New Gauge Out The Door

Thanks, Ralph for another opportunity...

This time, we're copying the actual slope of one of Ralph's wooden gauges, instead of using something standard like 1:7. No problem. I estimate the pitch of this gauge to be a little closer to 1:4. This is a more dramatic angle.

The process starts with making the milling gauge that will be used in the final step. I used a protractor to copy the angle from the wooden gauge and transfer it onto an aluminum block. The layout lines can be matched up to a parallel in the milling machine and you're off to the races.

A good match.

The basics of the gauge are complete at this stage. Once the overall outside dimensions are cut, it's just a matter of cutting some shoulders before entering the most important stage...

This is what the gauge looks like clamped up with the angle gauge that I made earlier. From here, it's just a matter of milling it flat.

The brass gauge along side its wooden brother.

Here is a size comparison against what I'm calling my "standard" gauge. Ralph prefers a slightly larger gauge. This is the same overall dimensions as the first one I made.