60 comments on this post:

1. 2 words, Plant Sex!
   Chuck a toothpick into the end of the PV-2 and you have a precision pollen placing instrument. I could go into detail, but I might be crossing the non-family friendly line. Wait, I may have already crossed over.

2. Welcome back John,

   Sounds like you had a productive retreat, can’t wait to see the “fruits” of it. I am curious about how you spend your time on the retreats; do you sequester yourself and just work, or do you work for uninterrupted periods and then have some play time?

   I ordered 3 of the pin vises (holding files is a great use,) and will be keeping my eye out for the next great sale! Since Fred doesn’t like to be shown up by me; you might as well put at least 3 on hold for him!

   -Rutager

3. Rutager;

   Thanks, as always, for the support.

   I bet I have fielded 30 or more inquiries regarding my work retreats from the Drivel Starved Nation. So here goes;

   First, you have to have a supportive significant other. “Disappearing” for 2 weeks is certainly cause for concern if those close to you don’t understand the benefits. That said, anybody who lives with somebody who cannot exist without the muse understands. Most don’t I believe.

   Study after study indicates that the least creative environment that man has ever created is “the office”. Without these retreats, you and I would not be conversing. It is that big of a deal.

   A typical day (for me) goes like this; wake up around 6 am. Some days earlier, some days later, but on average, this is spot on–there is no alarm clock. I take my iPad to a coffee shop and read the daily news, and then I am back and infront of my CAD station in an hour to an hour and a half. A banana is my breakfast of choice.

   One drawback is that this is a sedentary retreat and I don’t care. Being free to pursue what I want is why this is of value. And I never know in advance what this is, but I always have a couple of hunches.

   On this retreat, the first 5 days I spent down a rabbit hole, but did not know I was going there until day five. So I changed direction, and chased something else that interested me. Only on day 13 did I realize that the the first 5 days were not a waste, my expectations were the issue. Now, looking back, I am thrilled that I spent these 5 days cogitating on what I now believe will be significant.

   Sometime between 11 and 1 PM I feel a headache coming on and know I need to eat. Off to lunch, typically about 1/2 hour because lunch is boring compared to what the work could be.

   Back at the CAD station, I may make some notes to myself, or research available support material for whatever I am working on. Some days I check BCTW email, but that usually derails me. A retreat should not include a routine from the other 50 weeks in my opinion. Typically around 6 or 7 I feel sorta beat-up. Off to a good diinner, and this is my reward for being away from the world’s dumbest dog and the rest of the crew that make up Casa Economaki. Sometimes at dinner I will have an “aha” moment and can’t wait to get back to work. On this last retreat, I was usually in the sack by 11. One day it was 2 am. I did steal a few hours one Sunday to watch the NFL playoffs which I never follow, but it seemed like a good idea and it was. The only other TV during this stretch was Obama’s State of the Union speech and I was so tired I fell asleep. Caught up on the contents the next day at the coffee shop.

   There are no rules and that is what is so liberating. If you look back at BCTW over the past couple of years, you will see things like the Kerfmaker, the Jointmaker Pro, the DJ-1 Drilling Jig, the TenonMaker, our shoulder planes, the yet to be delivered CT-17, the CT-16, the CT-15 and whatever else, these are all ideas that originated on these retreats, almost all are without precedent. The ability to think freely is so powerful, I am thinking about doing it twice a year!

   So, there is no play time–don’t want it, it is counter-productive. The whole idea is to be free doing what I love to do. One can go out and goof off in small chunks any time they want. How often do you get to escape from goofing off?

   The rest of the year? Kinda lame in comparison and I don’t have a better way to phrase it.

   Anybody who has the responsibility of being the spine of their company/division/team should consider lobbying hard for a retreat. Figuring out what do once you get there is so easy you won’t find enough time to attend to all the ideas.

   That is my experience and for me, thankfully, it works. It is best summed up as “intense”. Nothing fun about it unless you are me.

