Hand Tools

I’ve been working on a series of chair orders for the last month or two.  It’s always a good time in the shop, especially when I have sets of chairs to work on as I do now.  I love getting into a rhythm, assembling a set of undercarriages, then the backs.  What is often a heady job becomes rote.  Fun!

Before I began working on the sets, I made a one off: a birdcage side chair.  It’s one of the most technically demanding chairs I build, and the paint job is no exception.  Luckily, this time I had a new tool that helped a lot:

Video Link

The post Pinstriping a Chair first appeared on Elia Bizzarri - Hand Tool Woodworking.

outta the clamps

Flushed the corners, front and back, with a plane. All the miters are still tight and gap free and I couldn't break it apart with my hands.

nope

All four corners held when I whacked it against the lally column. I was impressed because every mitered frame I've made before this was toast (without some reinforcement). I can't think of any that survived me breaking them with my hands. This survived both tests.

kind of done

Pleased with how this looks. The finish is smooth with no streaks or 'non shiny' spots. This paint is a semi gloss enamel and it can be tricky painting but the rattle can excelled.

2nd miter box

Came up short using my usual (small) carcass saw (had to try it). I needed another 1/2" or so more saw plate.

old poor man's miter box

Broke it up and this will give up two cleats that I'll glue to the miter box bottoms. That is what will hold the miter box in the vise.

90° test cut

The face cut was dead on but the vertical one wasn't. I thought the cut was toast but it was the stock. It wasn't square which was a relief.

yesterday's 90° test cut

The test miter I made with dowels is what I used to saw a couple of 90s. Dead on the face and vertical.

hmm....

I've found with the dozens of these I've made over the years that the fence with the saw cuts in them go south quickly. There isn't any support for them and they slowly move, opening the saw cut making the miters worse. To help delay that I am going to glue a thin piece of pine to the back to span the saw cuts and strengthen it.

glued and cooking

The pine I glued on the back was a few frog hairs shy of 3/8" thick. 

done

It doesn't span the entire saw cut and I didn't see any need for that. I believe most of the help is needed at the bottom between the platform and the fence.

test cuts

Wee bit disappointed with the test cuts. The 90 was dead on but the miters were off. Both the right and left miter heels were a frog hair high. If I pushed them into Mr Starrett they looked good. Pushed in loosely, the heel was high. Maybe I'm being too anal about this because the R&L miters went together at 90°.

accidental woodworker

A good strop is one of the simplest and most useful tools a woodworker can make. A strop is simply a flat piece of wood with leather attached to the surface. Its purpose is not to replace sharpening stones, but to refine the edge after sharpening. A properly prepared strop removes the final traces of the burr and polishes the edge, leaving a razor sharp cutting tool ready for use.

The leather used for a strop is one of the most important factors in its performance. The best leather is firm, stable and has a consistent surface that will not allow the cutting edge to sink into it. A good strop can be made from the flesh side of quality vegetable tanned cowhide, where the fibres are dense and even. This surface holds honing compounds well and provides a controlled abrasive action.

Horse butt leather is considered by many to be one of the finest choices because it comes from a dense, strong area of the hide. It has a tight fibre structure and resists stretching, making it excellent for fine sharpening work.

Avoid soft upholstery leather or thin stretchy leather because it can deform under pressure and encourage rounding of the edge. A firm piece of leather around 3 millimetres thick, attached securely to a rigid wooden base, is all that is required to make a high quality workshop strop. The ideal wood for a strop is something stable, flat and resistant to movement. Traditionally, hardwoods such as beech, maple, or other close grained timbers are excellent choices because they are dense and remain flat over time. A strop does not need to be made from an expensive exotic timber. The most important factor is not the species of wood, but the stability and thickness of the board. A thick piece of wood provides a solid foundation for the leather. A strop made from thin material can flex, and this can introduce unwanted rounding of the cutting edge. A thicker base keeps the leather supported and allows the blade to remain consistent during stropping.

