Wood Tools

New Tool from Bridge City Tool Works… It’s a Wild One!

August, 10th, 2017

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct arising from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves."— Carl Jung

Drivel Starved Nation:

Haven’t posted lately, I have buried myself in work… oh how the time flies.

FYI, blogging is not work, it is just a hassle… unless of course I come up with some meaningful drivel to feed the DSN!

Last February I started work on a project that has occupied all my time up until two weeks ago when the prototype parts arrived. This is when I learned that I had a ways to go to prove out this concept so I dropped it temporarily and finished up a tool that I started a year ago and did not finish. I am thrilled with what this tool can do, particularly for those with small shops. I think you will see, at least I hope so, that this device can make your life a whole lot easier when in the shop. Here’s a peek… Continue reading →

HP-14 Scraper Plane Details from Bridge City Tool Works…

June, 20th, 2017

"What we do today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all our tomorrows."— Alexandra Stoddard

Drivel Starved Nation!

I received lots of great questions regarding our Hp-14 Scraper Plane and will attempt to answer them here in this Totally Awesome and Worthless Blog!

Before I answer them, here are a couple of pics of the final design. The pre-order window will open this week and we will make this in two versions, the HP-14 Scraper Plane, and the HP-14 SS Scraper Plane. The later features stainless steel sides as opposed to champagne anodized aluminum and we will only make the SS version once… Continue reading →

Weekend Projects Using the New V Groove Kit for the HP-10 Plane…

May, 24th, 2017

"The Self-Educated are marked by stubborn peculiarities."— Issac D'Israeli

Dear Drivel Starved Nation;

If there is one thing that drives me crazy about being in the woodworking business are customers who are reluctant to acknowledge the potential of new ideas. I will never understand this, and frankly, it frustrates me when I have to spend time with people who never appreciate that the world is full of new ideas yet to be revealed.

We recently introduced a set of four “V” groove texturing kits for our HP-10 Convertible Plane and all they do is make perfect “V” Grooves. Yup, that is all they do. Continue reading →

Bridge City Field Trip to China Details!

May, 22nd, 2017

"Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime."— Mark Twain

Dear Drivel starved Nation!

As mentioned earlier in the year, I have to go to China in October and thought it would be fun to invite members of the Drivel Starved Nation to tag along for a couple of days to see China and meet China’s most famous woodworker. It will be a trip you will not soon forget.

Here are some important details for those who have never traveled abroad and are considering this trip; 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 →

Bridge City Tool Works News – It’s Kind of a Big Deal…

November, 14th, 2016

"Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes." — Lewis Grizzard

Drivel Starved Nation-

I have much to share with this report, so drop whatever it is you are doing and feast on this delicious bowl of drivel!

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 →