Mortice gauge
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have chopped a mortice and the chisel is tight, because the two lines were guessed from a nominal width. A mortice gauge exists so those lines match the iron you will use. The spelling here is mortice, the word on the UK listings. The [marking gauge comparison](/hub/measuring-and-marking-tools/marking-gauge) ranks the twelve amazon.co.uk gauges. Peter F. used BuildWiz UK, Common Woodworking, Axminster Tools, and Draper’s page on 21 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have chopped a mortice and the chisel is tight, because the two lines were guessed from a nominal width. A mortice gauge exists so those lines match the iron you will use.
You have chopped a mortice and the chisel is tight, because the two lines were guessed from a nominal width. A mortice gauge exists so those lines match the iron you will use. The spelling here is mortice, the word on the UK listings. The marking gauge comparison ranks the twelve amazon.co.uk gauges. Peter F. used BuildWiz UK, Common Woodworking, Axminster Tools, and Draper’s page on 21 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Cutter | Stock or face | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Clarke Brothers Clarke Brothers wheel gauge | Wheel gauge | Wheel | Brass, flat spot claimed | 9.6 | about £26.25 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Draper Draper 64458 mortice gauge | Mortice and marking | Pins not numbered | Wood | 9.0 | about £13.19 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  Draper Draper 64440 beech pin gauge | Pin gauge | Single hardened spur | Beech in the title | 8.8 | about £7.99 | View offer |
On this page
What the second pin is for
A mortice and tenon needs two lines along the grain, at the width of the chisel. A mortice gauge puts two spurs on one fence so both cheeks come from the same face. BuildWiz describes that as the point of the second pin. The gap is the joint. A single pin can mark both cheeks only if you set it twice, and the lines can converge between passes. A single cutter is a different job, on pin marking gauge vs wheel.
Set the gap from the chisel, then the fence
Hold the chisel between the two spurs and close the adjustable pin until both points touch the iron. Common Woodworking sets the width from that iron, not a nominal size. Lock it, then check on a scrap. Set the fence, usually centred, scribe from the face side, flip the piece, and scribe again so a small miss is halved. The light pass is on how to use a marking gauge. On the combination gauge in this set, one plastic screw deals with the head and the mortice pin, so measure the gap again.
Combination gauge or a second pin gauge
A combination gauge carries one marking spur and the mortice pair, so one beam does the hinge margin and the joint. Two pin gauges left set suit a workshop that repeats the same distances. BuildWiz puts combination gauges in general at about £25–£31, including tools outside this set. Here the marking-and-mortice price is £13.19. Two Draper 64440 gauges at £7.99 each can cost more and still give you one spur each. The wider fork is the marking gauge buying guide.
The mortice gauge in this amazon.co.uk set
The listing is the Draper 64458, ASIN B0001K9Z5K, at £13.19, with 4.4 from 304 reviews. Amazon says wood and 130 g, and does not number the pins. The maker’s page says beech, hardened spurs, and a brass slide, at £27, which is not the amazon.co.uk price. A bullet says manufactured to EU standards and names no number. BS EN 847-1 is for machine tooling, not this hand gauge. If the stock will not lock, section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a claim against the retailer.
Common questions
What is a mortice gauge?
A mortice gauge scribes two lines parallel to an edge, at the width of the chisel you will use for a mortice and tenon. Both spurs share one fence, so the cheeks stay the same distance apart along the rail. A single marking gauge scribes one line and needs two settings to imitate the pair. Shoppers also search the spelling mortise. On these listings the title says mortice. The tool marks the long-grain cheeks. It does not chop the joint.
How do I set the pins to my chisel?
Put the chisel you will chop with between the spurs and close the adjustable pin until both points meet the iron. Lock it, offer the chisel up on a scrap, and look for a gap or a pinch. Common Woodworking sets the width from that iron, not from a nominal size on the drawing. Then set the fence from the face side and scribe from both faces so any miss is centred.
Can I mark a mortice with one pin?
You can, by setting the pin to one cheek, scribing, then resetting it to the other cheek and scribing again. Each reset is a chance to miss the chisel, and the fence can creep between the two passes. It is a fair way to learn the joint if you only own a single spur, such as the Draper 64440. It is a slow way to mark a set of rails.
Should I buy a combination gauge or two gauges?
Buy the combination if you are starting mortice and tenon and you want one beam for a single margin and for the chisel-width pair. In this set that listing is the Draper 64458 at £13.19. Buy two pin gauges and leave them set if you repeat the same two distances all week and you already accept fettling two stocks. Two Draper 64440 gauges at £7.99 each can cost more than the combination and still give you one spur each.
Is the Draper 64458 the two-pin tool in this set?
It is the only listing titled as a marking and mortice gauge. The amazon.co.uk price is £13.19, with 4.4 from 304 reviews, wood, and 130 g. Amazon does not number the pins, so this page does not invent a count from a generic diagram. The maker’s page says beech, hardened spurs, and a brass slide, at £27, which is not this shelf price. Reviews describe a tight stock and a cocked brass slide.
Is the QWORK a mortice gauge because the title says so?
The QWORK title includes mortice, and the cutter is a 12 mm hardened wheel, with a metric scale to 12 cm, at £18.88. The bullets name soft wood. That is one line, or a depth function as the listing words it, not two spurs set to a chisel. A claimed 0.2 mm adjustment is the listing’s figure, and a review disputes the scale, so it is not treated as checked here. Buy the QWORK if you want that wheel for softwood.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources named in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Retrieved October 2026.
- BBC Bitesize, Marking-out tools (retrieved October 2026)
- Lee Valley, Woodworker's guide to marking gauges (retrieved October 2026)
- BuildWiz, Marking gauge (retrieved October 2026)
- Paul Sellers, More on the marking gauge (retrieved October 2026)
- Draper Tools, Carpenter's marking gauge 64440 (retrieved October 2026)
- Draper Tools, Marking and mortice gauge 64458 (retrieved October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
- Which?, What to do with a faulty product (retrieved October 2026)