There is a common belief that a strop must be made from hardwood, but this is not true. Pine can make an excellent strop if it is prepared correctly. The key is thickness. A piece of pine over 1 inch thick will provide plenty of support and will not flex under normal hand pressure. Pine is also easy to obtain and simple to work with using hand tools.

The surface should be flattened carefully before attaching the leather. A soft timber like pine only becomes a problem when the board is too thin or uneven. The leather follows the surface underneath it, so a poorly prepared base will affect the final result regardless of the timber used. For a workshop strop, a straight piece of pine, properly flattened and over an inch thick, will perform just as well as many more expensive alternatives. The leather should be flat, clean and free from excessive stretch. Both smooth grain leather and suede can be used. The suede side is often preferred when using honing compounds because it holds the abrasive material well. The smooth side can be used for final polishing with a very fine abrasive or even without compound. The leather does not need to be thick. A quality piece of leather around 3 millimetres thick is more than adequate.

There are several ways to attach leather to the wooden base. Contact cement is one of the most common choices because it creates a strong bond and keeps the leather firmly attached. It is quick and practical for a workshop strop.

PVA woodworking glue can also work well. Apply a thin, even layer, place the leather carefully, and clamp it flat until fully cured. Allowing it to dry overnight gives the best results.

Traditional woodworkers may prefer hide glue, which is also suitable and keeps with historical methods. However, modern adhesives are usually more convenient for a tool that may eventually need its leather replaced.

Do not use double sided tape. Depending on the thickness of the leather, the tape can create an uneven surface.

The most important thing is not the type of glue but the preparation. Too much glue can create uneven areas beneath the leather, so a thin, consistent layer is best. Once the leather is attached, the edges can be trimmed neatly with a sharp knife. The surface can then be charged with honing compound if desired. A strop should be used with light pressure. Heavy pressure can compress the leather and round over the edge. The blade should be drawn away from the cutting edge, keeping the bevel flat against the surface. On the back of the blade, keep it completely flat and use the strop to remove the remaining wire edge. This process is sometimes called chasing the burr.

A well made strop does not need to be complicated. A flat board, a piece of leather and a suitable adhesive are all that is required.

The beauty of making your own strop is that it can be built from materials already found in the workshop. The leather on the other hand, depending on size and quality, can be quite expensive. So my suggestion would be to visit upholstery shops and see if they are willing to sell you an off cut or two.

Left: 60 live center. Right: live cup center
I have previously written about the drive centers used on a treadle lathe. Today it's the tailstock's turn. The tailstock support does two things: the first is obvious - it keeps your spindle work from falling out of the lathe. The second, which is important even if you're using a chuck to hold a material, is that it prevents the end of the work from bending away due to tool pressure. In thin stock, this is very obvious that you want to support the material so it doesn't bend away from the tool as it cut. With large work held in a chuck, support from a tailstock center will help prevent the work from spinning out of the chuck if there is a catch.

The most primitive tailstock center is just a pointed bit of metal that the work can rotate around. Such a center is called a dead center, and is typically a steel rod coming to a 60 point. You can just put dead center in your tailstock and it will work. But in general, this isn't done anymore. The problem is that unless you keep the dead center continuously lubricated, the turning work creates a lot of friction and therefore heat, and you lose energy that could otherwise go for keeping the work turning. Before ball bearings became inexpensive, the aptly named dead center was a pretty common way of supporting work. I don't have a dead center for my treadle lathe - there is no point. I do have one for my metal lathe, but I've never used it.


Once the 60 live center with a rotating cone was invented and became affordable, there absolutely was no reason to use a dead center. The typical live center is a 60 cone that spins. All you do is drill a hole at the end of your work, with or without an additional countersink, and the cone supports the work. Works like a charm.



