Ideas are everywhere when you’re hungry…

May, 1st, 2008

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 imagine IRS agents—they’re everywhere you know…) The offending culprit is pictured below.


Sandwich Board/Honing Guide


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 …)


Cell phone/Honing Guide


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.


Oh, and I forgot, the yakisoba was delicious.


-John


HG-1 Side View


HG-1 Rear View


HG-1 w/chisel






Please Meet the “Woodworking Taliban”

April, 30th, 2008

Some of what you are about to read is true.

For the past 25 years I have had numerous encounters with Bridge City Tool antagonists. My therapist says that by talking about it, I will begin the healing process.

But I don’t have a therapist, I just made that second sentence up–it is fake and a lame attempt for sympathy. I created a mental image of a therapist in my mind and while walking to my favorite Bento lunch spot we had a compelling and somewhat heated discussion which led to the creation of this blog entry–I had no choice.

OK, that is not true either. I did see an episode or two of the Soprano’s … all I know is I now feel great.

And I hope you will feel better too.

wood·work·ing [wood-wur-king] Tal·i·ban [tal-uh-ban]

-noun

1. A small, loosely organized, and wildly dispersed group of individuals (including homo erectus and descendants of the Huns) who (by virtue of a personality flaw) collectively preach, primarily via internet forums, a singular and myopic vision of woodworking exactly as it occurred between the years of 1659 BC to 84AD, which of course is the end of Ancient Times. (Modern Times begin with the death of the first horse [her name was Apricot] which correspondingly began a 1500 year reign of hide glue.)

2. Individuals with basic woodworking skills and internet access who make, wear, and swear by banana leaf shoes.

3. Any woodworker who supports the “free wood” movement by removing every other ceiling joist from one’s home (or hut) and uses the material for a hemp trellis or cooking fuel.

4. Those who vehemently debate the merits of flint over carbon steel–more than once.


Another Real Life, I-Swear-This-is-True, Encounter with the Woodworking Taliban

Most of my encounters with the WT (you guessed it!) are passed on by irate customers after their real life, I-swear-this-is-true, encounter with the WT on internet forums. What I am about to share occurred three weeks ago to John Economaki (that would be me) IN PERSON! The story begins…

I was in a very large Midwest city… I can’t remember the name but I am positive it rhymes with Chicago. Actually, it could have been Chicago but I am not a good rhymer (should I run for office?). We were in the shop of Jeff Miller (this was a TLN Hand Tool Event and Jeff is a very talented designer/craftsman who also teaches). I was excited to be there, my favorite road compatriots were there (in no particular order); Tom Lie-Nielsen, Chris Schwarz, Denib (the official Lie-Nielsen PRO ATHLETE that flattens hard-rock maple workbench tops with a hand plane FOR FUN…do the math on that one) for two straight days of high-level tool talk. DETOUR: I had so much fun at dinner I put on a Lie-Nielsen tattoo that Denib swore would rub off in the shower. It did, and what was left of my arm looked like the lead-in clip to the Six Million Dollar Man, only instead of gears, lights and pulleys beneath my skin, there was real bone, for which I am thankful.

The real purpose of my trip was to introduce a new sawing machine that uses no batteries or electricity. One demonstration involves cutting hardwood dovetails with one pass of the saw in 5/8″ thick material. ( I have been working wood since 1968 and I have never seen anything like this–it is a very impressive demo.) And it is fast. And perfect, as in P-E-R-F-E-C-T. That is not me talking, others will agree. Except…

“That’s cheating!” the man screamed over the small crowd.

“How is this cheating?” I asked.

“That’s cheating!” he replied, and “It is not FAIR!”

Immediately recognizing him as a likely CHARTER MEMBER of the WT, I asked him to clarify his position. (My favorite weapon against the WT is a logic question–very similar to exposing a vampire to sunshine.)

“Those are NOT HAND CUT DOVETAILS!” Of course he was getting louder.

Pretending to be concerned that I violated an unknown sacred rule, I grabbed our Kataba handsaw from the workbench to my right, offered it to him and asked him to share how he cuts dovetails.