   Can’t wait for the next one! And, I am going to spend two weeks in NYC in August on a marketing retreat. This woodworking business is as hard as it has ever been, and I for one want to still be here, and continue to have fun doing it.

   Great question, long answer, but the truth. I hope this helps. Did I steal a couple of moments and check in on the state of RC helicopters? You bet, but felt guilty doing so.

   –John

4. Mike;

   Plant sex is interesting. You have issues.

   Best-

   John

5. You know how, in the morning, you’ve just gotten out of the shower, and you’re about to clean the soapy water out of your ears? If you’re like me (and I know you are) you’re thinking, “Geez! If only I had a really classy-looking rosewood handle to hold my Q-tip. Then I’d not only have clean ears, but I’d feel like a millionaire. Why, I bet that even Donald Trump doesn’t have a rosewood Q-tip holder. I’m special!”

   Right? Every morning. I know how it is.

   Looks like I’ve finally found the tool. The PV-1. Life is complete. My ears are clean. And I feel like a millionaire.

   – Peter

6. Thanks for the insights into your work retreats, John. They sound wonderful, and I am (stuck at my desk and being flung mercilessly from meeting to meeting) totally jealous. Especially about that thinking part. I had one good thought in January, and that’s it for the rest of the year. I just don’t have time in my schedule to think and imagine.

   Perhaps it’s time to schedule these things more formally. Not sure the spouse would go for it, though…

   How come your Creative Thinking class has to be during our teaching time? This job thing keeps getting in the way of real work.

   – Peter

7. I’m guessing that you all thought of this use of the PV-1 already, but what the heck? If you’re like me, you’re tired of using … no – you’re tired of watching a FRIEND using a cheapo nose-hair trimmer. (Must be a good friend if he lets you watch him trim his nose hairs. Maybe you need a life.)

   So why not take the 82-degree countersink, chuck it into the PV-1, and rotate those nose hairs away IN STYLE? Sure, there might be a little blood the first few times, but the scar tissue will take care of that eventually.

   The PV-1/countersink nose-hair trimmer combo. Exclusively from Bridge City Tool Works.

   – Peter

8. Don’t you hate it when your dimmer-switch knobs break? You know how the socket on the back splits, and the knob falls off, leaving just a hard-to-grab ridged shaft sticking out of the wall? Well, now the PV-1 is here to save you: simply tighten the chuck onto the shaft, and you’ll have the most elegant dimmer knob in the neighborhood. Sure, it sticks out of the wall quite a ways, but you’ll get used to walking farther away from the wall.

   Keep a spare one in your pocket for those frustrating times when the knobs fail. You co-workers will be amazed and astounded as you solve their irksome problem of unchangeably dim lights. You’ll be a hero. All for $59.

   – Peter

9. Don’t you hate how difficult it is to get the tops off your bottled water and soda bottles? How many times have you had to hand the bottle to your wife or teenager and ask them to twist it off for you? If you’re like me, never, but then I’m much stronger than you.

   Embarrassing, isn’t it? Well you should be embarrassed – it’s a water bottle, for god’s sake!

   Sure you could use your channel-lock pliers to twist the cap off. But why not do it in style? With two PV-1’s and a few simple attachments, I’ll teach you how to get the top off in a matter of minutes or more. All in 5 easy steps:

   1) Chuck a 1/8th inch diameter drill into the PV-1.

   2) Drill two holes through the sides of the cap, being careful not to drill into the bottle’s mouth. Make sure the holes are on a diameter across the cap.

   3) Chuck the long ends of two 1/8th inch allen wrenches into both of your PV-1s.

   4) Engage the short ends of the allen wrenches into the holes in the cap.

   5) Holding both PV-1s in your hand, twist the bottle and PV-1s.

   Voila! The cap is loosened! Your thirst is quenched, and everyone will admire the class with which you solved this vexing problem.

   Good thing you had those PV-1s handy – wasn’t it?

