"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." — John Milton
Drivel Starved Nation;
It was an exciting time to be a furniture designer/maker back in the 1970’s. I can still remember the excitement of my first commission —it’s such an honor when others want your work in their home. I was so lucky.
But this luck came with a caveat. All of the people who were ordering furniture from me had money. Lots of money. Continue reading
"While most are dreaming of success, winners wake-up and work hard to achieve it."— Unknown
Drivel Starved Nation;
You should be in your shop making stuff, but since your here, please take the time to vote!
When we introduced the CS-6v2, we opened a contest for those who wanted to infill our naked squares pictured below;
We are going to award two $500 Gift Certificates, one for the “Most Beautiful” Cs6v2 Combination Square and one $500 Gift Certificate for the “Most Original” idea. We need 2 votes from you, your thoughts, and you can do so by commenting to this post.We will announce the winners next Thursday, August 25th. (These awards are unbelievably generous because they equal our annual profit here.) Continue reading
"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.
Drivel Starved Nation-
I should have known better than to try and seduce the DSN with misleading photos. What did I accomplish? A bunch of insulting comments about my advanced age and the cost of Depends… At least nobody brought up my addiction to stool softeners… (Did I just write that?)
But I digress, I did indeed take a field trip to the George Nakashima property in Bucks County, PA. What a beautiful setting! The facility is open for visitors on Saturdays but the shops are closed. If you have never been there, it is an hour drive or so from either the Philadelphia or Newark airports. I would love to go back in the fall, it just has to be incredibly beautiful. Continue reading
"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
"There can be no intelligent control of the lead danger in industry unless it is based on the principle of keeping the air clear from dust and fumes." — Alice Hamilton
Drivel Starved Nation;
I am pleased to share that my Gyro Air™ arrived yesterday. Before I share my progress, here are the latest tools headed for the auction block this week…
I probably should have kept this for myself, but I already have 3. That is how cool this tool is. AND, it is the most requested discontinued Commemorative Tool according to the all-knowing Consuelo! Continue reading
"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
Drivel Starved Nation!
A long, long time ago, in a woodshop far away, I started Bridge City Tool Works. 1983 to be exact. Continue reading
Drivel Starved Nation;
As mentioned in a previous post, I flew down to San Francisco a couple of weekends ago to attend Maker Faire San Mateo. It is billed as the “Largest Show and Tell on Earth” and as one who has never used superlatives (lie), I would say this was an understatement (truth).
I realize I don’t get out much (sort of a lie), and it is difficult for me to keep up with current events (pretty much a lie). For example, I just found out that “Leave it to Beaver” has been canceled (big fat lie). I loved that show (truth).
Anyway, if you have seen what I am about to share, congrats. If you have not, prepare to be gobsmacked.
There is a new hand-held router that will supposedly hit the market this year that allows you to do CNC quality shaping completely by hand. Yes, hand held. Here’s how it works to the best of my limited knowledge (true);
The router has a camera on the non-operator side that scans the work surface for markings on special tape that you put down before you begin. This allows the router to establish a virtual Cartesian X/Y coordinate system. Basically it knows where it is in relation to the unique markings on the tape.
The profile that you want to shape is created in a computer and it is downloaded to the router. The profile appears on a screen on the operator side of the router.
Dear Drivel Starved Nation-
I have been crazy busy the past two months. I went to China to finalize version 2 of the Chopstick Master and I am pleased to announce that when this version hits the streets this fall, it will sell for $195 buckaroos. That by-the-way, is $50 LESS than our HP-8 with depth skids ALONE. This is a screaming cool value. And our pledge to you; even though this is made in China, the quality is as good—or better—than what you have come to expect from Bridge City over the past 33 years.
Three weeks ago we attended a media event in NYC regarding the Chopstick Master v2 and I will share the results of that jaunt as they come in. A couple of fashionistas made chopsticks for their… hair!