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“For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.” — Jean Dubuffet
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Before my mother passed away she handed me a paper bag full of childhood keepsakes. There were handmade Mother’s Day cards, school calendars and news clippings–I made the news in third grade by getting stuck in a tree. An image of the fire department rescue made the Des Moines Register. Nice.

I also discovered every report card from second grade through high school.

My report cards were consistently underwhelming. Interestingly, I never had a grade higher than a C until I took a shop class. More interesting were the teacher comments;

“John just doesn’t seem interested in being here.”

“John does not apply himself.” (This phrase must be out of some 1950′s teacher handbook–it appeared 14 times in my stack of report cards)

“John would do better in school if he didn’t talk so much.”

“John thinks he is funny. He is not.”

“John consistently laughs at things that are not funny.”

“Two to three times a week John has to do his assignments by himself in the hall. Ask him why.”

“John needs more structure. Have you considered Catholic school?”

And my favorite; “Please advise John that all future Science Fair projects will be considered as long as fire is not involved.”

Looking back, I am damn proud of my education. It was the teachers that were the problem.

Oh, back to the WIA report card (I like to think thematically, hence the above segue). What a fantastic experiment. Four totally awesome volunteers comprised our “Dream Team” of Jointmaker Pro demonstrators; Lori Bergren, Rutager West, Paul-Marcel St-Onge, and Masood Gahari. Michael Berg and your favorite Tool Potentate were also manning our booth which had six Jointmaker’s busy making Earthquake After Detectors…

Paul-Marcel presented me with a custom hockey sweater matching his pictured below;

It is not just a normal jersey. He thinks giving me a jersey with my name “JE-1″ on the back is funny. His jersey name is PM-1. But wait there is more…

My number is 34.
His number is 24

Care to guess what the next number might be in this series?

Masood, Michael and Rutager playing video games on an iPad during the busiest time of the show.

Here is a pic of Chuck Haas of Des Moines, who wanted to buy a Jointmaker Pro. This image was taken immediately after he asked me if we still offered Easy-Pay.

We all had a great time. AND, we did raise money for the Roger Cliff Memorial Fund–my favorite part. Yes, the Earthquake After Detectors were a big hit.

BTW, Cooter Ditchman is a genius.

–John

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“Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.” — Steven Wright
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Have you ever gone on vacation and been paralyzed with fear wondering if there has been an earthquake back home?

This is why I never take vacations. If you are like me, and I know you are, then you need to hop over to Woodworking in America and come by our booth.

Why?

Because our “Dream Team” of Jointmaker Owners will be making what is sure to be the most coveted souvenir of the weekend. Thanks to a reasonable license fee ($221,328.61) we just paid to Cooter Ditchman, we will be making his “Earthquake After Detector”.

Here is a view after an earthquake;

Choice quality stuff that fascinates and inspires is one thing–protecting you from irrational thoughts while on vacation is another. And, it is damn rare to combine these elements in one affordable product AND feature hand made Squiggle Wood. Of course we struggled–but DID IT!

How affordable you say?

For a meager $10 minimum donation, you can take one of these home. Assuming of course that our Jointmaker Dream Team performs as expected. (do not place an Earthquake After Detector in the master bedroom–too easy to get false readings) All funds will be given to the Roger Cliffe Memorial Fund administered through the Marc Adams School of Woodworking.

Imagine getting to our booth early to lay claim on one of the FIVE Jointmaker Pro demo units (how do you spell S-H-O-W S-P-E-C-I-A-L?) that can be hauled away Saturday at close of show. It is unbelievable I know, but you can own one of the very Jointmakers used to produce the Earthquake After Detector. How cool is that?

And that is how you make two days in Kentucky fun for all.

–John

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“Don’t expect anything original from an echo.” — Author Unknown
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Geez-I alluded to our upcoming dovetail plane, how it depends on our new dado soles to function, and what happens? The Drivel Starved Nation wants to know more–no rest for the weary around here..

I have made maybe 60 or 70 sliding dovetail joints during my furniture making career. I can say that this joint, at least for me, is one of the most difficult to master–there are so many variables that can leave you more than frustrated. The challenge makes it fun. But that was yesterday…

DAMN! Cooter Ditchman just walked in the office… I am going to hide under my d

“Hi John! Long time no see–did you drop sumpun’ under your desk?”