“I can’t cut dovetails with that saw–it has no back on it,” he confidently stated.

“Back? You need a BACKSAW to cut dovetails?

“Yes, I use a backsaw.”

“That is cheating!” I loudly proclaimed.

Apparently single pass dovetails that are perfect is \

There were smiles around the room as he stomped off, and yes I was a jerk, but it is O.K. to be a jerk when one encounters the WT!

The WT have a set of unwritten RULES that only they understand. Never to be concerned with anything but THEIR technique, their always-unsolicited-opinions are NEVER to be questioned. I dare you to mention proportion, harmony, texture, grace or anything that has to do with the appearance of SOMETHING.

And there is something about perfect work (insert full moon analogy here) that really sets them off.

But I exaggerate.

Welcome to my little corner of the tool world…

April, 29th, 2008

Greetings!

Years ago I was approached by a guy who thought he wanted to purchase Bridge City Tool Works. I agreed to meet him in my office (his call must have been right after, or shortly before a payroll). He commented that my role in the business was essential for its success and asked me, “What would I do as an investor if you lost your mind?” I retorted that he should be much more concerned if I were to get my mind back. Oddly, (to me anyway) he quickly left–in a humorless mood I suppose.

Why share this now? I have no clue. It is however a segue to a “behind the scenes” tone I hope to present for those with nothing better to do than read blogs. Now for the formalities;

I have no formal training as a writer. Grammatical errors and improper syntax are strengths of mine. I am also no stranger to faulty subordination, subject-verb disagreements, dangling modifiers and other writing transgressions. Someday I hope to take up gardening, or maybe join a bowling league. I think I just a heard a car fall into the pit at the Jiffy Lube across the street.

Why bring this up you ask? So YOU don’t have to bring it up when it occurs…unless of course it can be done humorously and completely at my expense. You see, I spend endless days designing Bridge City tools and this blog is my way to make Hemingway want to be a woodworker. (I know he has moved on, but I haven’t.)

Once or twice a week I will poll my brain for interesting thoughts and blog away–feel free to submit questions, comments and opinions. I presume the vast majority of the participants will be from our customers and the usual gang of assorted antagonists, also known to those in the tool world as the “woodworking Taliban”–those overly passionate folks who will go to their graves defending/proselytizing/pontificating/yelling how one should always cut dovetails their way, which of course is either tails or pins first. Word of caution to the later; if your submissions to this blog are written in the tone of a wounded pirate your words will suffer the fate of a thousand cannon balls. Deal?

Now for something completely different.

I am going to organize my thoughts on the design process and post them here. Perhaps it might change the way some approach their craft. It is a much more meaty subject than working wood.

From the NEWS and NOTEWORTHY Department;

Last week (April 21-25, 2008) I spent the week teaching “CAD for Woodworkers” at the Marc Adams school of Woodworking, a short 20 minute drive outside of Indianapolis. I love this school and this class but it was exhausting even though I had an incredibly knowledgeable assistant, Mike Morris. (Mike, I put this in the blog so you could prove to your wife you were in class helping me. Later when you get a chance, let me know where you were for the week–it interests me.)

After class on Friday, Marc sponsored a moderated forum between Tom Lie-Nielsen and John Economaki (that would be me). The moderator, Christopher Schwarz, is the lanky and very bright lad behind the hand tool passion at Popular Woodworking and Woodworking . I don’t know how the forum was received but afterwards I joined Tom, Chris, and John (a mutual law enforcement friend) for a couple of hours in Tom’s hotel room discussing his drapes.

OK, this is probably a lie. We told stories about tools, toolmaking, employees and went off-topic frequently. (The films, Little Miss Sunshine and Raising Arizona were two detours that I remember, there were probably others…) I can’t share further details because of an unwritten, unspoken code of conduct that states “What is said in Indianapolis is not worth writing about.” Interestingly, nobody in this secret meeting was under 6′3″ in height. It is safe to say that I was not the skinniest guy there, but I am actively thinking about working out.

Thanks for stopping by,

John