   – Peter

10. Peter;

    How can you be busy at meetings all day with a pegged misery index and find time to try and wrangle a free PV-1 out of us?

    Just curious.

    -John

11. I guess I’m just a natural multi-tasker. By which you can read “procrastinator”. Today I only have 2 meetings, though misery is still pretty high. Thinking of uses for the PV-1 is so much more fun than reading prospective graduate student files for admission to our program. (Don’t tell the students that…).

    – Peter

12. I hate those wussy little lead holders. Whoever thought of making pencils and lead holders 3/8″ in diameter must have had effeminate little girly hands. Don’t you yearn for a MAN’S lead holder? Something that you could use to draw lines, and club small mammals to death?

    I thought so. You (and not that wimpy guy over there) need a PV-1. A manly lead holder. Just break off a length of 2 mm lead (none of this scrawny 0.5 mm lead for us manly men – right?), clamp it firmly in the jaws of the PV-1, and you’re ready to draw testosterone-laden lines. Feel that big chuck, firmly gripped in your calloused hands? Makes you want to press a little harder, doesn’t it? And you know that when you’re done with your line, you could use it to crack a walnut. Without blinking. One swift WHACK and you’ve got food. And a nice line.

    Women will steal glances when you whip out your PV-1 lead holder to sign your foreclosure documents in the bank. They’ll admire your manly signature, and the manly way you “accidentally” left a chuck imprint on the banker’s smooth forehead.

    The PV-1. A MAN’S mechanical pencil.

    – Peter

13. Peter,

    All excellent ideas; and since many of them involve displays of manhood, why would you take the time to chuck up your different attachments, when you could get 30 or so pin vises and wear them across your chest on a bandolier- Rambo style? You might also want to chuck a knife blade in one and strap it between your shoulders to throw at attacking ninjas! (John, I would like a commission on Peter’s order!)

    -Rutager

14. Good one, Rutager! I had thought of the knife blade one – I was wondering whether X-acto blades would fit in the chuck. Good for paring fingernails, fighting really small lions, or maybe marking lines.

    I need to wait until 20 are sold before I order my 30, so that I get the gift certificate…

    – Peter

15. P.S. It was pointed out to me by a friend whose initials rhyme with “Fred West” that in fact I’m talking about the PV-2, not the PV-1. In my defense, I was led astray by the inventor of the PV-2, who called it a “PV-1” in his Totally Awesome and Worthless blog post (see above)…

16. Peter,

    Yes, that Fred is a stickler for details! If you noticed, I just called it a pin vise so I wasn’t wrong and also didn’t appear to be a wise acre!

    X-acto; exactly. I just went to the basement and chucked a blade in it and it works perfect, way better then the X-acto handle.

    -Rutager

17. John, you are right that I have issues. Picked up growing orchids as a hobby about a year ago, and it has turned into quite the obsession (helicopters anyone). Orchids can be quite stunning visually, but they really apply to the nerd in me with science and applied genetics.

    Mike

18. Mike:

    I know I would be interested orchids! Let’s talk over a beer when I come to Indy in the spring!

    -John

    @Todd and all the rest of the bargain hunters, Thanks!

19. Mike – I have a friend out here who’s obsessed with orchids: Ron Kaufmann. Know him? He covered a large part of his back yard with an orchid greenhouse, and is continually making new hybrids. And yet, he still finds time to be a poor starving professor. Maybe I should get him a pin vise…

    – Peter

20. Peter: yes, get Ron a pin vise-they are after all on sale.

    But I digress. What do you folks think about adding a couple of sections to our forum that are non-woodworking? For example, we could have a helicopter section, an orchid section, a cooking section, and of course naked bowling.

