John here, your favorite Tool Potentate with yet another overdose of piffle…
So, after what seemed like an interminable amount of waiting, I received my DJ-1 Drilling Jig this past Monday. Today I thought of a cool little test to see how accurately I could drill holes in the end of a dowel but discovered no dowel rod hanging around the office. Went down to my favorite woodworking emporium to see Carl, (I haven’t seen him since he sold me the plane iron eating volcano wood) but again, he was hiding from me. Bought a dowel assortment and in less than 30 minutes my test was complete.
Here are a couple pics of my experiment;
I know what you are thinking–do they nest? Let’s see…
It’s hard to believe this kind of accuracy is achievable without any layout using only the lowly hand drill…pretty cool. FYI, twist drills work better than brad points in end grain.
Is it as accurate as center drilling on a lathe? Probably not, but it is damn close, and without the lathe. As I babble I suspect you are thinking of project ideas that range from magician illusions to illegal substance abuse– yes/no?
Win a Hundred Bucks!
The DJ-1 has its own forum here. And we will give $100 BCTW gift certificate to any DJ-1 owner who posts a pic of the custom jaws they created to solve a drilling problem. Now that is what I call free money.
Win ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
Yes, it’s true–I am swimming in undeclared income and I am tired of it. Hence this new idea that shall be known as the Economaki Prize. Here are the rules;
The Economaki Prize will be awarded to the first person who discovers a new oil field (1 million barrels of oil, minimum yield) using only the DJ-1 and a hand drill. I know I could win it but I am not interested in winning my own money.
By the way, I used the DJ-1 and a hand drill to install a pacemaker in my golfing buddy yesterday–worked great! Don’t recommend brad points here either… Going to try a lobotomy on Louie dog later.
Now for something completely different;
I’m Not a Woodworker but I Play One on the Internet Dept:
Did you know that we have a forum dedicated to the discussion of design? You can check it out here. And, if you are so inclined, we would love to have you share your work. What is refreshing about this moderated forum is the lack of moronic posts (present company excluded) and the deemphasis (isn’t that a weird looking word?) of technique discussions. We hope you participate.
Well, I have thousands of unrelated thoughts I want to share but I have to return a call to the IRS–if this is what I think it is, you better find that oil field fast.
–John
I’m thinking, I’m thinking….I sure could use that hundred bucks….I’m afraid I will need to get my DJ-1 out of the box before I can get out of the box….
I hope I win – I hope I win..
John,
I guess you don’t know this yet or you would not have posted the million dollar award. I will send you my address or bank account whichever you prefer.
Anyway, working for BP 250 miles out in the gulf of Mexico, I took my DJ-1, a homemade drill and a single bit approx seven miles long. You would love my drill. I used the Captain’s wheel of a fishing trawler to turn my “stainless steel” gears and slowly fed the giant bit down, down, down until……suddenly eureka. Six and a half miles down when I was just losing my confidence I found a lovely little 3 billion barrel reservoir of oil. So, I maybe wrong but I believe I have met all of the requirements of this challenge. :o)
Fred
PS Small unmarked non-consecutive bills would be just fine. :o)
“And we will give $100 BCTW gift certificate to any DJ-1 owner who posts a pic of the custom jaws they created to solve a drilling problem. Now that is what I call free money.”
That’s a pretty generous offer. As a novice woodworker, but an experienced grift-detector, might I recommend pulling that back just a little?
Oh Man! Now THIS was an expensive lesson! I didn’t get a DJ-1 ordered in time to catch the first production run, So here I sit waiting for a 2nd run, and it’s already cost me over a million dollars!
What really needs to happen is John needs to start another contest to get everyone to order DJ-1s. Might I suggest drilling for a gold strike this time? And Fred, if John does start another very soon, can I borrow your DJ-1 this time? You can keep the bit – it won’t fit in my truck!
Nope-The $100 buck gift certificate is there for all who use this tool to solve drilling problems-
–John
Fred; Rest assured, we will be working overtime to verify your claim–I am sure you have pics–you do have pics don’t you?
RonM,
You may absolutely borrow my drill anytime you wish. It is a might heavy but if you have at least a three quarter ton pickup with seven or eight guys you should be able to get it into your truck. On the other hand I have been wielding this beast for days on end and can nowlift it with one hand. 😮
John,
Of course I have pictures but you must admit that no matter what kind of lighting you might have the pervasive darkness at six and a half mile down does not lend it self to very clear pictures. The good news is that you merely need to turn on the TV, go onto the internet or pick up a paper to see the articles on my discovery. Some people might ask well why am I not mentioned not to mention my drill and bit. Please people use a little common sense. The last thing BP wants to do is give away a corporate secret of this magnitude so as not to lose its edge. 😮 😮
Fred
John – I just had the opportunity to see (hold, play with) the DJ-1 today. Unfortunately, it’s not mine. But still, what a beautiful piece of machinery. Literally. I love the colors you chose for it, and the blue and green jaw angles are stunning. Nice work!
As for medical uses, congrats on the pacemaker installation. However, I wonder how you’d know whether your lobotomy of Louie had actually worked? How would you know the difference?
– Peter
Peter-
That is why Louie was the perfect lobotomy subject–you would see no difference–I only fell off the turnip truck three years ago…
John,
I was able to verify Fred’s claim, and just as he said, they want it hush, hush, so they have asked that the check be made out and sent to me. I’ll make sure it gets to him!
Everyone,
I’m taking John up on his fantastic offer, and just posted a custom jaw design on the Forum. I hope this doesn’t make me a member of the “payola possie!”
Rutager
Rutager – I can understand your unease at being part of the “payola possie” (though it’s spelled “posse”…). So I’m willing to help you out. Just sign over your $100 BCTW gift certificate to me, and you’ll breathe a huge sigh of relief.
I know, I know. No need to thank me. It’s just the kind of guy I am. Always looking out for my fellow woodworker.
– Peter
Rutager,
I’m depressed. I have been waiting at the door for my delivery and it hasn’t arrived yet. I’m going to have to stay up all night to catch up with you.
I’m banking on the $100 prize because I know when I’m beat. My only hope if I don’t win the $100 is that Fred will turn philanthropist and support me.
Will you Fred????? Paleeeze?
Dennis
Dennis, of course I will support you but first you must get my million dollar check so that I may deposit it and live in the style in which I wish to live. 😮 I will be at my door on Sunday awaiting your delivery of my check. Don’t you worry as I will ALSO give you the $100 reward. I don’t think that you can ask for more. 😮 Oh no, I meant it. Don’t ask for more. 😮
Fred
Dennis, I think you’re okay on both counts. First, as far as I can read the fine print, everyone who posts a jig gets the prize. And second, Fred is wonderfully generous and is already supporting TimmyC (Festool Junkie), who he keeps chained under the stairs. There’s probably room for you down there, too! He’s one heckuva generous guy!
Dennis,
Peter is right, everyone who posts a custom jaw idea gets the $100 gift certificate, but it has to do something that other jaws don’t already do. Maybe you could make a set that helps drill the hole for a screw eye under a set of basement stairs!
Okay, now for the smack talk! I have no fewer than 4 more custom jaw ideas in my pea sized brain. so put on your thinking caps and collect your prize before I build and post them! I can only wait so long before I must share them with the world.
Rutager