1910 rosewood-and-brass No. 77 from a free pile [CG16].

Teaching community. Common Woodworking's reader Q&A: a reader ("Nick") struggling to keep lines straight is told that pressing down, rather than trailing, lets the pin follow the grain [CG14]. On squareness, the currently accessible buying-guide Q&A says Paul recommends returning and reordering an out-of-square gauge until one is square, and that alignment to the stem axis is ideal [CG13].

Makers: Stanley Rule & Level Co. (No. 90 per collector evidence; No. 77); William Marples (1938 catalogue); Marples (2003 review); Joseph Marples (current).

✦ proof of existence

• Antecedent patents: US 17,403 (Williams, 1857) [CG1]; US 41,867 (Sholl, 1864) [CG2].
• Catalogues: Stanley No. 34 (1934) — No. 77 under Mortise and Marking Gauges, No. 65 under Marking Gauges [CG18]; William Marples 1938 [CG20].
• Review and current manufacture: Fine Woodworking 2003 [CG15]; Joseph Marples current range [CG19].
• Collector example: a circa-1910 Stanley No. 77 [CG16].
• Gaps: no museum-collection accession record was checked in Run 511 (Smithsonian, V&A, Science Museum Group not queried); Blood & Gore's No. 90–100 type study was not accessed.

references

• [CG1] US Patent 17,403, Albert Williams, "Compound Gage," 26 May 1857 — https://patents.google.com/patent/US17403A/en. kind: patent (primary)
• [CG2] US Patent 41,867, Christian Sholl, "Improvement in Joiners' Gages," 8 March 1864 — https://patents.google.com/patent/US41867A/en. Name, date, rationale, multi-stem construction; does not establish the modern three-pin form. kind: patent (primary)
• [CG3] US Patent 141,475, Justus A. Traut, "Improvement in Carpenters' Gages," 1873 — https://patents.google.com/patent/US141475A/en. Slit-bar adjustable tooth and screw clamp; does not support a No. 65 combination architecture. kind: patent (primary)
• [CG4] Hank Allen, "Why I Have Nine [Carpenter's] Gauges," The Tool Shed #103 (Sept. 1998), craftsofnj.org. kind: collector-society journal
• [CG5] Jim Fox, "The Stanley No. 77 Mortise Gauge," The Tool Shed #205 (Sept. 2021), craftsofnj.org. kind: collector-society journal
• [CG6] uWoodcraft.com, "Identifying Antique Stanley Marking Gauges." kind: blog/collector — no longer used for model identification
• [CG7] Lee Valley / Veritas, "Dual Marking Gauge." kind: retailer (search summary only)
• [CG8] Patrick's Blood & Gore (supertool.com), Stanley No. 90–100 type study. kind: collector reference (not accessed)
• [CG9] Paul Sellers, "The actual Stanley 5061," paulsellers.com, 2011-10-13. kind: named-maker blog
• [CG10] Paul Sellers, "Make your own 5061-style gauge #1," paulsellers.com, 2011-10-12. kind: named-maker blog (retrofit method not reproduced)
• [CG11] Paul Sellers, "My Minimalist Tool List: The Combination Gauge," https://paulsellers.com/2012/01/my-minimalist-tool-list-the-combination-gauge/. Cost/travel rationale; multiple-gauge limitation ("losing one for the other"); hinge case. kind: named-maker blog
• [CG12] Common Woodworking, "The Combination Gauge Guide," commonwoodworking.com. kind: teaching
• [CG13] Common Woodworking, "Buying a Combination Gauge," https://commonwoodworking.com/buying-a-combination-gauge/. Attributed disc and wear-plate observations; pin inspection; current Q&A recommending a square tool. kind: teaching
• [CG14] Common Woodworking, "Using a Combination Gauge," https://commonwoodworking.com/guides/using-the-combination-gauge/. Light pressure; fence registration against a straight/square face; pressing lets pins follow the grain. kind: teaching
• [CG15] Scott Gibson, "Combination Gauge Review," Fine Woodworking, Aug. 2003 — https://www.finewoodworking.com/2003/08/01/combination-gauge-review. kind: trade magazine
• [CG16] "The Duke" (Gerald van Wyngaarden), "Stanley No. 77 Marking & Mortise Gauge," progress-is-fine.blogspot.com, 2012-08-29. kind: collector blog
• [CG18] Stanley Tools Catalogue No. 34 (1934 scan) — https://www.blackburntools.com/articles/rose-tools-catalog-archives/pdfs/stanley-1934-no-34.pdf. No. 65 under Marking Gauges; No. 77 under Mortise and Marking Gauges (slide gauge). kind: manufacturer catalogue (primary)
• [CG19] Joseph Marples, "Rosewood Gauges" — https://marples.co.uk/gauges/rosewood-gauges/. Current mortise-and-marking models; marking pin underneath. kind: manufacturer
• [CG20] William Marples 1938 catalogue scan — https://hyvelmuseum.madcap.se/PDF/MarplesCat1938.pdf. Mortise gauges with an extra marking pin; combined models. Supports existence, not descent. kind: manufacturer catalogue
• [CG21] Paul Sellers, "Making the Paul Sellers' Marking Gauge, Part I" (2026) — https://paulsellers.com/2026/04/making-the-paul-sellers-marking-gauge-part-i/. The 5061 as a marking gauge, distinct from combination gauges. kind: named-maker blog
• [CG22] CCOHS, "General Hand Tool Operation" — https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/hand_tools/general.html. Inspection; repair/replace defective tools; cover sharp edges; eye protection; secure work; avoid excessive force. kind: government safety guidance