    You like yes/no? Other ideas? It seems to me the one link of DNA we all share is intellectual thirst. I vote yes. But I will entertain other yes votes. (Being a Potentate does have it’s perks…)

    -John

21. Mike, just in case John wants to maintain even a modicum of Bridge City Toolness on his blog, you might consider checking out talkfestool.com – it’s a collection of seriously ADD-ridden woodworkers who like high-quality tools, and can’t – for the life of them – stay on topic. Orchids would be a welcome topic. Probably in the “non-Festool” section. But you never know…

    – Peter

22. Peter, I haven’t met Ron yet but I will be on the lookout. John, you are on for that beer and talk in the spring. I will be in your headache inducing class in May, so we’ll have plenty of time to chat. I’ll check out talkfestool.com, but my kids, orchids, and reading the DSN blog keep me plenty busy right now. Who knew there was interest in orchid in the DSN!!!

    -Mike

23. Just back from a period during which I thought, and I’m particularly excited about our new astonishing accessory that makes our most useful tool ever even more essential to life: The PV-2DA-1PDCYCLWI. The Pin Vise Digital Accessory Pretty Dang Cool You Can’t Live Without It, version 1 is an assembly of sensors that insert behind the threaded chuck arbor inside the rosewood handle of the PV-2. The sensors measure the positions of each of the three jaws to .00001″, transmit via Bluetooth to your iPad or iPhone or by serial cable to your Commodore 64. Our app, downloadable for 99 cents or on 3.25″ floppy disk for $29.99 (Founder’s Circle-$26.43), gives you the correlative calculus to convert these readings into torque, diameter and the Shore-D hardness of your chopstick (up to .27″ or 6.858mm in China) with tables to compensate for temperature, humidity, soy sauce and Coriolis effect (please specify hemisphere). The database on our website lists hardness (Brinell, Knoop, Rockwell B and C and Vickers) along with Ultimate and Yield tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio and percent RDA cholesterol of every drywall screw manufactured since 1983, many file tangs and a few hand-cut horseshoe nails. The sensor package also measures temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius, Calvin and Hobbs) galvanic potential, hertz and Ohms, compensates for the polar moment of inertia of your elbow and whether you dress left or right. Watch the video to be convinced that without the PV-2DA-1PDCYCLWI, you might as well give up woodworking and life just won’t be worth living.

24. GPaudler;

    WHAT?

    Who cares. You just won a PV-1. All that geek speak cannot go unrewarded.

    Call 1-800-253-3332 next week to claim your prize. Speaking on behalf of the DSN, we all look forward to pictures of your PV-1 mod.

    –John

25. Of course! PV-2 chopsticks! It’s so obvious!

    – Peter

    P.S. GP – Excellent! Love the Calvin and Hobbes!

26. DSN’s going to have to stand for Drivel-Sated, after that load. Now I must update my resume to include Product Developer for Bridge City Tool Works; my mother will be so proud. It’s not that I don’t think that the PV-1 will change my life, but could I substitute a JMP?

    Thanks,
    Gary

27. Gary:
    No.
    -John

28. AwlStop now, before blood ruins your Valentine’s Day project. Bridge City’s new AS-1 accessory module for our indispensable PV-1 will put an end to blood-stained bubinga. Our patented solid-state Meat Sensor (MS-1) instantly detects disrupted dermis and fires hydrogen peroxide retro rockets which not only reverse the misdirected awl point, but disinfect the surrounding area (up to 7 square meters) and add luminous highlights to your arm hair. Purchase a six-pack of replacement MS-1 cartridges so that you won’t have to wait to trammel after your next prevented perforation. Nearly 1/4 the cost of the AS-1 will be offset by the next 6 tetanus shots that you won’t need and don’t forget that most insurers consider holes to be a pre-existing condition. The AS-1 won’t allow you to remove splinters, but we are accepting pre-orders for our fantastic new SR-1 rosewood and beryllium tweezers, scheduled to ship in November.

