Ugly Jigs that Work Great: Part 3

This next jig is aided by the discovery (thanks to my student Bill Rainford) of a brand of pencil that can replace the fabled "No Blot Bottle of Ink in a Pencil". The "No Blot" is a pencil that writes on wet wood and like all things right and good, it's out of production. I saw someone the other day on a website selling them for $15 a piece!

Lee Valley has a version, but the lead is way too soft and is worn away or broken by rough wood.

It's the Sola KB24, and I bought mine from Kuker-Ranken in Seattle, for $1.50 a piece, plus they are huge and can be sharpened to a chisel point. They do have an odd shape, so I fussed with some drill bits and small files to make the hole in an old marking guage that you see below.

Now I have an easily adjustable marking guage for all my green woodworking.

It may sound like a small thing, but when I saw the fine consistent line that I could get, I knew that my work just got a lot easier and more accurate.

Just a few of these will be a lifetime supply.