High Vises

Quite a few years ago Jameel Abraham of BenchCrafted contacted me to say he was sending me a vise he wanted me to try. He instructed me to use it as I saw fit and give him my honest feedback and at some point he would want it back.

It never really occurred to me that I need a vise to bring work up higher and closer to my eye, however in the next couple weeks after it arrived I found myself using it for more and more operations. You can probably imagine when shaping a plane tote it became a most invaluable tool. 

As I've ventured into making different forms of tools it has become the workbench appliance I never knew I needed but could no longer be without.

After a few weeks had passed I called Jameel to let him know a few things about this vise. The first was that I had found numerous used for it that I never perceived I had a need for, the second was that I thought it was gonna make a very viable new product offering for BenchCrafted, and lastly he was not gonna get it back😀😀.

You'll notice in the pic below that it utilizes a smaller version of the BenchCrafted Criss Cross device which makes usability an elegant and simple matter.

Fast forward some years and my friend Bryan Fancher had visited our friends in Iowa and returned home with some High Vise hardware he procured while there. He solicited my help in turning it into a vise and we set about making his high vise from some gorgeous caramelized birdseye maple.

I enjoyed helping Bryan with his vise so much that I decided  a high vise build would be a welcome break from edge tools and a type of woodworking that wasn't edge tool related. So I acquired the Benchcrafted hardware kit I needed to execute this build and made a visit to my local hardwood dealer to source the wood I would need.

The first vise I made was from a particularly dense piece of Genuine Mahogany I found at the lumberyard. I made the batten style vise for it's versatility in mounting options and because I liked the details I could incorporate into the batten ends. 

I posted the Mahogany vise on Instagram and soon had inquiries as to whether or not it was for sale. It now resides in someone elses shop. If you look closely at the above picture you'll see that I incorporated a caul that allows one to mount the vise quickly and easily in a Wagon vise or other end vise. Yet another mounting option. Alternately it can also be mounted with hold fast and an assortment of clamps on the batten section.

Since then I occasionally make one of these and offer it for sale. Recently I've made one in some very nice select cherry. The finish is a wet sanded oil that requires multiple applications to build a silky smooth finish that keeps the vise from gather some much dust and shavings. Because of this finish most dust and shavings just fall off onto the floor. The jaws are lined with Crubber, one of the best grabbing and holding materials I've used on a vise to date.

If interested the Cherry vise shown below is for sale. The price is $799 shipping included. I can be contacted thru the contact button in the top heading of this page.

Ron

Cabinet Maker's Screwdrivers

 I've wanted a set of Gunsmith type screwdrivers for a while now. Decided I was probably not the only person that might want a really nicely made set of drivers that did not have the pitfalls of the previous drivers I had owned for cabinet making.

What were the pitfalls? 

Well number one the taper tips that would mar the sides of the hardware screw slots. When I was a full time furniture maker I had set up screws I would use to position and prove out hardware locations. After finishing the piece I would then use the screws that came with the hardware so the slots wouldn't be so beat up from the initial installation.

Magnetic tips. If you used steel wool in any of the rub out steps in finishing your project then every time you put down the screw driver debris from the steel wool would cling to the tip.😒

Drivers that roll and fall off your workbench. This aggravates me to no end. The older I get the worse I abhor screwdrivers that do this. Square handle drivers aren't as prone to this but also are not as nice in hand either. If I'm doing this I want the best of both worlds.

I spent a lot of time thinking about the configuration of the screwdrivers and the processes required to create a set that are as beautiful to behold as they are nice to use.

The picture shows 2 sets of these drivers. One with Olive wood handles and the other with handles of a green pearl acrylic polymer. I'm offering these in the same handle materials available for my chisels

The tips of these screwdrivers are in the gunsmith style with hollow ending in a parallel tip. Sized to fit the screw sizes I mentioned very well.

The handles are a modified version of my chisel handles. A bit larger diameter and a larger hosel rise for apply force need to drive screws.

The video shows the anti roll feature of these drivers. The geometry of these drivers creates that tool that's not really prone to rolling but a strategically placed flat on the bottom cause it to settle as you can see in the video.

The first couple sets of these sold very quickly. If interested in acquiring individual or sets of these tools you can contact me thru the email link located at the Contact Info button at the top of the page.

Ron

Chisels for Kumiko

 While paring kumiko In the past I’ve often thought that I could create a tool to make this task a bit easier and possibly more ergonomic as well. Recently I had a customer/friend contact me to inquire as to whether I would be interested in creating such a chisel for him. 

I made a list of the criteria we put together for this chisel:

(1) Wide blade for easy registration on the jigs typically used in kumiko work.

(2) Shorter blade so the pressure point of your hand is close to the cutting contact point. Something butt chisel length.

(3) Shorter handle as compared to a bench chisel so the end would fit comfortably in your hand and provide a way to push with the butt of your hand.

(4) A lower bevel angle to make for a better paring cut.

(5) Lower heat in the tempering process to leave the chisel a bit harder than standard. Paring and chopping are very different task. Leaving the steel in the blade a bit harder promotes a sharper edge better for paring than chopping.

(6) All sharp edges on the chisel blade where one’s hand may come in contact are broken/softened to make the user experience more pleasant and less wearing on the hand.

Below are pictures of the product created using this criteria. Woods are Desert ironwood, olive and figured resin infused maple.

Ron

New Additions to the Tools Available Page

 Recent additions to the Tools Available Page as of January 28th, 2021. 

To purchase visit the "Tools Available page"

Pair of  Resin Infused Curly maple 18 degree Skew Chisels, 3/8" wide

 

 

Resin Infused Cherry Awl with removable blade feature and lye aged finish.

 

Most Recent Set of Dovetail Chisels

 I recently completed this set of Dovetail chisels using Resin Infused Curly Maple for the handles. I also implemented a new ferrule design. The change is not obvious as it is concealed in the handle. The new ferrules feature an integrated threaded stud that actually threads into the handle and once thread locked it becomes integrated into the wooden handle.

 

 

This new feature allows all the components to become one thing and makes the final assembly a bit more predictable as well.

 

You may also notice a bit of a different shape in the handle. As new ideas emerge I prototype and add the details that prove to be an enhancement.

I had intended to list these chisels on the Tools Available page today but a former customer discovered that I had these in process and contacted me about purchasing them. Chisels are SOLD.

Ron

New Items Added to the Tool Available page on 9/2/20

The last Awls I added to the Tools Available page sold out quite quickly. I've just added 3 more of these awls to the tools available page as of 9/2/20.

To access that page follow this link. Tools Available

If you have any questions please contact me at ronbrese1@gmail.com

New Tools Available Page

All Awls are sold. 

The awls featured in the last post sold quite quickly so I set about making another small batch of these tools in various woods. I also thought this might be a good time to create a page specifically for the tools that I have available for sale at any given time. Tools Available link.

When looking at group pictures of these tools I can't help thinking that they look a lot like lollipops in a candy store.  Such an array of color courtesy of Ma Nature and some judicious shaping and polishing.

I decided to see how an awl made from Desert Iron wood would be. There is a large variation of color in this material and this case it's a very earthy color of orange. I was instantly smitten.

As mentioned in the last post these awls have a feature that allows for removing the blade so as to re-grind, or sharpen if you may, the tip. These are furnished with the appropriate allen key and an extra set screw.

The Tools Available page is available at this link or from the page listing at the top of the main blog page.

Ron