29. Gary,

    Would love to see what you can do in my creativity workshop…

    John

30. Thanks John,
    That’s very flattering. I would be honored to teach your creativity workshop. I have lectured at several colleges and universities on sculpture and design and have designed and prototyped many products for, among others, Patagonia, General Motors, Fujitsu, Apple, The North Face, Volkswagen, Zero Halliburton, Bianchi and many less well-known companies. Besides wood, in my own shop, I am equipped (and very experienced) to work with metals (sheet, blacksmithed, machined and welded), composites, plastics, elastomers and cut-and-sewn fabric. I also have an RF welder for creating fluid-tight structures in PVC or urethane-coated fabrics. Patagonia is the assignee of a process I developed and patented for combining 3-dimensional thermoformed urethane elements with coated fabric; I conceived of the application, created the RF tooling and made the prototypes. Bianchi (now a division of BAE) and Motorola are assignees of a couple of other patents of mine, both involving fabrics and plastics. I wouldn’t have sought those patents, but they did.
    My earlier comments were, of course, pure baloney but this is all strictly factual. I make my living designing and developing products and fabricating sculpture for artists including Claes Oldenburg, Ellsworth Kelly and Jeff Koons. I have done R&D for architects including Morphosis, Frank Gehry and Eric Owen Moss. I have built airplanes and boats and am currently building my own house. I employ digital processes every day, am very familiar with CNC machining, water-jet and laser cutting and additive manufacturing technologies like laser and electron-beam sintering. I’m a really good weldor and a pretty good machinist with a Monarch 10ee lathe and a Deckel FP1 mill.
    This isn’t really intended for the DSN.

    Best…
    Gary

31. My earlier comments were, you’ll be shocked to learn, drivel, but this is serious: A 3-jaw pin vise should have a handle with a polygonal cross section (I’m not saying how many gons), precisely oriented relative to the chuck, that allows the user to accurately index a part for grinding. It would be a shame to lose the delicate, ornate knob, but the butt-end of the handle could have a ledge that rests on a stop, like the edge of the adjustable tiny table on my Burr King belt grinder, for repeatable grinding on successive facets.
    There should be a conical, concentric hole in the center of the handle to fit a live center in a lathe or a dead center in a drill press for delicate tapping or reaming or light broaching.

32. Gary,

    Great suggestion on the indexable handle.

    That is an awesome intro, and we are glad to have you here both for your drivel and your background. The DSN is actually quite a collection of smart folks (one exception being Cooter Ditchman).

    Have you called to claim your prize?

    -John

33. Okay, gons. The handle should be double-ended and the chuck can insert into either end, the sockets that receive the chuck arbor will have a conical chamfer to accept a lathe or drill press center. Half of the handle will be hexagonal and half will be octagonal, each will have a smaller-diameter knob on the end with the same number of sides as the opposite end. The chuck can be inserted at 0° or 15° on the hex side providing indexing to grind 2,3,6 or 12 sides and on the oct side the chuck can insert at 0° or 22.5° for 2,4,8 or 16 sides. The 15° and 22.5° offsets are probably too much since, for the small parts likely to be held in a pin vice, 2,3,4,6 and 8 sides are plenty.

34. Hey Gary – welcome to the TAWB and the DSN! Wonderful to hear about your work – do you have a web site where we could see some of it? Sounds like you have a lot of fun with your craft – very stimulating work.

    – Peter

35. Hello Peter,
    Thanks for the warm welcome. I really should put together a website. Like any job, except John’s, some days are just work but I’ve been very fortunate to work on some fantastic projects. What’s a TAWB?

    Best…
    Gary

36. TAWB: Totally Awesome and Worthless Blog. The name presumably reflects John’s schizophrenic view of himself and the world. If you start worrying about the worth of things, you’ll always end up depressed. Life’s too short to hang out with people who make you justify your existence!

    – Peter

37. Gary,

    I second Peter’s welcome. The TAWB is really not as schizoid as it may appear. The DSN generally supply the Worthless part while John supplies the Awesome end. 😮 😮 You will see that as you go along those that pontificate the most, say Peter or Rutager, also contribute the most to the Worthless end. In fact, I dare say that it is a direct one to one ratio with them. The rest of us meander in and out and generally contribute just a smidge to the Worthless side of the blog.:o 😮 😮 If you need further clarification as to the inner workings of the TAWB or DNS please do not hesitate to contact someone else. 😮 😮

    Fred

38. Peter and me are actually in competion to see who can supply the most worthless tidbits; I like to think I’m winning!