[CG17] (an unreadable LumberJocks thread) was never used and is retired.

open follow-ups

• Blood & Gore's Stanley No. 90–100 type study.
• A primary Stanley catalogue for the No. 90 (1867–1879).
• A museum-collection record for a combination or compound gauge.
• Direct re-read of the Veritas Dual Marking Gauge page.

forge images needed

• A two-face diagram: single spur on one face, mortise pair on the other, one shared stock — showing that flipping keeps the pin spacing but not an independent fence offset.
• A labelled anatomy shot: beam, stock, lock screw, spur, mortise pair with its adjuster.

The reviewer's corrections (10)

• BLOCKER — 1. Correct the shared-setting mechanism — Exact claim: “Independent locking, per Sellers’s own description: each face’s setting holds through use of the other face,” and “Carrying two live gauge settings — one plain marking line, one mortise-pin-pair width.”
• SHOULD-FIX — 2. Remove Stanley No. 65 as the best combination-gauge match — Exact claim: “No. 65 ... is the strongest documentary match to a Stanley catalog number for a true single-pin-plus-mortise-pair combination tool.”
• SHOULD-FIX — 3. Remove Stanley 5061 from the combination-gauge family — Exact claim: “The Stanley 5061, Paul Sellers’s own preferred modern example,” and the variation row “Modern production combination gauge.”
• SHOULD-FIX — 4. Recast Williams and Sholl as antecedents, not a proven direct lineage — Exact claim: “Williams, not Sholl, is this tool’s earliest verified patented ancestor,” “Sholl’s 1864 patent is a documented second, independent invention of the same cost-saving idea,” and “The modern combination gauge is the surviv …
• SHOULD-FIX — 5. Remove the unsupported continuous-manufacturing claim — Exact claim: “Stanley’s own 1867 catalog price ... and later ... mechanisms ... document a continuous manufacturing line into the 20th century.”
• SHOULD-FIX — 6. Correct the squareness advice and its citation — Exact claim: “Don’t worry about stem-to-head squareness; per Sellers’s own team, it doesn’t affect the marked result,” and the cited reader Q&A saying it “doesn’t matter.”
• BLOCKER — 7. Add actual safety controls and bound the retrofit method — Exact claim: “Dangerous: misuse that injures the user — Not found despite direct searching,” alongside Sellers’s retrofit description using a hardened combination-square pin “snapped ... from the pommel,” drilled undersize, and drive …
• SHOULD-FIX — 8. Narrow the disc and wear-plate claims — Exact claim: “Disc-cutter variants are brittle and hard to service” and wear plates “protrude” with humidity.
• SHOULD-FIX — 9. Repair matching language — Exact claim: “Does NOT substitute for owning two dedicated mortise gauges when a job needs two mortise-type settings live simultaneously,” and “not-for ... two independently-set mortise/pin-pair widths.”
• MINOR — 10. Clean process residue and confidence — Exact claim: Provenance describes parallel “research passes,” blocked session access, and orchestration details; confidence credits a “genuine correction” and “honestly thin” category.