Thanks to the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, we Americans inherited a collection of units known as the Imperial system. Imperial units are unbelievably accurate and superior to the metric system in every way–and I can prove it with a singular question:
What is 17-17/32″ divided by three?
And you thought a six-star Sudoku puzzle was hard.
Fortunately, woodworkers are constantly dividing things in half, a much easier task than the gasket blowing problem above (5-27/32″ is the correct answer–took me a day and a half, or .15 payroll period to figure this out ). Try it yourself–dividing 17-17/32″ by two only took me four hours.
Approximately 520 payroll periods ago, we introduced the CS-1 Center Scribe, a cool tool to help Inch Land woodworkers find the center of things without time-consuming calculations. Inchlanders often struggle with the efficiency of Imperial measurements and our CS-1 Center Scribe quickly became one of our most sought after tools to this day.
About 104 payroll periods ago, improvements to the CS-1 came upon me. Fully charged for the redesign, the muse arrived unannounced bearing news of the VP-60 Adjustable Pitch Plane. Immediately thereafter, who should reappear with a radical new design for shoulder planes? And for the past year, I have been obsessed with the Jointmaker Pro–likely the most scrutinized new tool introduction I’ve known.
The image below is of our new, improved Center Scribe.
Briefly, here are the improvements;
Zero backlash or slippage–no gears.
Holds a pencil
Finds centers on square, round or rectangular stock lightning-fast.
Does not react with humidity
Field adjustable if needed
Smoother feel
More precisely scribed centerlines (not pencil lines for obvious reasons), accurate to within .002″
To learn more, visit the CS-2 Center Scribe pre-production page. And if the CS-2 looks like something you can use, click the panel that states “Notify me when this item is back in stock.” By adding your name to this database we have a much better idea of our manufacturing quantities–you are not placing an order.
Thanks to a suggestion by a good engineering friend, this tool is crazy smooth and accurate. I hope you like it because… well, it’s a payroll thing.
Well, it’s a little after midnight and AGAIN I find it hard to go to sleep. I just spent almost 12 hours on the Popular Woodworking campus talking about the Jointmaker Pro. Although this trip was all about business, I would not dare call it work, only because there was free food, and plenty of dead cicadas… DETOUR: We don’t have cicadas in Oregon (if we do I am sure someone will correct me) and this much dead biomass is fascinating. And loud. Before they die that is. Do the math here–17 years as a hibernating nymph buried next to a big, fat tree root, wake up hungrier than a teenager without a refrigerator, munch on tree sap until the libido overwhelms, spend a couple of hours at the screaming mimi cicada bunny ranch and then croak from exhaustion… This isn’t so bad when you think about it…no SAT tests, background checks, or exit polls–just an incredible, one week, no-strings-attached love fest. Reincarnation requests anyone? How about a Jamba Juice Tree Sap Smoothie?
I digress. Approximately 60 people ventured into Cincinnati to eat free pizza and listen to my Silent Woodworking spiel. (Not quite as bad as one of those guilt ridden timeshare meetings…I hope.)
It is hard to tell if people had a good time, but I found it fun. As many of you know, Chris Schwarz claimed that the cut from the Jointmaker Pro was the cleanest saw cut he has ever seen–by any method. Of course the Woodworking Taliban pilloried him for such nonsense and I believe, if any of the attendees step forward, his critics will join the cicadas in the belly of a street sweeper.
After my presentation, the Jointmaker Pro was moved to the shop and all interested were allowed to make cuts. There were plenty of smiles–and frankly that was worth the trip. I am leaving the prototype with the Popular Woodworking crew for the next month for further play and testing. Oh, and a small detail — nobody lost any digits.
I was treated like a dignitary (I am not, and NEVER want to be) so I had four pieces of pizza, two of which were onion–without which we would still be talking about the Woodworking Taliban at a local watering hole. Smart people, those Popular Woodworking folks.
Thanks to a gracious invite from Chris Schwarz and the Popular Woodworking staff, I will be heading out to Cincinnati for a June 19 presentation on “Silent Woodworking”. This will be an informal, up-close and personal affair centered around our new Jointmaker Pro and several new profiles for the HP6-v2 Mini Multi-Plane. These folks are passionate about hand woodworking and Chris and staff are terrific hosts. The event is F-R-E-E and includes a buffet of real food. Everybody is welcome to give the Jointmaker Pro a go before I go–you will be amazed at what can be done without a power cord.
