CT-1 Squevel

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Some of our most popular tools are the small-handled squares. Until 1991 all of these tools were made from 4/4 rosewood. Rather than mill this material into sawdust to obtain the final dimensions, a small "cheek" was sawn off the face. These thin pieces of rosewood were never scrapped and we had literally thousands of pieces sitting in our warehouse. Because the Squevel is so unique and limited in number, we offered it both in Juara™ wood and rosewood, using the rosewood cheeks many would burn.

The Squevel handle is milled from a solid 1-1/2 lb. chunk of #360 half hard, tempered brass. Unlike many of our other tools which are constructed around a wood core, this is a solid metal handle with a wood inlay.

The brass stock is precisely milled on a computer driven mill. The brass is cleaned and prepped to receive the wood inlays, two matched pieces per side. The handle is now ready to receive the fixed blade which is initially "frozen" in place with the commercial cyanoacrylate adhesive and then mechanically locked with three rivets.

From a manufacturing standpoint, what happens next is fascinating to watch. We temporarily lock the adjustable bevel blade in place in the handle. Then the entire tool is placed into a fixture where the butt of the handle is profiled in two planes. This creates a terrific-looking tool. The rest of the process is detailing and finishing, all of the little extras which make our tools stand out from the pack.

It's accurate to within 0.002" over the 6-1/2" blade length, inside and out. Use it for all of your squaring needs; it's made to last and should be a tireless workhorse for you and future woodworkers.

Buried into the solid brass handle is a small bevel. This small bevel is perfect for laying out dovetails, angled tenons, and is particularly useful for setting angles on machines with narrow throats, such as band saw tables and scrollsaw tables. The bevel blade length is 3-7/8" in a 90° setting.

Locking the bevel to the handle is one of our nicely turned, infilled brass knobs.

Besides the penny, and some gorgeous rosewood or Juara™ wood, each
of these special commemorative tools will be sequentially engraved with
an edition number.

Finally, in the tradition of our Signature Series tools, the Squevel
will be identified with a special commemorative logo and signed by me.

The Story Behind The Penny

In January 1991, I was standing in front of a hotel in Charlotte waiting for a taxi to the airport. It was unseasonably cold, I was tired, and I wanted to be home with my family. Although attending trade shows is worthwhile from a business standpoint, there are those lonely moments when you realized there are thousands of miles between you and the people you love. During these brief interludes with yourself you can't help but do a bit of soul searching. Charlotte is a beautiful, clean and proud city. In my travels, I always notice the cleanliness of a city, and Charlotte is right up there with the best. Which is why, I suppose, I discovered a penny on the ground about fifteen feet from the canopy protecting me from the rain. Like all good superstitious people, I adopted the penny; the discovery of which, happily derailed my train of thought from my journey.

I spend the next thirty minutes in the taxi rolling the penny between my fingers, a subconscious nervous habit, as the cityscape rolled by. I wondered why and where the discovery of a penny was considered good luck. Being the simple thinker I am, I concluded that it didn't matter. This was an omen of good luck, and what really matters is that somehow, everybody knows this to be true. And then it occurred to me, it's the thought that counts.

I had almost an hour to wait before boarding my flight. I was busy thinking about how lucky I am to be able to do what I enjoy, and how lucky I am our customers like our work enough to buy it. 1992 was a pivotal year for us, and without your help we would not have seen 1993.

So, as a return gesture of goodwill, a simple token of my appreciation for your support during our financial crisis, I am passing on the luck of the penny. Buried forever in the handle of each Squevel is a 1992 U.S. penny. Make of it what you will, but remember...

It's the thought that counts.

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