As promised last week, here are further specs on the CT-17 Dual Angle Block Plane;

Weight: 748 grams/1.65 lbs
Overall Height in Use: 61.2 mm/2.41 inches
Sole Length: 162.5 mm/6.4 inches
Sole Width: 48.75 mm/1.92 inches
Iron Width: 34.92 mm/1.375 inches
Iron Finish: Back, Optical Lap < 4 RMS
Iron Thickness: 4 mm/.16 inch
Iron Material; A2 Tool Steel, Rc 60-62, Cryo treated
Iron Bevels: Low Angle: 30 Degrees (25 primary +5 deg. micro bevel), Regular: 35 Degrees (30 primary +5 deg. micro bevel)
Iron Tension: Adjustable
Depth of Cut, Change per Revolution: .025mm/.001 inch
Throat Opening Range: 0 – 4 mm/.15 inches
Maximum Blade Cant : 2.5 Degrees
Sides to Sole Squareness: plus/minus .05mm/.002 inch
Materials: 304 Stainless, Steel Pivots
Blade Guard: Anodized Aluminum, Resides in Plane during use, attaches to back edge of iron for sharpening (affixed via 2 rare earth magnets)
Finish: Interior of body & components; glass bead finish, sides abrasively grained, pivots black oxide. Cap is polished. There is no black chrome on this piece.

Traditionally, most metal block planes use a cross-pin to anchor the chip breaker/cap to the body which holds the iron in place. By eliminating this pin, we were able to address the ergonomics of the tool with new light. The pic below, utilizes one of the stereo lithography models to illustrate the hand position where the index finger rests directly behind and above the cutting edge in a contoured pocket–this I am excited about because it feels great;

The design of the body is “circle centric” as circles were the predominate theme in the tool–they are everywhere and accentuated when possible to reinforce the theme. As illustrated below, the main holes in the body make grasping the tool securely easy and without much effort–it feels like it belongs in the hand…

The pic below illustrates the most traditional hand position using a block plane;

Although not illustrated here, the front “tote” pivots for two hand use and the inclination can be adjusted to suit your tastes.

For the past couple of years I have been wallowing in the money pit of radio controlled helicopters–while on my work retreat I realized they have had quite a subtle influence in my work over the past year or so. With the CT-17, I consciously used the influence as a design criteria as you can see below…

Regarding the clues in this totally awesome and worthless blog;

Clue # 1 was a close-up/abstract of the “tail pipe” depth adjuster.

Clue # 2 involved the making of the video. The blade lock mechanism is not linear and at thirty frames per second, I needed to know the exact location of the clamp arm, cap and link throughout the range of motion when opening and closing. This involved a sequence of 12 individual frames to open and 12 to close–the animation software we use is not constraint or interference based so I had to do it manually. This illustration below should bring clarity…

The rest of the clues should make sense now.

Regarding the video, it was put together by Michael who also wrote the music beat. Editing by yours truly, hosted by YouTube.  You are probably thinking, I would love to see that again! Here ya go;

For those of you curious about the software we used in this project (not in any particular order); Cobalt, SharkFX, HyperShot, HyperMove, Premier Pro, PhotoShop, Excel and FantaMorph.

On a personal note, I have been deeply troubled by the story of Phoebe Prince (the Massachusetts high school freshman who took her own life after relentless bullying by classmates). Why, we as a culture allow this kind of thing to happen is beyond my ability to comprehend. I was once told that bad people exist because good people do nothing.

So, on a much less serious scale–completely insignificant in comparison–but nevertheless related, we here at Bridge City deeply appreciate those of you who take the time to correct some of the inaccuracies and mean spirited posts circulating on the internet regarding this tool. It is a huge step in making the internet a much more useful tool.

More questions regarding the CT-17? You know where to find me.

Thanks to all for making this project so much fun. For those of you who earned a $50 Gift Certificate, you can expect an email sometime in the next 10 days–Natasha, aka. “The Gift Certificate Queen” is on vacation this week.

–John

I want to thank all of you crazy people for participating in the CT-17 guessing game–although nobody won the $100,000,000,000 prize, EVERYBODY who contributed to this thread (up until noon 4/15) has a $50 Gift Certificate coming–I thought this was fun.  AND, I have at least two new ideas to pursue!

Should we do this again next year?  What if I bumped first prize up to $100,000,000,000,000?

Oh, I almost forgot; here’s a little clip of the CT-17…our website/store will be updated later today.

Thanks again-for making this all possible.

Now I get to go home and do my taxes. I know I am not getting a refund but we are hoping you do!