I don't use a 60 live center much either. The reason is that you have to drill a hole. Cup centers are more recent invention. That's what we supply with our treadle lathe. To use it, all you need to do is lay out the center location with a punch mark. The pin in the center of the cup registers on that mark. When you tighten up the tailstock, the sharp ring of the cup grabs the wood and holds it solid. That's it. No drilling. And it rotates along with the work like any live center so there's no friction problem either. I can't think of a reason not to use a cup center - except for two situations. First, if you're turning anything with a hole at the end, you can't locate a cup center. In this case, a regular 60 live center will just center itself on the hole just fine. This is actually pretty important when you're turning handles and other things that get drilled before you actually do the turning. The second case: if you're turning something that has a very small end. Our cup centers are 5/8" in diameter. This means if you want to turn the end of your work smaller than 5/8", you simply don't have the clearance. A typical approach is to leave a little waste at the end. But depending on how deep you put a center hole, a regular live center allows you to turn smaller at the end. The only problem I have with cup centers is that I find over time the ring wears in on the work and gets a little loose. So periodically I find myself having to tighten up the tailstock a little more.

One important advantage of a center - either style - is that it's repeatable. If you take work out of the lathe and put it back, the tailstock center ensures that the work will be aligned that same way as before.

The cup center installed and in use
The ring cut in the work by the cup center. This particular stock was coated in wax - which is why the cut is so smeary
A rendering of a 1/2 center
This leads to a final type of center which I don't own. It's a half center. It's a dead center, so there's always that friction issue. You might want to avoid using it - except when you have to - but it has the top half ground away so you could actually turn right up to the center of the work without hitting your tool on the steel center. This is handy for small work. I would call this a specialty tool, and I haven't seen much commentary about it, but some vendors still stock them.

hmm.......

Liking the look of the finish so far on this frame. One spot that isn't cooperating is the flats on the beads. I had to tilt the the frame to get coverage in there. It took 3 coats to barely cover it.

painting is done

I'm calling this pic frame done, paint wise. It was still sticking to the blue painters tape so I'll let it hang out on the dryer for a few days. Once it isn't sticky anymore I'll spray on a couple of coats of shellac.

poor man miter box stock

Going to try something different this time. I will start with making two boxes with 1/2" oak plywood and a scrap of 5/8" pine. I have a couple of 1x12 pine boards but I'm holding them for later. If these two work, I will make at least one more box with it.

first box

Glued the back stop to the platform and clamped it to the tablesaw fence. It is dead nuts 90 between the two. I let it set in for 15 minutes and then screwed the back to the platform. The fence was long enough to clamp both boxes to it.

another jig

This is a sawing aid for 90° vertical cuts. Made it out of an off cut of a 2x4 and pine scraps. One of my continuing headaches with making boxes is I (so far) can't saw a 90° vertical cut. This should ensure that I get that saw cut dead nuts.

change of plans

Instead of using the newly made 90° jig I used a 1 2 3 block. Clamping the jig to the box and then securing the box in the vise wasn't working. This set up worked. I used my biggest carcass saw to saw it - there is plenty of saw plate under the spine. 

45 sawing aid jig

This 2x4 has been hanging out in the shop for at least a year and it should be done with stupid wood tricks. If not I'll whack out another one. Sawed the the 45 on the tablesaw with my Osbourne miter jig. Wasn't expecting this to come out dead nuts on 45. The plan was to saw it out rough and sweeten it on the miter shooting jig.

hmm.......

It was looking like I needed two 45 jigs - one for the left and one for the right. I didn't try to over analyze it but I couldn't see an easy way to make one 45 to do both R & L. 

sigh

I like this miter gauge a lot. I had bought it because Norm had one so I had to have one too. That aside, since I've had it, whenever I saw an angle when I set it back to zero it will be off. Will not a saw a 90. It is relatively easy to adjust and set but it is an annoying PITA. BTW the miter gauge has preset stops for 90, 22.5 and 45.

dead on 90

When I adjust the miter gauge for 90 I start with narrow piece of scrap around 6-8". Once that is square I confirm with wider scrap.