    -Rutager

39. Rutager,

    It is not that we are short of funds. We are short of banks.

    That said, whenever you announce a sale via a TOTALLY WORTHLESS BLOG, you cannot expect much. Most of what was purchased was below cost. But some things we made OBSCENE PROFIT MARGINS!!! Unfortunately, the reports I get intravaneously every 15 seconds miss this–lots of work to do.

    It was a blast and I would like to think win-win.

    Thanks to all. BCTW will be around for at least another two days. If Peter would have bought something I could guarantee another 100 years… But alas….

    -John

40. Thanks John, I look forward to getting the tool. Fred and Rutager, thanks for the welcome, I hope to contribute all the worthless awesomeness I have. I have bought BCTW tools as gifts for friends but, until recently when Treehugger (I think) linked to the video of the Jointmaker, I have not kept up with what Bridge City has to offer. I’m not a collector and I tried hard to dismiss their tools as superfluous shop jewelry for dilettantes and maybe one or two pieces fit that description but now it seems to me that John is genuinely interested in, and determined to, design and make really good thoughtful tools for a very small niche. Even so, I tried hard to figure out how that offends my sense of social justice implying, as I think it does, that only fund managers and drug dealers can own such special objects, but I think that BCTW is a very unusual case: Making a no-compromise product for an elite audience without causing or inspiring unsustainable consumption or exploiting anybody. No thousand horsepower V-16s, no skinned pandas, no Cheapastani child laborers. There aren’t many companies in the world, in any industry, that do that. The unattainability of $2,000 planes won’t inhibit anybody’s creativity or ability to take care of their families yet I find it inspiring that they exist, and that a company can thrive making them. AND THEY’RE TOOLS! Not handbags or loafers or some other useless fashion item intended only for display, they can be used to make things, to express creativity, to develop and exercise talent and skill without diminishing any other talented craftsperson. John gets to make a living, provide a living for his employees and vendors, do it without wrecking anything and affirm, for the rest of us, that such an enterprise is possible.

    Gary

41. Gary,

    First you are welcome.

    Second, get off this forum NOW and spread this message;

    Bridge City Tool Works has been going out of business 28 years in a row. What is not to like?

    You may not know it yet, but I sense you sense it, but here you can make a difference. Quality is a good thing. Think long term. Oops, you are in the minority. Duh.

    Please share how your new pin vise cuts wood and trust me, the DSN is listening. Your comments are shared by most-they are a really bright group, though rarely displayed here…as it should be.

    I am honored to be your tool Potentate!

    Best-

    John

42. Nice one, Gary. You’ve expressed the same sentiments that a lot of us have. Most of the Worthless posters actually use their BCTW tools. And are proud of the scratches on their heirloom collectibles.

    I don’t know if you’ve taken the time to browse the BCTW catalog, but John is making a series called Bridge City Essentials – tools that everyone needs, that he’ll continue to make. Rutager could probably list them all for you (he memorizes these things). But there are a couple of tools that are just too unique (can anything be too unique – I guess not) and useful to pass up. For instance, you NEED a Centerscribe. Amazing tool – you’ll reach for it constantly. There’s no square lovelier and more useful than the Double Saddle Square. I don’t have a Drill Jig, but I’ve seen them, and can imagine that you (of all people) can’t live without it.

    It sounds like you need to re-imagine yourself using the Bridge City tools. I find them inspirational, sitting on my workbench as I work. They draw me to a higher standard of precision and creativity. And I particularly love the fact that I know the guy who came up with them. The tools are personal. They have a family and a story. And now we’re part of the family – we have a stake in the tools, and in the company.

