Drivel Starve Nation;
Guilty I am for ignoring this totally awesome and worthless blog for so long. All I can say is I have been busy.
Here is a production update for the end of July;
CT-18: 95% of the orders on record have been filled. This tool came out absolutely fantastic. It was an ordeal as you all know, but the results are stunning. It is the first Bridge City tool that my wife said; “This is going on display in our living room!” I will fill you in later on all the headaches. By the way, if you would like one of these get on our wait list because as soon as we fill the wait list orders, if there are any remaining, the price will bump up to $2700. Everybody who got one got a great deal or made a great investment.
JMPv2 Jointmaker Pro, Stands, Precision Fence and Accessories: While metric versions will ship in mid-August, the rest are boxed and will be out of our warehouse within the next 7-14 business days.
Table Saw Sled Kits:: All components are in house, and will ship in the middle of August.
SP-26 Sliding Parallel: All orders have been filled and we have a small inventory. As you know, I despise inventory. As of this writing, it looks like we will make these every 24-36 months.
HP6v2 Tapered Sliding Dovetail Kits: All orders have been filled and I believe there are a couple available on our website.
HP6 FX Body:, Profiles (Tongue and 60 Degree V Groove) and Accessories: The stainless version is completed and there are a few left available to purchase here. If you are still waiting it is because one of our suppliers for the HP-6v2 Fence System tapped the wrong size hole in the brass locking knobs. Replacements will be here within the next two week and they will ship immediately as all the other parts are in our warehouse.
TS1v2: We are looking at an end of September ship date at this time.
HP11FW: This is a limited edition of 50, tapered shoulder plane that is not on our website yet, but will be shortly. It looks like delivery will occur sometime in October.
Tools in for Repair: We are seriously behind. I am training young lad Adam Thompson to do repairs and it is slow going for a number of reasons, not the least of which some of these tools are three decades old. In addition, we receive some tools that are not repairable and they will be returned. We should be caught up by the end of September.
Last week, Rutager West, the Bridge City customer expert on the DJ-1 & 2 Drilling Jigs and the JMP came to Portland for a week of slave labor. He primarily assembled Jointmaker Pro Precision Fences. We enjoyed his visit and contribution during a hectic week. When he left he commented that he is “keeping his day job.”
Tomorrow I leave for the 2014 International Emma Lake Collaboration. Every two years, 100 artists/craftspeople from around the world are invited to spend a week together to collaborate/share/invigorate with each other. No cell service, no wireless, no internet. The location is approximately 2-1/2 hours north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I am really honored to have been invited and I am taking my camera so I can share this experience with you.
Lastly, for those of you who missed the opening of Quality is Contagious last year in Portland it is traveling to the Bellevue Art Museum. In looking at this schedule this might be trip worth considering towards the end of October. Seattle is always a fun place but opening several weeks after Quality is Contagious is; BAM Biennial 2014: Knock on Wood, also at the Bellevue Art Museum. And for those of you on the east coast, efforts are underway for Quality is Contagious to visit Boston in 2015.
I will be back after August 8!
–John
Bridge City Updates and News
I’m loving my CT-18. No, I haven’t used it yet, but wow! What a piece of engineering/art! It will be tasting wood this weekend.
The Emma Lake collaboration looks incredibly stimulating. I know you’ll have a great time, sharing ideas with other brilliant and creative people. Bring mosquito repellent. I would have thought that the Arctic Circle was about the only thing north of Saskatoon…
— Peter
commented earlier but my post didn’t take for some reason. also loving my ct-18 but at this time can only look at it in the box because i’m still recovering from shoulder surgery. am up to lifting 2 pounds with my surgical arm which is less than 1/4 the shipping weight of the ct-18. will have to join your wife’s ranks and display it on a shelf until i build up my strength.
thanks to rutager appears to be in order.
Hi, John: I too got my stainless hp6 and smoother. A bit less shiny (blingy?) than I’d imagined based on the renderings, but handsome and HEAVY as all get out.
I half remember you mentioning at the announcement of the HP10 that the HP9 was in gestation and you’d go back. That still the case?
