A rare pair of registered design mortice gauges from a private collection, one by Fenton & Marsden, the other by Marples.

The Fenton & Marsden gauge is made up of a brass stem with a brass plated ebony head stock.  The Marples gauge has a brass frame with boxwood infill and head stock.

Both gauges use two screws, one at each end of the stems, to allow adjustment of both the head and the points/pins.  The Fenton & Marsden stem is made up of two brass tubes of which one fits inside the other.  The top screw adjusts the pins and the lower screw effectively adjusts one of the brass tubes inside the other allowing movement of the head stock.  On the Marples gauge the upper screw adjusts the head stock position and the lower screw adjusts the pins.

The Fenton & Marsden gauge is 8⁵/₈ inches long and the Marples is 6¹/₂ inches.  Both designs were  registered approximately 1 year apart with the Fenton & Marsden registered on March 4th 1847 and the Marples on March 23rd 1848.

Either of these gauges are very hard to find today.

Enjoy the photos.

Robert Leach

OLD HAND TOOLS