upcoming

Both of my large routers need their irons sharpened, especially the closed throat one on the right. That is the one I use the most too. It wouldn't cut and make a shaving on the dadoes I made in the 90 and 45 sawing jigs. I'll deal with these two in the AM, not that I'm looking forward to that finger cramping, aching feeling.

my biggest non electric screwdriver

I put two #12 FH screws in 90 and 45 jigs to secure the clamping board in each jig.

test time

Try as I might I couldn't get the 45 jig and the miter box secured in the face vise. Clamped the 45 to the back and then secured the box in the vise at an angle. The 2x4 has a large registration face for the saw to bear against. Sawing at an angle wasn't issue as long as I kept the saw plate up tight and personal against the 2x4.

test frame

No problems sawing the 45s R&L. Both looked good with no obvious hiccups. I sawed a test frame out of scraps I dug out of the shitcan. Based on this first frame I don't see this miter box having any longevity - it is just a frog hair above flimsy feeling.

dry fit

So happy with this that I could wet myself. All four corners fell into each other naturally. I didn't have tug and pull any of them in close the miters.

glued and cooking

I'll find out in the AM how well this behaved. Based on the ease of it clamping up I don't expect any headaches.

2nd box

Forgot to snap a pic of the 90 practice cuts. I checked both boxes for that and both were dead on 90. I'll saw the 45s in this one in the AM. I'll use my current miter box to saw out a couple of strips to glue on the bottoms to have something to clamp them in the vise.

 accidental woodworker

So good to see Yann Giguère again when he stopped by Nihonsan Tools and Hardware.

I’m not spending 100% of my time fighting the Rearrangeritis War. I still try to spend a couple hours a day writing, although not as fast as I would like, and portions of almost every day with chores around the homestead.  One such chore is maintaining the driveway.

If you recall, several years ago I had the driveway to the barn rebuilt with hard packed “Limestone dust,” a pea gravel sized aggregate in common use out here in the hinterlands.  (Shangri-la is immediately adjacent to a gravel quarry).  The material packs to become almost concretious and serves its purpose well.

Then came the monster ice storm of last winter and the torrential rains of last spring.  The frost-heave and runoff from these events took its toll not only on my microhydropower waterline, soon to be replaced en toto, but now I must spend moments of many days reconstructing the crown and shoulders of the roadway.  The material is so hard it broke my hoe so I must break it down with a derelict adz, the only tool I have with the heft and robustness to accomplish the task.  It was one of several old adzes I bought at a tool auction many moons ago.  Two of the adzes are kept razor sharp, but this one is just a beefy hoe that I use for all sorts of digging fun.  I repaired the original hoe but now use it mostly as a rake.  The adz has the additional advantage of being three times wider than my pickaxe, which would have been my other option.

 Last night after dinner I started a coughing fit that lasted off and on until I hit the rack. When I got up for the toilet trot races, I would cough trying to hack something that never came. The fits suck because there is no warning and the duration can go on for minutes. Still not bad because since the chemo the coughing has decreased to almost nothing. Today so far I coughed a few times but nothing like last night.

happy with this

This looked 90% better with no streaks. However there were still light spots so another coat was necessary. I sanded it with 240 and 320 and fingers crossed, that I can call it done after this.

latex enamel rattle cans

I couldn't get a semi or gloss oil based enamel in a rattle can so I settled for latex. I had to buy a quart first and then that was used to make up the rattle cans. I got 2 for $13 each plus the cost of the quart - total was $60. And he told me they could get about 12 rattle cans out of one quart.

hmm......

Started on the back because this was my first time applying a rattle can finish to a project. it didn't come out in a fine mist and I got a few blobs here and there. I smoothed them out with a small artist brush. Coverage wasn't full even with two light passes. Based on that I'm thinking 4-6 to cover the back. Might be more on the front because of the beading.

welsh stick chair

I am impressed with the quality of this cherry wood. The seat (two pieces) are dead flat and they zero sapwood. This most have came from a big ass cherry tree. I got it in the living room sitting on a ottoman for now. I think it will live here until I'm ready to work it. Jack Nicholson quote -"nice packing...."

hmm......