We are limited to the first 60 attendees because the Cincinnati fire marshal just does not get the concept of free food and woodworkers. Dinner begins at six and if you can make it, I would love to meet you in person (Chris too). In addition to a couple of surprises I have up my sleeve, these things have a habit of spilling over to a local bingo hall afterwards for more serious discussions.
RSVP ASAP via email to Megan Fitzpatrick; Megan.Fitzpatrick@fwpubs.com
I hope to see you there!
-John
The Jointmaker Pro can do things without power that are unimaginable. It is an impressive tool that you can try yourself on June 19th in Cincinnati.
This image vividly illustrates the accuracy capabilities of the Jointmaker Pro. The material is hard-rock maple and was made with 10 strokes.
It is always fun around here when an idea becomes reality. Later this week our new honing guide will be in stock. Although I designed this tool with the specific needs of sharpening our HP6 profiled irons in mind, it will work on just about every tool in your shop. Here’s a peek of the tool in action…
As you can see, the rear roller is flat. We have had several inquiries regarding a roller that is crowned to facilitate relieving the corners of wide plane irons. Although this sounds like a good idea, the math makes no practical sense. For example, if one wants to relieve the corners of a plane iron by .002″-.003″, the crown in the honing guide roller would be around .001″. This is just not a practical idea (in our opinion) when the same results can be achieved with finger pressure applied to each corner during honing. If a more severe crown is required, a barrel shaped roller might make sense, and if you have that need, you can easily remove the stock roller and insert a shop made roller (wood will work) for your needs.
Lastly, it is not clear in this clip but the clamping bridle pivots and will accommodate aggressively tapered tools–the most common of which are Japanese chisels.
Each year, for the past 14 years, we have produced a limited edition Commemorative Tool with the pledge to never make its identical version again. Last year’s edition, one of the more radical designs in the series and one of the most unique, was inspired by my first real fox sighting (you can see the stylized fox profile in the rear of the tool). Commemorative Tool #14, the Fox Tail Shoulder Plane, is now completely sold out (with the exception of a couple of blems with minor cosmetic flaws) and it is time to move on–again. If you missed it the first time around, here is a detailed review of the Foxtail Shoulder plane by David Mathias.
Farewells are often softened with strong memories. The images below, courtesy of our talented photographer, Joe Felzman, are provided as a final tribute to one of my all-time favorite tools.
Our HP6v2 owners are a passionate group. The really smart customers take my summer classes at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and upon completion enter the enchanted world of creativity and return home a woodworking genius. (I hope my kids are reading this…).
Take Rutager West for example. He bicycles twenty miles to work each and every day, all year long, in MINNESOTA! Yikes! Rutager also happens to be an equally dedicated woodworker who cannot stand the noise, the dust and the risks associated with power tools, particularly routers. Rutager makes boxes and cases. He recently told me in my “CAD for Woodworkers” class that our HP6v2 has changed his life–and cannot wait to receive his Jointmaker Pro. Now that is pretty cool, and speaking of cool, check out some of the things he has been making with the amazing little HP6v2 Mini Multi-Plane… these are details of the frames and components he shows prospective customers–all without sanding! And if you are as impressed as we are, I am certain he would appreciate reading your comments.
The above frame used HP6v2 Mini Multi-Plane corner bead and rabbet kits. It is stunning craftsmanship.
The multi-bead soles (available in four sizes) are a great way to add texture. These shavings in ebony and an unidentified hardwood speak volumes for the capabilities of the HP6v2.
Using the V-groove sole, Rutager plowed a recess to receive the molding made with the corner cove sole which also made the cove on the edge–beautiful work. I don’t know how he makes his laminations!
This frame detail uses the following sole/iron kits for the HP6v2; rabbet, corner bead, and corner radius–all without a grain of sandpaper.
Another view–THANK YOU Rutager for sharing your work!
I’ve been teaching classes at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking for about 187 years now–give or take a few weeks. Mainly I enjoy the free lunches. And my students. And Marc Adams. And the occasional blank check he sends me–in that order.
Tuesday evenings feature an informal dinner where teachers respond to woodworking questions with their mouths full of food. Around 7:00 post meridian time, instructors share their work with overly satiated students who need sleep. It is really interesting and if you don’t believe me, take a class–it’s a great school.