“Oh hi Cooter-what brings you to Portland?”

“In town for a pitchfork convention and have time to spare…what dat on your monitor?”

“I am working on our new sliding dovetail kits for the HP6v2 and..”

“Looks like the bottom has holes-never seen that before–what dat for?”

“Well Cooter, the system we have developed requires very little thinking-you make the male portion of the joint first, it’s easy, set the fence and cut the right then the left. For those joints longer than 6-8 inches, we will provide a system for tapering the joint. Then you use one of the new HP6v2 dado kits to plow a groove or dado in your stock along a center line. Because the dado sole will cut deeper than the dovetail sole, there is a very precise “shim sole” that fastens to the dado soles when used for sliding dovetails. Using the exact same blade depth setting used to make the male, the dovetail sole will bottom out in the dado or groove.

The only other variable to deal with is the width of the female. We have a new gizmo that will adjust the guides for an exact fit to the male–even if it is tapered.”

“That looks dandy. What is the CT-18 going to be?”

“Cooter, I am not going to tell–it is bad luck–I think your cell phone is ringing.”

“I don’t have no cell phone.”

“Well, I can hear it ringing.”

“OK, gotta go. Member, if you ever get to Floyds Knobs, look me up!”

Hey, his phone really was ringing.

Anyway, as I was saying, if making sliding dovetails is not as easy as making a rabbet, well my name ain’t Cooter Ditchman!

Couple of bullet points:

• When making the male, the plane sole rides on the surface of your stock, and the shoulders are cut with a circular scoring cutter.
• The exact same iron setting is used to make the female.
• We will do all the math for you. You will need to keep your iron sharp, and do the pushing.
• The iron cuts from the side. It will shrink after repeated sharpening and lose the relationship with the sole. How do you think we fixed that?
• Blind dovetails are accomplished by banding.
• You will be able to obtain two different shim soles for the dado kits to vary the height of your dovetails.
• Questions?

So, if you want to add an almost foolproof way to make sliding or tapered dovetails, it begins with our two new dado kits. Make sense?

THE MOST AMAZING OPTICAL ILLUSION I HAVE EVER SEEN DEPT:

Look at this image. Believe it or not, the blue and green stripes are the same color.  Read about it here.

–John

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“Trust that little voice in your head that says ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if…’ And then do it. ” — Duane Michals
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There is no progress without screw-ups, and I must be going somewhere fast because I have made too many mistakes the last two days. OK, last 30 years.

We just concluded our little caulking gun contest on this Totally Awesome, and Worthless Blog. Each of the Drivelite finalists won a whopping $50 gift certificate as a reward for their participation and creative spirit.

Here’s the oops part: if your entry was one of the finalists and your name is not Peter F., Mike B., Chris W., or Gary P., you need to send me your contact info (john@bridgecitytools.com). In my haste to rid my PC of clutter, I nuked the contest participant folder this morning. (I remember the names above because of the graft I proudly accepted by agreeing to include their entries…)

NEW TOOL DEPARTMENT:

The HP-6v2 Mini Multi-Plane is about to get a major versatility injection. We are pleased to announce the addition of two new dado/groove kits;  3/8″ and 1/2″.

Like all of the dado/groove kits, these new sizes will also cut with the grain, across the grain, and on end grain with zero tear-out (yes, you need a sharp iron). The reason they work so well is our unique scoring cutter which does two things; scores ahead of the iron, and determines the precise width of the cut.  They are reversible, depth adjustable, and easily sharpened on our “V” hone.  Here is a close-up;

Both of these new sizes will cut grooves, dados and rabbets (attach wooden shims to the bottom of the sole with double stick tape to restrict depth of cut). One or both of these dado profiles will be required when we introduce the sliding dovetail profiles in 2012. OOPS! That slipped. The maximum depth of cut is equal to the width of cut for both.

