The difference between a marking/cutting gauge and a panel gauge really lies in the fence. When you have a long beam, its stability depends on having a wide fence. The panel gauge I have has a fence 6" long. Compare this with the 3 3/4" of a Colen Clenton and the 1 3/4" of the LV wheel gauge.
Here is an idea for a quick panel gauge ...
I built mine out of an old Mujingfang cutting gauge that was lying around unused. As a cutting gauge for tenons and dovetails it was too wide. So I co-opted the head ..
I reshaped the head (made it symmetrical), and added a 24" long beam (compared to the 9" of the Colen Clenton). This was simply planed by hand.
For a blade I ground a knife out of a 3/16" HSS drill bit rod ..
The face is flat and the rear is a rounded 25 degree bevel that ends in a rounded "point".
Here are a couple of shots of the blade in the beam. It is slotted into a 3/16" hole and held firmly be a screw ...
... in the identical manner to my CC ...
A full length view ..
Panel
gauge with Colen Clenton cutting gauge