This year I shared a working prototype of our new Jointmaker Pro saw. It is a hybrid tool, part miter box/chop saw/table saw. It requires no power, is unbelievably accurate and conversationally quiet. I was a bit nervous because I really needed live feedback by real woodworkers–hopefully positive feedback. Afterwards, in my tent by the freeway, I faded believing the demonstration went well.
The next day, Marc Adams, who ironically goes by the name of Marc Adams, shared that my presentation went well. I asked him what he thought about the new saw.
DETOUR:Marc has informed me on numerous occasions that he lives in Indiana and it is no coincidence that Indiana is the largest veneer producing state in America. It’s a long story–take my word for it and don’t bring the subject up in his presence.
So he blurts, “I bet it won’t cut veneer.” (Hallmarks of friendship include confrontational challenges, brute honesty and the assumption that your friend is listening…)
Imagine my surprise when Marc supplied me with a stack of veneer, and taught me AGAIN that IF this works, it would be called PARQUETRY, not MARQUETRY. Thanks Marc.
The picture below illustrates how cutting veneer on the Jointmaker Pro is not only fast but dead-on perfect.
I don’t know why, but I wake up in the middle of the night so frequently I wonder why I go to bed in the first place. Last August, while you were likely asleep, I was wide awake fretting how woodworkers tend to put their fingers at risk when sawing small stock. Then an idea came upon me…
With patents pending, we will soon introduce a completely new way to crosscut wood and make joinery entirely by hand. And although this saw really shines with small stock, it will cut hardwood or softwood up to 6″ in width and 1-5/8″ thick, which is the vast majority of crosscuts for most. It is quiet, accurate, and the cut is so smooth no further work is necessary for cleanup. It is rather remarkable because accuracy like this has never been possible without power. There is also no need for hearing protection, dust collection and it is very safe.
Many woodworkers view new ideas with a bias towards their own skills and techniques and are slow to embrace change–woodworking is the most anachronistic hobby in America. So, over the past four months I have given demonstrations to several different groups of woodworkers to determine interest in this newway of cutting wood. We also demonstrated the saw in Cologne, Germany in March. I will write more later, but until then, check out the two images below - all of these cuts were hand sawn! We think you will agree, these images are strong indicators of a tool that rivals, and exceeds in many cases, the capability of power-hungry alternatives.
-John
These two boards were cut entirely by hand with a new handsaw from Bridge City. The cuts are smooth, accurate and depth is consistent within .002″ on every cut. Each board took about 10 minutes and is comprised of 88 individual cuts.
In an effort to fully understand the capabilities of our new saw, we quickly cut angled cuts into two pieces of wood and nested them. This is amazing when one considers no power was used. Each piece was cut in approximately 5 minutes and consists of 42 individual hand cuts.
Last fall I crossed paths with a sandwich board on my walk to lunch (O.K., I tripped). As I walked around the sign I had one of those moments where I saw something that wasn’t there (typically I imagineIRS agents—they’re everywhere you know…) The offending culprit is pictured below.
Empirically we understand concrete is a painful abrasive (knees never forget) and while regaining my balance I imagined the sidewalk as an endless… abrasive… honing stone… and I was tripping over a… crude honing guide! Sounds weird,but a ray of light leaked into my cranial garden and in that instant, an idea germinated.
I returned from lunch, grabbed a chisel and mocked up the idea using my Razr cell phone. That was all the validation I needed to pursue the development of our HG-1 Honing Guide. And we are thrilled with the results. (In a pinch, a cell phone makes a crappy honing guide, but as you can see, schematically it worked out very well. Don’t be surprised if the “Woodworking Taliban” embraces this ridiculous cell phone alternative …)
The HG-1 is completely different than previous designs. Most significant is the built-in squaring guide which will keep cutting edges that have to be square to the sides in perfect alignment (shoulder plane irons are one example). The other new development is the infinitely adjustable micro-bevel system controlled by the knob at the back of the plane. This was a crucial development for this tool because of the profiled irons our HP-6 Mini Multi-Plane employs.
We will formally announce this new product (and the reference set-up guide for precise primary bevels) in a couple of weeks, with many more details and pricing. Needless to say, it will work well for chisels, irons and really shines when used on our aluminum profiled stones for HP-6 molding irons. Below are a couple of pics to see how the guide unfolded.
