Tool Works

New HP-10 Profiles Uncovered…

May, 2nd, 2017

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier." — Tom Stoppard

Drivel Starved Nation;

Geez, do I have a bunch of stuff to report! But it will have to wait. Meanwhile, here are a couple of updates;

1) I have all the details for our excellent field trip to China this fall and I will post them before weeks end.
2) The parts for the CT-19 Transfer Bevel are done with machining, you can follow the progress here
4) The miter square run is back on track (we had some supplier issues). That’s good news.
5) Had a fire at my house, little damage, will report on this later – yes, it could happen to you.
6) Spent 5 days in the hospital 3 weeks ago. Not a fun experience. Will report on this later as well. (I am fine) And yes, this could happen to you as well.
7) I am now on month four of an idea that I am not sure will work. I am going to build a prototype and if it works, I will really be happy and I think you will be happy too! Continue reading →

When the Chopstick Master Inspires those who Inspire Us…

January, 25th, 2017

"All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity." — Gordie Howe

Drivel Starved Nation-

One of the cool aspects of teaching at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking are the fellow instructors you get to meet.

One year, years ago, my classroom was directly across the hall from the turning studio. The instructor? Michael Hosaluk. Continue reading →

Epic Bridge City Tool Works Field Trip to China: Details Emerge…

January, 23rd, 2017

"I am not skipping school! I am just on a SELF-MOTIVATED field trip!"— Meghan Sherwood

Drivel Starved Nation!

I am thrilled to share that we have been receiving early interest in the Shanghai/Nanjing field trip this fall.

Here are the crucial dates you need to know to make a decision:

Continue reading →

Chopstick Master v2 Tutorial

January, 18th, 2017

"If I ever go to China, I'm going to find a piano and play "Chopsticks"--only not with my fingers... I'll be using two forks."— Jarod Kintz

Drivel Starved Nation-

It looks like the BCTW field trip to China is resonating with the DSN.  I will post complete details next week regarding the itinerary. I also think we may limit this to 30 or so for logistical reasons.

Hey! We received the first shipment of the CSMv2s at the end of December. This is such a fun tool to use!

Here is a real-time tutorial on how it is used — you can tell I had 4 cups of coffee the morning we shot this–oh well… Continue reading →

Announcing An Epic Bridge City Tool Works Field Trip!

January, 16th, 2017

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow. Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”— Mark Twain

Drivel Starved Nation!

I got so fed up with the voluminous holiday email blasts in December, we spared you and kept our antsy fingers off our keyboards until today. How cool is that?

First, the Portland Weather Report: As some of you may know, I am an Iowa son, and no stranger to snow. In fact, it is one of the reasons I wanted to move to Portland. No snow shoveling here.
Continue reading →

New Tool from Bridge City Tool Works…

November, 16th, 2016

"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything." — Wyatt Earp

Drivel Starved Nation;

Today I offer you some drivel with some “fresh off the bone” meat — we have a new tool!

Continue reading →

Bridge City Tool Works: Commemorative Tool #19 Sneak Peek…

September, 20th, 2016

“Always do things right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”— Mark Twain

Drivel Starved Nation;

Over the past three months, I have been working on Commemorative Tool #19. For those of you new to this Totally Awesome and Worthless Blog, we make one tool each year (well almost) that we will never duplicate. They are considered the finest series of tools in our almost 34 year history.  (The first Commemorative Tool was introduced in 1991 or 1992, I am too old to remember.) Continue reading →

New Accessories and Ideas for the Chopstick Master™

August, 16th, 2016

"Of all the possible utensils that could have been invented to eat rice with, how did TWO STICKS win out?"— Unknown

Drivel Starved Nation-

Today we have some cool things to share.

A while back, I shared how the grids for my sculpture “Fog of War” were made and you can see the pics here.

It is much harder to do accurate work in small scale but it can be made easier with an approach that yields consistent results. In the case of the grids mentioned above, the components all had to be the exact same thickness. This was surprisingly easy because all of our small planes accept depth skids which makes thickness planing thin stock a breeze. Without depth skids, there would be no Chopstick Master.

Continue reading →

Maybe the Rarest TS-2 Try Square?

July, 26th, 2016

"I asked God for a bike but I know God does not work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness."— Emo Phillips

Drivel Starved Nation;

Someday I am really going to have to do a thorough search of all the stuff tucked away around here. Yesterday I found something that really gave me pause for thought…

Residing at the bottom of a box full of other boxes of old stuff, I found this; Continue reading →

The Best Deal from Bridge City Tool Works in 33 Years!

June, 21st, 2016

"A thousand years ago the Chinese had an entirely codified kitchen while the French were still gnawing on bones. Chopsticks have been around since the fourth century B.C. Forks didn't show up in England until 1611, and even then they weren't meant for eating but just to hold the meat still while you hacked at it with your knife." — Ruth Reichl

Drivel Starved Nation,

As always, you are the first to learn what is happening behind the scenes here at BCTW via this Totally Awesome and Worthless Blog!

I have great news to share regarding our Chopstick Master. Version 2 of the CSM is going to be announced real soon and the details are below. But first, a pic; Continue reading →