Leichtung Work Shops Height Gauge

[Von]

Saw a couple of these gauges on ebay for under $20 (+reasonable S/H) so I impulse bought one. The one I got appears to be new old stock in a box labeled spartanly "P/N 117085 HEIGHT GAUGE" and the device itself is labeled "Leightung Work Shops" with no model number.  It came with a sheet of directions and a 1/16" hex key for adjusting the depth rod and zero'ing it.

The device is fairly basic - a hard plastic body with a 5" ruler and a sliding height indicator that has a brass knurl knob to lock it in place. The indicator is also attached to a rod that runs the length of the body parallel to the ruler, which allows one to turn it upside down and use it as a depth gauge. It has a magnet on the base which is a bit weak compared to modern magnets, but strong enough it will hold the gauge horizontally to the side of something. 

One nice feature is that it has a lip on the back, so you can lay it down and hook the edge of mitre slot and use the depth rod to check your blade for parallel.

The indicator has both a square portion and a "sharp" portion. The bottom and top of the square part matches the bottom and top of the indicator on the ruler, so it can be used to measure the height on either the top or bottom of workpiece. For the "sharp" potion (I put that in quotes because this looks cast and it's probably 1/16" thick on the edge - you are in no danger of cutting yourself), I believe what this is intended for, based on how I've seen machinists use their gauges, is to scribe a workpiece at a set height. I tried it and on softwood it works well enough. I suspect one would have to press hard on maple and the like, or take some time to sharpen it (I doubt I'll bother).

Overall, a useful little tool for <$20. No regrets. No one is going to mistake this for a precision machinist's tool but it feels precise and rugged enough for woodworking.

 

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Looks like that will earn it's keep just in keeping your table saw well tuned, and everything else is a bonus!

[Tom King]

I remember the Leichtung little catalogs well.  I bought my little workbench from them in 1977.

[gee-dub]

The height / depth gauge is really handy.  I made one based on a Woodsmith design (IIRC) and an old DRO caliper.

At around $20 I would have grabbed one like you did as opposed to making one too 

[Mark J]

13 hours ago, Tom King said:

I remember the Leichtung little catalogs well.  I bought my little workbench from them in 1977.

I found their catalog in the internet archive.  I have that Lervad bench, too.

https://archive.org/details/leichtung-tools-spring-catalog-1976/page/33/mode/1up

[Von]

On 10/6/2025 at 9:05 AM, Mark J said:

I found their catalog in the internet archive.  I have that Lervad bench, too.

https://archive.org/details/leichtung-tools-spring-catalog-1976/page/33/mode/1up

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

I've never seen a tool well mounted perpendicular to a bench like the one on page 3.

[Dave H]

On 10/6/2025 at 6:05 AM, Mark J said:

I found their catalog in the internet archive.  I have that Lervad bench, too.

https://archive.org/details/leichtung-tools-spring-catalog-1976/page/33/mode/1up

I like the prices!

[Tom King]

That bench was the first thing I ever bought with free shipping.  It was the Winter of 1977.  The lake was frozen all the way over-first time ever.  The catalog came while I had too much time just sitting around waiting for the cold spell to pass.  I think the price in the sale catalog that I ordered C.O.D. from was $199 with free shipping.  I've used it a lot since then.

[Mark J]

Yeah, those prices caught my eye, too.

That's my bench, too, Tom.  HS grad gift from my father.  Unfortunately, cool as it was, I didn't have much use for it in college, etc.  It didn't really come into its own until I started woodworking again ten years ago.

[Tom King]

It's pretty lightweight.  It's clamped to the tablesaw in that picture.  Sometimes I clamped a 2x4 to the base and just butted the 2x4 against something to keep it from moving when planing, as against the fireplace bricks in this picture.  My favorite time to work with hand tools is in Winter in an old house with a fire roaring in the fireplace.

 

[Coop]

I’m as impressed with the fire place as I am the bench right now, with morning temps hovering in the mid 40’s! But anticipating the first frost to make the mustard and turnip greens in the garden more tasty full! 

[dwilliam]

For under $20, it seems like a surprisingly versatile little tool. I like that it doubles as a height and depth gauge, and the scribing edge is a nice bonus for marking workpieces. The weak magnet isn’t a dealbreaker, and the build seems solid enough for woodworking tasks. Definitely not a precision machinist’s instrument, but for the price and utility, it’s a handy addition to the shop. Appreciate the detailed breakdown, it helps set realistic expectations for anyone thinking of picking one up.