I think the back is done. I couldn't see any bare pine anywhere. I got 4 coats on it and it looks good. I'll look at it again in the AM before I sign off on it.

Went for a walk today, the weather was decent. It 80F - 27C with a light breeze with no humidity. The walk I went on was less then half of what I was doing pre surgery. It was 4 times as long as the few walks I did post surgery and before the heat waves started. It took me less than hour and I didn't get winded nor did I have any coughing fits. The plan is to keep at this level and slowly build back up to the walk about I was doing pre surgery.

accidental woodworker 

hmm.......

I don't have any clear shellac mixed so I used spray instead. I had 5-6(?) coats already but it didn't look like 3 brushed coats. No hurry for this and it dries super quick so I can get a bazillion coats on before I hit the rack.

better

I brushed on a coat with the big brush on the bench and it look streaky. The coverage wasn't that good neither considering it was the 4th coat. I went behind it with this small brush and I liked the results. Streaks were gone, no waterfall drips, and the coverage was pretty good. Wasn't expecting such good results with a small piss ant brush.

bumblebee orchid frame

I'm not making the same me-steak with this frame that I made with the green one above. I sanded this one with 120, 150, 180, finishing with 240. Baby butt smooth no matter where I checked on the frame. Still don't have a warm and fuzzy about painting this. I would like it to be an enamel - latex enamel IMO sucks pond scum for brushing. 

Tomorrow I'll go to the local paint store and see if I can get a rattle can of oil based enamel (or latex enamel). I have seen rattle cans ordered there before but I've never asked for one. Will there be joy in Disneyland in the AM?

happy with this

Laid down the paint with the big brush and then went over it with the small one. No problems with that even though it is only a 1/2" wide. And it didn't take much longer to do the frame with it vice the bigger one. Coverage is better than I expected too. There was a lot of light spots that are gone now. I will probably have to put on one more coat in the AM.

Spent a lot of today molding my butt cheeks into my desk chair. I was a lot more tired today then the previous couple of days. Got lethargic before lunch and I had trouble keeping the peepers open. The oncology nurse had told me that I would feel like this around 7-10 days out.

The nausea I felt yesterday is gone. It turns out that I was supposed to take a nausea pill twice a day - I was only taking it once in the morning. Feeling nauseous is an uncomfortable feeling that I can't work through. I can't work around the tiredness so I made several 10 minute work sessions in the shop today. Killed the lights for the day before 1400.

stick books

These two books are from LAP and they are intense. They are everything you wanted and didn't want to know about stick chairs. I've been slogging through them for a couple of days now and it ain't easy. I don't do well with printed learning, especially so with woodworking. I'll be biting the bullet and getting Chris's vid on making a stick chair. I do much better learning through visual anyways.

accidental woodworker 

Twenty days in, the foundation work undergirds any future building work we care to do. Fifteen days of full-time work for two and three men have passed quickly and productively. We've used the same Lithuanian builders over the last six years. as we kept altering the house to suit our emerging designs with a positive backdrop of walls and space. Sixty or so new pieces later, five years of daily work, my house is full of specifically designed pieces to exactly fit or suit my home; additionally, we've continued to train new woodworkers all around the world. It's my belief that we all have a vocational calling, but only a fraction of a percent actually find it let alone even know if such a thing might exist in the world or specifically for them. Go back 150 years, and a young person might well be asked what they feel their vocational calling would be. I doubt anyone hears of such a thing today.

It's hard to imagine four loads like this just to excavate the foundation for my new workshop. The building will have the flexibility to become more of a multipurpose long-term building going forward.