NEW HP-6v2 FENCE SYSTEM…
We are discontinuing the original fence system and replacing it with a new, dual purpose fence. (NOTE: If you have the original fences, you DO NOT need this fence system.) Milled from aluminum, these fences will work with all of our profiles, either with the miter guide option or as a side guide. FYI, by using two straight fences for grooves (the set-up pictured below) assures your cut will be parallel to the sides.

Also visible in the image above (and below) are the new accessory long posts. They work great when added capacity is needed. (If you haven’t visited our HP-6 Forum lately, check out Rutager West’s latest HP-6v2 project)

Lastly, your Tool Potentate is far from perfect. We are now going to discontinue the original clamp pad with a magnetized version. I don’t know how many times I have dropped that part…

If you don’t have an HP-6v2, we are doing our annual manufacturing run this fall and we are now accepting pre-orders. Delivery will be late December/early January.

3/8″ and 1/2″ grooves are two of the most common cuts in the woodworking community. From drawers to cases to whatever, you can now make flawless cuts while listening to Rocky II (Rachmaninoff’s Symphony no. 2).

It doesn’t get any better than that.

–John

PS: The email announcing pricing and availability should be in your inbox before weeks end.

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“Humanity can be quite cold to those whose eyes see the world differently.” — Eric A. Burns
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Every action has an unintended consequence–or so it seems. Our little Caulking Contest created quite the political uproar over on the Talkfestool Forum–make sure you have a full cup of coffee before reading.

Thanks to all who participated and those who voted. Now for the VALUABLE FREE PRIZE! To each of the finalists, coming to your inbox in the next day or so will be a $50 gift certificate (multiple entries count as one). I like this contest and next year it will be better. This year, everybody was a winner.

LAST CALL DEPARTMENT

We extended the pre-order deadline for the HP-8 until next Monday–our goof regarding it being so close to a holiday weekend.

We are offering this incredible little plane in both stainless and brass. Personally, I cannot wait to get mine because the ability to create uniform thick parts is a huge deal to me–I have several interesting projects that I want to build that this tool makes possible. BTW, in our tests here, we are able to plane multiple parts to thickness within 0.002″ or BETTER using the skids.

COMING LATER THIS WEEK DEPARTMENT
Of all the HP6v2 profiles, I have the most fun demonstrating the dado profiles because the scoring cutter (nicker) allows you to cut with the grain, across the grain, or on end grain with equal ease with nary a torn fiber. This week we are unleashing for pre-order the 3/8″ and 1/2″ dado profiles. This offer is coming to your inbox later this week–these are perfect for drawer making.

Also, we will introduce the new HP6v2 fence system. If you own the original HP6v2 fence (with wood runners) YOU DO NOT NEED THIS FENCE! That said, we would be happy to make one for you.

INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE DEPARTMENT…
I took a couple of days off to stretch the holiday weekend and came across some really talented designers: please meet shoe designer Kobi Levi; and his wonderful imagination…

I think his work is a blast (love the gum heel!)–and I bet your mind is now thinking of shoe ideas–or at the very least, a caulk tube idea or two…

–John

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“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart,…you’ll know when you find it.” — Steve Jobs
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Well now…

In attempt to get the Drivel Starved Nation to begin thinking outside the box, we created a contest where they could caulk themselves into oblivion. And since this contest has a VALUABLE FREE PRIZE at stake, we thought it appropriate to let the Drivelites (yes, I just made that up) vote. Here are the entries, (no particular order);

ENTRY 1

ENTRY 2

ENTRY 3

ENTRY 4

ENTRY 5

ENTRY 6

ENTRY 7

ENTRY 8

ENTRY 9

These nine finalist were culled from thousands. Sorta.

Help me decide! Look. Study. Decide…before the eggs of a 1000 Mongolian Death Worms invade your thoughts…

Furthermore, this should jump start some ideas for you non-participants. We are going to do this again next summer–I think.

–John

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“A fool-proof method for sculpting an elephant: first, get a huge block of marble; then you chip away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.” — Author Unknown
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Two weeks ago I found myself in NYC without a place to stay. This was the perfect beginning to my week of inspiration seeking.

After a bit of research in a mid-town coffee house (utilizing their wireless connection), I found a great deal on a hotel in lower Manhattan, with a soul-searching view.