–John

Tomorrow (sometime) we announce Commemorative Tool #17. We are optimistic you will find it to be a compelling tool–the internet? We are bracing ourselves for the buckets of crap to come.   (I should be more professional but even Tool Potentates have a weak moment or three…)

From my perspective, I think it will be one of the best in the series, maybe top two (the eggbeater drill is still my favorite), but ultimately you will decide. That said, here is the final clue;

-John

Rarely do I keep track of my hours on a tool but the CT-17 has been easy–I haven’t worked on much else since my work retreat in January.  This adds up to about 300 hours of fun for me.  Some of the components of the CT-17 were designed, and redesigned, almost 30 times.  Why? Because of Dunhill’s Maxim:

“It must be useful, it must work dependably, it must be beautiful, it must last, it must be the best of it’s kind.”

This is, I believe is the best set of guiding principles one could ever adopt.

As many of you know, for the past couple of years I have spent much of what little free time I have learning how to perfect the art of crashing model helicopters.  What makes this fun is the solitude of sitting at my little repair table and fixing what broke on my latest three second flight.

During this process I became a fan of helicopter parts–all have been reduced to their essence–no excess weight, materials appropriate for the function, aerodynamics when applicable and engineering that is just plain sexy– a Hiller rotorhead (amongst others) is a kinetic work of art.

Starting with the CT-14, where we skeletonized the body of a shoulder plane, we have embraced “helicopter ethics” in our work (when possible). For me, I am continually asking myself,  “Is this the least amount of material to work and remain functional both physically, emotionally and aesthetically?”  The CT-15 was also designed with minimalism in mind as was the DSS-6 Double Square and the DJ-1 Drilling Jig. After all these years (27 and counting…barely most of the time), I think these pieces are amongst our best work.

There are two reasons for sharing this information; one, prior to making a single chip in metal, a great deal of resources (time and prototypes) were dedicated to the form and function of the CT-17–this is a lesson easily and frequently skipped by hobbyists (and some pros). I have always asked students in  my design classes; ”How many of you figure out what you are making while you are making it?’  The show of hands is almost always unanimous–not good. Interestingly, if I were to only make one of these, the total time from idea to finished product would be ratio of about 10:1 in favor of the design time.

Second, by sharing that I have an undeniable influence in this case (model helicopters) I am suggesting that influences are everywhere. I almost got killed one day walking across the street because I stopped to marvel at the design cast into a manhole cover (cell phone cameras have given me a new lease on life).  One of my furniture pieces in our “Original Design” forum was inspired by the landing lights of the Portland International Airport. There is such a huge difference between “looking” and “seeing”  that you never know what direction your work will take as you progress in the world of design.

Personally, my work is seriously fun and I can’t wait to share the CT-17 with you. And speaking of fun, Clue #8 is pictured below.

–John

Well now–two more clues coming, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. So here is something to nibble on…

–John

This Thursday we announce the CT-17. For a yet to be named totally awesome prize, and just maybe prizes, we are leaking clues that could lead up to the discovery of the identity of the CT-17  prior to Thursday’s announcement. I doubt the prize, or prizes, worth around 100K will  be claimed and thankfully will remain unfunded on my end.  Why?

This much we know, the winner(s) will share the following traits;

• has nothing better to do than hang out on this worthless blog–this is so sad.
  
• can’t follow instructions
• understands that CT-17 clues harder than “What is your name?” are extraordinarily difficult.
• right now, at this very minute, should be in the shop making something but is not.
• Probably should not buy the CT-17 until ALL the blog addiction therapy sessions are complete.

–John

Here is clue #6;

Here is a reenactment of a conversation with Michael yesterday;

“What the hell is up with those obscure clues?”

“They are easy–I don’t get what is taking so long.”

“DUDE, NOT EVERYBODY IS AS WEIRD AS YOU!”

The only reason I am sharing this is as a paper trail for Michael’s next performance review. How do you spell “raise” backwards?

So, whoever guessed that zinc had an atomic number of 30 was spot on. Combine that with (F)oxtrot, (P)apa and (S)ierra and anybody with half a brain will see 30 fps. Thirty frames per second! Someone else with half a brain is making a MOVIE of the MOVING PARTS of the CT-17. That would be me. The graph provided data points for frames in a movie–to move you can’t remain still… movies are made by stringing together a boatload of stills…how easy is that?

Now, let’s move on with LESS OBSCURE clues. Here is Clue #5…

This is the last clue until Sunday. Unfortunately I have been spending so much time as a huckster on my blog I forgot we need to sell stuff–I am off to Chicago for the weekend. If you are in the area, come on by and we can talk about stuff after you buy some stuff. Any stuff.

–John

Wow-just mention a prize and what happens? We awaken the gene pool of the parsimonious.

Welcome to all newbies–this is the place where John (that would be me) reinforces the fact that really cool tools come from the smallest of minds.

For the last 17 years we have produced one tool we pledge never to duplicate again.  This series annually commemorates our incredible, ongoing relationship with our best customers. Commemorative tools are only offered to our Founder’s Circle members–the tent pole of Bridge City Tool Works.

