DSS-6 Double Saddle Square

 10/18/12 – Finally, we are doing another batch of these wonderful little squares. One of my personal all time favorites. We did modify the “fingers” between the Saddle and Body for this version. I will know a better schedule once the material is in hand and machines are up and running. At this point I am pushing to get them out by the end of the year.

 12/6/12 – Well, where did that month go? These will be shipping in mid-January, not this month sadly. The Fence system had me tied up too long. Did I mention that I used a DSS-6 to cup the brass washers on the Precision Fence systems. In order to thicken them up and create the proper tension the the Fingers, I pressed each washer in an arbor press using the ball detent of the DSS-6 as my mold. Multi-purpose!

 12/13/12 – To the people who ordered the English/Metric blade: I can’t understand the request for having both systems on one ruler. We sell plenty of them, but I just don’t understand when the dedicated English and Metric rulers are so cool and effective! We are the only company that offers a ruler such as this. They are so simple and straightforward, but the best features are lost with English/Metric version.

Anyway, things are on track for January.

 01/03/13 – Parts are coming along nicely.

 01/17/13 – The radial knurled knobs are dialed in and production is going. The body and saddle are moving along too. Boxes are ordered.

 02/07/13 – Knobs and clamp screws are done. The bodies and saddles should be done shortly.Need to bead blast and then grain.

 02/21/13 – Packaging is in, still waiting on the bodies and saddles. Broken CNC machine set us back. I expect we’ll be able to ship this out by the mid March.

 02/28/13 – Still waiting on the bodies and saddles to be completed. Communication from the machinists was not at its best this week.

 03/07/13 – Now I know why I was not being told much last week. Apparently there is too much on their plate, so things are delayed with the bodies and saddles. It sounds like we should be able to deliver by the end of the month now. I have everything else ready to go.

 03/21/13 – I should start getting parts by the end of next week. I can then get started on the graining of the faces and bead blasting. The shop got a Makino vertical mill to go with his horizontal Makino. Pretty sweet machines. Also a few more programmers will help him out so he is catching back up.

 04/04/13 – OK, finally making some progress. Apparently creating the little slot for the ruler with the corner reliefs caused quite the issue. For such a simple little thing, it sure turns out to be complicated to make.

 04/18/13 – I should have all of the parts in hand next week. Final operations on the saddle are being completed now. Then I have these lined out to go a special bead blasting operation. The are is a hub for knife makers. Benchcraft, Kershaw, Leatherman are all here. It really helps since it brings so many specialty metalworkers to the area. We all seem to use the same vendors.

 04/25/13 – Parts go to the bead blaster on Monday.

 05/02/13 – I don’t have a tight eta for the parts yet. Getting there though!

 05/09/13 – Parts are all machined. Phew. They are getting “flame deburred” at the moment. This is a quick and simple way to remove burrs from tight corners. Basically, they shoot a flame thrower at it and the little burrs get cooked off. Bead Blasting happen after that.

 05/16/13 – Deburring is complete. Off to the bead blaster next week. Then graining and final assembly.I hope to get these shipping my mid June.

 05/30/13 – Parts are getting bead blasted right now. I don’t have the completion date from them right now. Assembly and graining is done soon in house by me.

 06/13/13 – I did some of the finish work on parts this week. It is tedious work. I hope to get some of these shipping next week. They are looking great.

 06/20/13 – Well, I did find that UPS did some handywork on these parts. Thanks to some amateurish packaging of parts, I had quite a few parts with some dings in the metal. I am still determining the damage and will know more next week.

 06/28/13 – We should be able to start shipping a few of these next week. These are a slow process though with all of the hand work we need to do on these now..

 07/11/13 – The finally figured out how to remedy some of the issues we were having with damaged items. We got a sample batch surface ground and are shipping those out on Monday. They look pristine and coming out perfectly. The rest are being ground now and should be ready to assembly by the end of next week.

 07/18/13 – The bodies are still at the grinder. Hopefully will be completed tomorrow.

 08/01/13 – The bodies are back from the grinder. We will grain the faces and assembler and package them up now. Most should be packaged up next week and brought to distribution center. Shipping should start on the week of the 12th.

 08/08/13 – Most of these got shipped out this week. The rest should go next week. Finally!

Posted by Michael on October 18, 2012

2 comments on this post:

  1. I left this idea when this tool was posted on the blog.
    “I have a suggestion that may improve the operation of this tool. If you reworked the hinge on the saddle square so that the leaf (fingers) of the moving arm was on the outside edges of the tool and rotated the dovetail layout shape 180 degrees. Then extend the narrow end of the dovetail opening all the way to the body, you could then mark out through dovetails”
    Is this what you are thinking with the fingers being modified?

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