The World Center Hotel (a luxury hotel with deeply discounted rates until this project is complete) is adjacent to “Ground Zero” and in the pic above (from my room), you can clearly see the footprints of the former twin towers. They will become fountains/reflecting pools when complete. The image below shows the progress of the Freedom Tower–they are working on the 70th floor.

I walked over to the site each morning on my way uptown and spent a good half-hour each day observing the thousands of visitors from around the world who are paying their respects as tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches–an amazing experience.

Now For Some Woodworking/Design….
One of the most famous chairs in the world is the Superleggera Chair by Gio Ponti. And until this trip, I had never seen one in person. Wow.

The Supperleggera Chair was a design with a specific criteria: easily lifted by a child–with one finger.

I first saw pictures of Gio Ponti’s iconic chair in the ’70′s. I am pleased to share that the entire chair weighs less than 4 lbs. It is one of the most amazingly constructed chairs–from the trilobal leg design to the graceful arch of the back…I played with one for almost an hour. It first entered the market in 1957. Current versions are just under $2,000 ea.

You can’t touch/feel/lift this chair without thinking that “less is more”. In addition, I found the painted variations way more beautiful than the basic wood version. This is not uncommon with great designs–paint accents the form in a way that is obscured in some cases by wood grain.

The work of Gio Ponti is worthy of continued interest if design is your focus. He was an amazing human being.

–John

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“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect from yourself, from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.” — Robert Fritz
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Geez, in six weeks Woodworking in America opens–can’t wait this year because of our “experiment”.

We are going to have several booths putting numerous Jointmaker Pro’s through their paces. No, that is not the “experiment”.

Both Michael and I will be there. No, that is not the “experiment” either.

Our booths will be manned by customers. Yes, this is the experiment.

I know our “Dream Team” members are chomping at the bit for me to lift the gag order on how we selected them (payola if you must know–I am almost rich. Again.). Thought you might enjoy knowing who will be showing off their Jointmaker Pro skills;

For you Drivel Starved Nation regulars, the name Rutager West is no stranger. He hails from Minnesota and is a jig and fixture genius. You will love talking with him.

When we were soliciting victims volunteers, I received an email with the following header: Oh! Oh! Pick me! Pick me!
I am a sucker for begging but Paul-Marcel St-Onge is not. He will be flying in from Arizona to show off his JMP skills.

Being from Iowa, I am thrilled to share that Iowan Laurie Bergen will join the team. Although we have never met, at least I don’t think we have ever met, I am looking forward to seeing her JMP work. Oh, her JMP works, meant to say can wait to see her work on a JMP.

Last but not least, representing the beautiful state of Colorado is Joimtmaker Pro owner Masood Garahi. Masood was a student at my Creative Thinking class this past spring, and jumped at the chance to come to WIA. This guy has more energy than a Forumla 1 car–lot’s of fun too!

More on all of these folks later–this is going to be the most fun trade-show we have ever done. (Note-to-self: Make payment on credit card before leaving Portland). We will have other tools on display as well, but primarily, we are going to build stuff with the JMP’s. I hope you can join us!

Now For Something Completely Different Dept.

Last week I visited approximately 150 galleries in NYC over 5 days. Here are a couple of whimsical pieces that were in a prominent gallery–at least I hope they are whimsical…

I loved these things–snow globes that is…

These were about 5-6″ in diameter. I will get to the woodworking discoveries later…

–John

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“I have only to look at something, anything, and it can instantly give me an idea. Whether a face, an object, or an event, it can immediately suggest a shape to create, in painting, in photography, in sculpture…. It isn’t a document, it isn’ the direct impression of this object or this event, it is the result of this impression, which immediately gushes out.” — Man Ray; Interview with Pierre Bourgeade, Paris, 1972
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Yo! Drivel Starved Nation, gather round, there are stories to tell…

I have been out of the office the past two weeks–the first week to celebrate the beginning of my seventh decade, and last week? Well, I went fishin’…

There are two reasons people fish. One is to catch fish I suppose. The other, and perhaps more important, are the long stretches of nothingness, because nothing is more important at times, than nothing.