If possible, we add a symbol of luck by embedding a United States penny in each edition and I am pleased to share that Commemorative Tool #17 will not be penniless.

When I sit down to design a commemorative tool I have a copy of Alfred Dunhill’s maxim in front of me which states;

“It must be useful, it must work dependably, it must be beautiful, it must last, it must be the best of it’s kind”.

That quote is a tough taskmaster and I encourage you, and anybody and everybody who makes things to consider adopting it before beginning the next project.

Nobody knows what the tool will be until I am finished. (Oops, that is a lie, I do tell Louie dog and Jitter dog–both of whom have been easily sworn to silence with a Milk-Bone.) Our customers are typically notified 1-3 days after our staff–it is a fun tradition here and the announcement is highly anticipated by our customers. These tools have always been about showcasing the art of toolmaking and as such, there have never been any restrictions in the process–each tool is what it is and cost what it costs without a single thought to market potential. Whether we sell 100 or 3000, it doesn’t matter.

This year however, things are a little different. We had a visitor in January who is an active participant in the online woodworking community (name rhymes with Peter Franks)  who saw one of the stereo lithography models sitting on my desk that I used to quantify/verify ergonomics. The cat bailed from the bag.

So, we decided to have some fun this year on my blog (you all really have better things to do I hope…)  by inviting guesses as to what we are going to produce leading up to the April 15th announcement date.

As with all treasure type hunts, the clues start out vague/difficult and get easier as they progress. That said, don’t forget; “It must be useful, it must work dependably, it must be beautiful, it must last, it must be the best of it’s kind”.

Let’s review;

Clue #1 was an abstract close-up. It reveals the presence of stainless steel.

Clue #2 was an abstract image titled “There is Beauty in Numbers” and invited an answer as to why the image was incredibly useful to me.

As you read through the posts, you will learn that a Bridge City sleuth correctly deduced that the image was a graphical representation of data (numbers), hence “There is Beauty in Numbers”. I don’t think it is even remotely possible to guess what this tool is at this point. One inquiring mind suggested the lines represented a linkage and perhaps he is correct–if he were to assemble it correctly…

The “guesses” have been insightful and humorous–looking at the image and deducing that we are going to make a “smelt net” is a bit out there–and a big thanks to Cooter Ditchman for that jewel.

Clue #3 offered four words, Sierra, Papa, Zinc, Foxtrot as the reason why the numbers are important to me–not you. Between a couple of tool detectives, all aspects of this clue have been correctly uncovered but have yet to be correctly assembled….

Clue #4 (Use this clue to decipher clue 3)
“To move, you cannot remain still.”

Clue #5 (which will be announced this Thursday) will be an actual part of Commemorative Tool #17 for you to ponder.

So the question still remains, why are these numbers important to me–not you. And by figuring this out, you will be on your way to ultimately identifying what this tool is no sooner than next Wednesday if I have my way!

Remember, in order to win a prize, you can’t just be hot, you have to be really hot to win a “Whoppie in Woolies” award.

–John

Clue number 2, titled “There is Beauty in Numbers” referenced the image below…

I shared that the image was of particular importance to me. Hint: I need this more than you.

“Care to guess what purpose this image serves?” Hint: It’s about the purpose of the image.

Rutager figured out it was for data contained within the image. I then was forced to disclose that the image was indeed created for the empirical data it provided. He won a “Whoopie in Woolies” award because his answer was damn hot–get it?

So, here we are and inquiring minds are dying of thirst…

CLUE NUMBER 3:

The purpose of the image can be solved with these 4 words;

Sierra, Papa, Zinc, Foxtrot

Moving forward, I will only post when you warm me up–tired of the cold. The ultimate goal* of course is winning a “Whoopie in Woolies” award which only can go to the hottest of the hot.

Oh, you don’t have much time because we are unleashing the CT-17 on Thursday, April 15th. (Most Americans hate that day. We want to give you a reason to like it–clever don’t you think?)

–John

*Last but not least, I have decided that when this is all over, there might be a bigger prize–if you value your time with such disregard as to follow the nonsense and blatant hucksterism in this blog, don’t you think somebody should win something? A Mongolian Death Worm perhaps? Hint: You can’t win if you don’t play.

We are getting closer to announcing Commemorative Tool # 17–we think it might be the best yet, but you will ultimately be… the decider!  (had to throw some politics into that sentence to remain topical)

Below is an incredibly useful image created in the latter design phases of the CT-17–useful to me that is.

The clue:  “There is beauty in numbers.”

Care to guess what purpose this  image serves?

–John

PS: Consider this fair warning to a certain Oceanographer who saw an early version of this tool while in Portland a couple of months ago–I will use my considerable Tool Potentate Powers if any of your comments betray my weak moment while you were here… let’s start by pondering the following phrase: Banned for life.

I love power!