    And John – I did buy stuff during the sale. Bunches of stuff. Dirt cheap. I just couldn’t bring myself to spring for the plane bundle. Yes, I’m still wondering about it. But I’m thinking that I have other uses for that $1200 for tools that I need even more. For now. (I’ll be kicking myself in 5 years – guaranteed!)

    – Peter

43. Peter-

    I know you participated in our sale. Thank you.

    Gary has shared what the majority of others think (bell-weather believers/non-believer, don’t know…) and that is not a bad thing. We here at BCTW have been hearing the chorus of boos for almost 3 decades. Yes, it gets really old. Yes it is both predictable and inspiring–and without our customers it would be impossible to ignore.

    Our sale was fun. And it was a good deal for all involved. We don’t do this very often, and truly, the day will come where our shelves are empty (by design). The world is changing faster than most people can adapt–I know, I am a classic “early adopter” and can’t keep up and now feel really late…

    All we are trying to do here is make a difference. Our prices are not China prices–the benchmark of the DIY market. Nothing we can do about it–but think about this…

    We started in 1983. How many things did you buy in 1983 that you are still proud to own? I don’t have the answer but my gut tells me that most of our stuff is still either proudly used and/or displayed and if I am right, that is because…

    All objects should be worthy of the space they occupy.

    Kinda simple on one hand, but here in the USA….

    –John

44. Rutager-

    I don’t know how many bundles were sold. Everything broke with the deluge at 4:06 PM on Friday.

    We have a couple left (maybe 5-7) but I don’t pay that much attention, because what I am working on is way more interesting. Make sense?

    Not trying to be elusive, but in my world, that is a DETAIL that will never be remembered 100 years from now.

    -John

45. Hey Peter,
    I’m with you; the Jointmaker video opened my eyes to the tools in the BC line that won’t live on velvet doilies, like the Hole Thing and the Centerscratcher. I can definitely see those on your bench in 50 years with the patina of daily use. What made the difference for me was recognizing that John loves to make and use tools and that his design sense goes way beyond heirloom gingerbread. I’d have to puke if the Jointmaker was 400lbs. of bronze and rosewood but it is just the right amount of just the right materials and makes a perfectly evolved traditional tool much perfecter – that is a very rare achievement.
    The craftsmen I count as friends are all excruciatingly practical and we could have formed the Scoff At Bridge City Tools club, but I’ve become a bit of an evangelist. None of us had looked at BC in years nor imagined that a tool like the Jointmaker existed, yet every one of them managed to suppress their prejudice and admire that tool. Of course I want to build my own, I could do it in a weekend, which is a week in Earth time, but that would be crazy.
    Gary

46. Well, my PV-2 (that’s “TWO”) arrived yesterday. I have to say, I was blown away by this tool. It was much larger than I had imagined. The rosewood handle is stunning – a perfect heft and feel. But the chuck is particularly amazing – smooth turning, and a great grip. I tried it on some files, drill bits, and – yes – my broken dimmer switch shaft. (You thought I’d just made that one up, didn’t you? Nope – I really have a broken dimmer switch.) I haven’t tried it as a mechanical pencil – yet.

    Nice piece of work, John. As always, I’m impressed.

    – Peter

47. I have resisted posting because the intellects have hijacked this blog–a club that would no doubt reject my application.

    How cool is that?

    Peter: I have been fascinated by corn starch and water for over 50 years. Some say I need to get a life. I say, got one. Here’s a good one: put a bunch of coffee grounds in a balloon, draw a slight vacuum, and create a “fingerless gripper”. I did not invent this, but I am fascinated by the possibilities, as are a bunch of people way smarter than me.

    Who would have ever guessed that “drivel starved” = “intellectually curious”.

    -John

48. Cool, John. I bet sand in the balloon works too.

    Here’s a question: have you ever cut a potato and put iodine on it?