Don’t believe me? Then you know nothing too.

My plan was to spend a week in New York City, the largest and best stocked pond in the world for creative expression. Specifically, I went fishin’ for ideas.

I had arranged to spend the week in Manhattan with a friend, but at the last minute, I found myself in need of a hotel. Went to a coffee shop with WiFi and started surfing for a place to stay–and although I don’t make furniture anymore, I still consider myself a woodworker so the absolutely cheapest hotel was the only acceptable option. Found the following place in Brooklyn–$40 per night, here is a pic of the room:

I asked about an upgrade but had no freakin’ idea of what language the hotel clerk was speaking. Here is the view from the sole window which was missing both panes of glass–good thing it is summer…;

This room was going to work about as well as a Groz plane…

And imagine my surprise when the only art in the room was this picture;

I normally wouldn’t bother you with this image however it contained the only intact piece of glass in the entire hotel.

I have lots of stories to share, some discoveries, and will do so over the coming weeks. Needless to say, this view of Mt. Hood was a welcome relief–it was good to come home.

–John

PS: The images of the hotel and the street scene are actually cell phone pics from a couple of miniature sets (about 18″ square) from the exhibition; “Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities” which runs through September 18th at the Museum of Arts and Design.

Sorry for the leg yank, it wouldn’t be drivel if it were true.
–John again

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“Nothing is done. Everything in the world remains to be done or done over. The greatest picture is not yet painted, the greatest play isn’t written, the greatest poem is unsung. There isn’t in all the world a perfect railroad, nor a good government, nor a sound law. Physics, mathematics, and especially the most advanced and exact of the sciences are being fundamentally revised. . . Psychology, economics, and sociology are awaiting a Darwin, whose work in turn is awaiting an Einstein.” — Lincoln Steffens
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Website Changes
As mentioned a couple of posts back, we have been modifying our website to be more useful for our customers. There is now a “Schedule” tab on our home page that will take you to updates on everything we are making. Our goal is to make this page not only a schedule, but a learning tool for those of you who are not in manufacturing. The numerous steps and processes required to bring a product from our web store to your door can be fascinating. At least we hope to make it that way. If you have comments or suggestions regarding our production schedule info, please chime in!

CT-17′s…
75% of our orders have now been shipped. We will get the balance out in the next couple of weeks. So…for those of you who now have this tool in your hand, how ’bout a virtual penny for your thoughts? Good or Bad, we want to hear what you have to say.

Oh Gee…Ogee!
Ogee is a term loosely used to describe all curved moldings. Next week we will ship two new profiles in the ogee family that are simply a joy to use. Watching these profiles emerge from a square corner is an amazing experience. Feeling the results is equally enjoyable. The pic below illustrates how crisp the details can be with a sharp iron…

Like everything we make, these were all pre-sold. Looks like we might have 5-10 sets remaining, and if this interests you, call 1-800-253-3332 and get your name on the wait list.

Regarding profiles that are not in stock…we think we have some good news. I spoke with one of our suppliers this week and they are willing to do very small runs when they are “tacked” on to one of our big runs. More details to follow. We will be introducing two new profiles in mid-to late August, so we may be able fill in some holes for many of you.

On My Way To Work Department…
When running a company you never know when you are going to meet future employees–especially walking to work at 6:30 in the AM. Yesterday was so nice here in Portland I hoofed it to work–it is 4.5 miles each way but almost 3 miles is through Tryon Creek State Park. And although I rarely bump into people, yesterday I think I found a perfect candidate for our next “Production Scheduler”. And as it so happened, I had plenty of time to snap a pic…

And now, as I edit this Totally Awesome and Worthless Blog, this pic of Cornu aspersa (formerly Helix aspersa, Cantareus aspersus, and Cryptomphalus aspersus…aren’t you impressed? Don’t be, I cut and pasted it from the link above, which is everything you need to know about Brown Garden Snails) has given me yet another visual to use in my Design workshops. Just look at the richness in this critter–texture is everywhere–including an unforeseen beauty found in the close-up of the asphalt.

Isn’t it amazing what the world has to offer when you take the time to look?

–John