A comment: mercy, Guv’nor! 🙂 Looking at the stainless tools I don’t question for a second your statement that they are a bargain vs. the cost of production. I respect your choices on the inherently-linked creative and business decisions. A Ferrari priced like a Honda wouldn’t be a Ferrari. Yet…
I *do* sheepishly admit that this one was a stretch for me on cost. I was able to justify it for the gratification it brings and the hope I can recoup my investment should the need arise. Much farther ascenscion toward the Holtey-strata and that won’t be possible. If that’s expected, I hope you’ll choose to offer–when practicable–aluminum or other versions that your Honda-driving customers can bite on.
On a happier note, I was just at Jefferson’s Monticello. If you’ve never been there, I can’t recommend it highly enough. For whatever else he was, Jefferson had design ability that would be remarkable today, never mind for an auto-didact in a world without CAD.
Cheers, Dave
Not to change the subject… I noticed this offering “Sliding Parallel Adapter Clips” with no photo. John must have recognized a benefit that’s why the offering, But I’m at a loss to what that could be. Can or does anyone know the how, when, where and why answers?
Hi David!
I may not have a professional photo on hand at this time for the website (John is out of town for a conference and I cannot seem to locate our DSLR to capture the appropriate graphics) but here is what they look like individually and attached to the Sliding Parallel:
https://www.bridgecitytools.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-3.jpg
https://www.bridgecitytools.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/photo-4.jpg
The Emerson clamp is a straight edge clamp attached to the Sliding Parallel. John used two of these against the dovetail gauge to cut the female dovetail (HP-6v2 Tapered Sliding Dovetail System). This is the only clamp that will work with these adapter clips. This clamp adaptation has other benefits, for example, you can clamp the Sliding Parallel to your band saw (you may need to devise a table extension if your band saw is small), router table, and your table saw. This gives you incredible accuracy when it is required. To clamp to the table saw you will need a longer version of the straight edge clamp.
Kindly let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with!
– Consuelo
Very good I’ll have to check my straight edged clamps, don’t believe they are same. Thanks for the
quick reply.
Consuelo is quite the salesperson, isn’t she? Yesterday I called her asking to be put on the CT-18 wait list – but added that my girlfriend would KILL me if she knew I was going to buy this plane. Consuelo, of course, expressed her concern to this clear and present danger to my personal safety by asking: “Would you like the walnut case for it as well or not?” This is what I love about BCTW. Life priorities aligned with mine.
James
So James did you get the walnut case or not. LOL I went back to the video and low and behold I see clips. I was wondering why the extra set of holes in the tool. Looking forward to messing up quite a few joints till I get the hang. 🙂
I certainly do try to help all BCTW customers the best way I can with tool-related questions (and making sure that you are on the list for all the items you are interested in).
The CT-18 is stunning, just like a pair of Louboutins to a lady. Hopefully, that will ease the tension she may have about it. 🙂
Wow Consuelo –
You are now comparing John’s planes to Louboutins. Next thing you know, you’ll be recommending we purchase a pair! We can see the path forward, Consuelo!
John – the HP-18 is amazing. One of your finest.
Thanks to you both for taking care of us and ensuring our banks continue to mail us credit card statements regularly!
neil
so, consuelo,
are you saying that you suggested the handle design for the ct-18 based on a Louboutin heel?
LOL! There is certainly no correlation (that I am aware of) between the design of the CT-18 and a pair of Louboutins. I am just helping James have a bit of ammo to explain to his girlfriend (who possibly appreciates and treasures a beautiful pair of shoes) that Louboutins to her are Bridge City tools to him.
The real question after that statement is does she have a walnut case to put them in?;” LOL
John should go into seclusion in the wilds of Saskatchewan more often and leave Consuelo in charge. Now I know what Louboutins are.
Of course I got the walnut box – I imagine it will look like something one could easily mistake for a jewelry box. That way I can strategically place a Christmas card on it in its hiding place. I’ll write something like: “Merry Christmas. Who knew that precious metals could weigh this much?” She, of course, will assume platinum. I, of course, mean stainless steel. The Louboutins are a capital idea, though I may have to save up for those, otherwise my ashes will be in that fine box. She has learned to fear the words Bridge City Tool Works. “