Now that I am old, I reflect on this as a point of interest. What starts out as a game and an app on various devices for children ultimately steers them towards some kind of long term interest and possibly work, but is that the vocational calling i am speaking of and do vocational callings truly exist in most cultures today? I mean, can anyone realistically find rewarding work working with their hands as I have? In my sixty-odd years of daily woodworking, I have yet to see my chosen craft calling leave me bored. On the contrary, every aspect of handwork in woodwork has sparked my interest. The end result of my work is the training of others. It's not that I want to be a tutor, teacher, or trainer; more that I must see my craft lived out in the lives of others. Why? Because I believe that the only true conservation of craft is in the physical doing of it, and people that feel they, like me, have to do it, not just read about it or watch it. Woodworking is not a museum entertainment but more the cultural working out of it in our lives as working people.

We pumped the in-truck mix 200 yards to the footings in 40 minutes as a continuous mix and pour solution to distance.

Talking to the two men working on my new workshop, watching them work, digging deep for the foundation, skilfully operate all of their equipment, and suchlike, I know that they are just like me. The wall plate is aligned as perfectly as my mortise and tenons, and the blocks and thermal block layer leveled guarantee the green roof will be spread on steel beams and capably support the added weight of six inches of growing medium. Of course, the foundational work takes time, and little happens above ground until this is in, inspected by building control, and so on. We sat and talked about their work, and I realised that, just like me, these two men lived for the importance their work brought to their lives.

So the walls are going up as I type. By the time the cladding and heat and sound insulation are in place, the walls will be 11" thick. The concrete and block foundation footings started two feet down, and then the concrete and the underfloor insulation finalise the level. The mounds of soil and gravel, old concrete footpaths, patio, etc., have filled the massive grab truck five times so far.

My work seems so much less compared to what's been accomplished outside, but who can compare the work, really? This prototype worked out fine. It's quite high-demand work, and work that I enjoy still after 60 years of doing it.

In my temporary workshop, the house kitchen, we have succeeded in filming several episodes without a glitch, though things are a bit tight. This planning work followed the architect who designed the building to comply with local planning authorities and then, too, our neighbours, who are ever important to us as neighbours and friends. I have been making my dovetail sampler box, and it's gone quite well. I finished the prototype ahead of the filmed version, which came out just fine, although I never take as much time with the prototypes. I never have the WPS I identified and spoke of in my last post. I suppose I feel confident, and my confidence comes from six decades of daily woodworking, writing, and always drawing too.

Continuing on with the kitchen remodel on our 120 year old Japanese home. The site looks pretty messy in these pictures, but that’s what you get when you’re trying to live in a space while renovating. Every morning and evening I would open and close the blue tarp which became the only barrier to the… Read More »Kitchen Remodel – 2

The post Kitchen Remodel – 2 appeared first on Big Sand Woodworking.

the bumblebee orchid frame

This is ready for finish. What the finish will be I haven't decided on yet. I'm leaning in the direction of a rattle can finish. The thoughts on that is it will lay flat and look better then a brushed on finish. I was going to buy a few cans at Wally World but they keep everything locked up now. Besides the color palette sucked and the paint available was mostly metallic and for metal or plastic. 

Made a 2nd run to the neighborhood paint store and that had infinitely more options but I didn't buy anything. I will wait until I get the orchid photo before I pick a color for the frame.

oops or a brain fart

I don't remember if I had sanded or planed the frame before I made it. I think that is why it looks like a dirt country road after a rain storm. I spent most of the morning session sanding the frame, front and back, starting with 120 and ending with 320. Definitely looked better and felt smooth when I dragged my finger tips over it.

hmm......

Miters and the banding are sawn to rough dimensions. I worked on them one at a time started with the first long side and working CW to the last short side.

done

Used yellow and super glue to secure the bandings. I rounded over the outside edges with a plane and sandpaper. The inside edges just got the arris knocked down.

one more

I don't intend to go nutso on the back of this. There is some light spots still showing through but I am only putting on two coats and calling this side done.

cherry welsh stick chair

This box is heavy. Even if I didn't have a weight lifting restriction, this is still heavy. I'm going to drag it into the living room and let it acclimate before hauling it to the shop.

