Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality. By Article Index. By Christopher Schwarz Page: 26 From the June issue Buy this issue now Cutting dovetails by hand involves a lot of personal choices — from the saw to the chisel to even which part of the joint you cut first.
Because the wood is still fairly wet, the handles are turned bigger than they need to be, and then dried in -house. Parts are stored on wire racks and in old egg cartons as they wait their turn in the kiln. The kiln itself is a simple box lined with rigid insulation and powered by a single light bulb. The open wire shelves allow air to circulate within the box, and the location of the light bulb at the bottom promotes circulation as warm air rises to the top of the box.
After leaving the kiln, parts are returned to the lathe. Turning is completed in several stages and some are further refined with a CNC router before being assembled with the brass heads. This personal attention makes for a tool that feels like a part of your hand and is a joy to use. One of the things I enjoyed most about visiting with Kevin was the remarkable way that his mind works.
Most of us accept the limitations of a tool or process, and learn to work around the shortcomings. Glen-Drake Tools, a California toolmaker, offers an especially sleek wheel gauge with a micro-adjustable head. Fans of wheel gauges love the high-tech design of these marking gauges and the clean, crisp line the knife makes in the wood. The Tite-Mark comes as a complete wheel gauge system with many attractive features: Micro-adjustable head: The micro-adjustable head is the heart of the Tite-Mark.
By sliding the fence assembly until the cutter is relatively close to the mark, you can lock the tail and use the micro-adjuster to set the head exactly where you want it. Double locking: The Tite-Mark is designed to be used with one hand. With the tail locked there is no chance that the head will move after you have adjusted it and before you lock it in place. Retractable Blade: A recess in the head allows the blade to be retracted for storage. With the blade retracted, the Tite-Mark will also stand on its head, a nice feature for a crowded bench top.
Tool steel blade: Made from tool steel and hardened to Rc 60, the Tite-Mark blade is ground and honed after it is heat treated, so it will be sharp and ready to use right out of the box. The blade can also be quickly re-honed so you can keep on making tight, crisp lines. Stop-slotted rod: The "V" slotted rod keeps the head and tail from moving during adjustment, while providing a consistent and secure bed for the thumbscrews. The screws are faced-off to fit snugly in the slot. The slot is stopped on the tail to keep the fence assembly from accidentally sliding off the rod.
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