    The reason I ask is that I did that when I was a mere youth (now I’m a mere adult) – it was the standard science nerd thing to do. But in my teaching of the Scripps grad students I do a demo with a potato and iodine (and then phytoplankton and iodine to show that phytoplankton make starch), and I’m always shocked at how few of these amazingly bright students have ever put iodine on a potato. I mean, how do you get an NSF graduate fellowship without having put iodine on a potato? How did these kids spend their childhoods? Sheesh!

    – Peter

    P.S. You’d definitely pass the application process for my club. Which probably means you wouldn’t want to join. Shades of Groucho Marx…

49. Groucho Marx? You my friend are showing your age. Ask your grad students who this guy is… I will guess that 50 % are clueless. If I am wrong don’t tell me.

    Oh wait…they are grad students…cut it back to 40% and fill us in.

    🙂

50. I’ll ask.

    So – how ’bout the potato/iodine thing? Ever do that as a kid?

    Anyone?

51. Ok, you’ve peaked my interest. What happens when you put iodine on a potato? I can honestly say I’ve never done it, never seen anyone do it, and never heard of it being some kind of neat trick.

52. What a sorry, sorry life you’ve led, J.C. (in spite of the initials).

    A potato is largely made of starch. Starch is a long polymer of sugar molecules (glucose, actually). When you put iodine on starch, the iodine inserts itself between the sugar molecules and changes the way they interact with light. You end up with a purple color. (Iodine is brown.)

    Go to your local CVS or Rite Aid, and buy a bottle of “Tincture of Iodine.” Don’t get the solid iodine – it’s a pain to work with. They use the tincture as an antiseptic – turns your skin yellow. Slice a potato, and put a few drops on. Magic!

    The next thing is that you’ll go all through the refrigerator, pantry, garden, garage, shop, etc., putting iodine on everything to see what happens. Try it! It’s fun!

    – Peter

53. I have to echo Peter’s comments on the PV-2. I placed a second order to further plunder the sale items and with mixed feelings included a PV-2. Wasn’t sure I needed it or that it would live up to John’s glowing description. (think I was biased badly by past familiarity with machinist’s pin vises – tiny things for holding tiny drills and pins – useful where you need them, but…)

    The order just arrived and boy, where my expectations completely wrong. This tool is an amazing fusion of art and utility. I’ve just ordered 3 more. One for me so I have one in each shop and 2 to give as gifts.

    A spectacular tool.

    John

54. John; Isn’t it amazing how preconceptions deceive? Thanks for the kudos and the business!

    -John

55. Try putting iodine on it…

    – P

56. You’ll all remember how John brutally shut me down when I asked him to upgrade my free pin vice to a free Joint Maker. I phoned-in to claim my prize and asked if I could pay the difference to get a JS-7 Dozuki saw, which was also on-sale, Natasha said that she’d ask John and call me back. Can you believe it? John said no again! Yes, I could get the saw, no, I could not pay the difference. The beautiful sushi saw arrived today and I couldn’t be more pleased, Thanks so much John!

57. Gary-
    We are specialists in difficult customers. And, you are welcome.

    Oh, FYI, we are going to open the pre-order process for the 2011 mfg. run of the JMP in a couple of weeks-time to empty the penny jar…

    -John

58. Just think, Gary: if you put aside a dime a day from now until the 2011 run of JMPs is delivered, you could probably pay for it in cash. (I’m guessing it’ll cost ~$1000, so that’s 10,000 days – maybe a little longer than the normal BCTW delivery times. But not much…)

    Congrats on the dozuki. Might cause a little shredding in your maguro, but it’ll work a treat on cherry.

    – Peter

59. Peter, you’re an even better tool rationalizer than I am. What will $1000 be in 2038 dollars? Today I passed final inspection on my house so I can get back to earning a living and thinking about tools. Well, I didn’t really ever stop thinking, but I did have to curtail buying.

60. Gary – congratulations on your house! Did you design it? I’m sure we’d all love to see pictures.

    – Peter

    P.S. Welcome back to tool buying…