USDA/Forest Service Sharpening gauge

These gauges are mostly for non-tool-focused folks anyhow. Those with even a little experience with grinding and honing axes and earth-moving tools are able to assess geometries by eye/feel. These are made for people dealing with crew volumes of tools and volunteers with lower overall experience in such matters. Their focus is on getting the work done and these are a stand-in for having someone on staff who's experienced in these matters.
 
Very true Ben. You need to learn "to assess geometries by eye/feel" when sharpening. The geometries should also match the work at hand. I would add that you also need to learn to use an axe by LOTS of hands on, and with a experienced instructor. U tube, or any other internet video, is NOT the same as a experienced instructor.
 
I think mine was made by iGauging if I remember correctly. The one thing I suggest is to make sure you get at least 12" arms on it, possibly longer, since very low angles require longer arms on it to still have a gap to set your bevel in.
 
I have a vintage Richard Kell brass bevel gauge, made in England, still sold for $19. I see that Lee Valley/ Veritas has a brass bevel gauge, made in USA, for $16.

I can not remember the last time I used mine. But then, these days, I can not remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, and that was just an hour ago.
 
I have one of the Richard Kell ones and they're well made and economical. My biggest issue with the fixed ones is that the circumstances in which I'm trying to measure a bevel are usually when I'm quantifying a geometry rather than targeting one. Someday I'd like to design a compact analog adjustable one.
 
Yeah I'm aware of those, but they're less than ideal for the specific use case. I have a notion of how to put something together, it's just a matter of getting around to it.
 
I was looking at a rare taper Micrometer. They would do the job of measuring a blade angle. One problem only one company ever made them. The Taper Micrometer Corporation, the Custanite External Tapermike Micrometer. The company closed its doors in the early 1970s. They rarely come up for sale, and when they do, they sell for more than $1000. They use a small sine bar, which is set up with the Tapermike's gage set, which is even more unattainable. Way too expensive.

They made 4 sizes. This is the largest size. The larger sizes were used to measure shaft angles, such as prop shafts.

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I just did a LOT of thinking today about this and I hit on a very simple arrangement that should work very nicely on low angles, but I have to do MATH™ to optimize it because even though the current setup works the readout would be very small and I want something pocket-friendly that remains readable.
 
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