It will probably be a while before I get around to this. The chemo cocktail is slowly saying hello to me. For the past two days I have had a faint twinge of nausea off and on with heartburn after I fill the pie hole.. Also feel just a wee bit out of sorts - not sick but not feeling tip top neither. I have run out of gas two days in a row now around lunch time. I don't feel dog tired fatigue, but I do feel like taking a nap. I'll spend this time reading the stick book and watching the video. 

accidental woodworker

Machine tool number two that I suggest to bring on as you get into woodworking: the router.  To repeat: yes, of course, high quality woodworking can be done without any machine at all, as it has been for hundreds of years. Yet machines do add many advantages of labor, time, fast accuracy, and production.  Routers […]

 While paring kumiko In the past I’ve often thought that I could create a tool to make this task a bit easier and possibly more ergonomic as well. Recently I had a customer/friend contact me to inquire as to whether I would be interested in creating such a chisel for him. 

I made a list of the criteria we put together for this chisel:

(1) Wide blade for easy registration on the jigs typically used in kumiko work.

(2) Shorter blade so the pressure point of your hand is close to the cutting contact point. Something butt chisel length.

(3) Shorter handle as compared to a bench chisel so the end would fit comfortably in your hand and provide a way to push with the butt of your hand.

(4) A lower bevel angle to make for a better paring cut.

(5) Lower heat in the tempering process to leave the chisel a bit harder than standard. Paring and chopping are very different task. Leaving the steel in the blade a bit harder promotes a sharper edge better for paring than chopping.

(6) All sharp edges on the chisel blade where one’s hand may come in contact are broken/softened to make the user experience more pleasant and less wearing on the hand.

Below are pictures of the product created using this criteria. Woods are Desert ironwood, olive and figured resin infused maple.

Ron

 I recently completed this set of Dovetail chisels using Resin Infused Curly Maple for the handles. I also implemented a new ferrule design. The change is not obvious as it is concealed in the handle. The new ferrules feature an integrated threaded stud that actually threads into the handle and once thread locked it becomes integrated into the wooden handle.

 

 

This new feature allows all the components to become one thing and makes the final assembly a bit more predictable as well.

 

I had intended to list these chisels on the Tools Available page today but a former customer discovered that I had these in process and contacted me about purchasing them. Chisels are SOLD.

Ron

The last Awls I added to the Tools Available page sold out quite quickly. I've just added 3 more of these awls to the tools available page as of 9/2/20.

To access that page follow this link. Tools Available

If you have any questions please contact me at ronbrese1@gmail.com

All Awls are sold. 

The awls featured in the last post sold quite quickly so I set about making another small batch of these tools in various woods. I also thought this might be a good time to create a page specifically for the tools that I have available for sale at any given time. Tools Available link.

I have more awls than any one person needs. That's because I have an issue with awls. When the tip of an awl becomes less than sharp it will skid and not hold locations as compared to a sharp tipped awl. This is especially a problem on end grain when marking centers in preparation for turning blanks. Because the blades are permanently fixed in those awls it's not an easy thing to regrind a perfectly symmetrical tip.

I guess if I really wanted I could fashion a jig to accomplish this task but as of late I've just made a new awl.

The obvious solution is to make an awl with a removable blade that is then easily chucked into a drill and spun against an abrasive to create a newly sharpened tip. This past week I've made a prototype of such an awl and have also made a small production run of removable blade awls.

It's mid summer here and too hot to be outside much after mid morning these days. Luckily we're having afternoon thunderstorms and that cools things off in the evening. Makes for better porch sitting time in the evenings.

I've suspended outdoor projects for a while and have retreated into the shop to resume tool making.

I've recently completed another set of the diminutive Dove Tail chisels. This set features resin infused very curly maple handles. My friend and saw maker Ron Bontz is set up to do this infusing work and has a good bit of experience in the process. The maple turns much nicer after being infused and the figure is dazzling.

Sizes are 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2".

I've used Presco 0-1 tool steel for the blades on this set. It's a very high quality tool steel. It's the same tool steel I've used and enjoyed for plane irons.


Enjoy the rest of the summer, stay cool and safe,


Ron