Thursday, 10 December 2009
The Eagle Has Landed!
Finally! The first pallet of planes arrived today from Quangsheng and I have been busy unpacking and inspecting a sample of each type, taking photos etc.
First impressions:
Better than expected - a lot better than expected; I was hoping for a budget alternative to the big three, a compromise that would suit folks with limited funds, something that would need less fettling than a vintage tool and might perhaps appeal to pro-cabinetmakers for rougher jobs like Jack planing.
What we have ended up with are a very serious range of tools indeed.
My concerns about the irons were completely unfounded, they are beautifully ground, rock hard and take that spine chillingly sharp edge that you only get with properly heat treated carbon steel.
The machining on the bodies is excellent, I stripped a low angle rebating block plane this afternoon and put the sole up against a straight edge – a nice triangle of light between the mouth and the back indicating that the casting had been correctly pre-tensioned as it was ground. After re-inserting the iron and lightly nipping up the cap to working tension (less than half a turn past the point where the blade advance is free enough to work) the triangular gap was gone. It may not sound like much, but getting that just right is a really clever bit of metalworking.
I would have absolutely no qualms about putting these tools in front of some of the top cabinetmakers in the country, they really are that good.
So, perhaps we had better make that the big FOUR from now on!!!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Free Shipping Fortnight
Ordering early for Christmas makes our lives so much easier. So as a thank you to those who help us out by not leaving it until the last minute, we are offering Free Shipping on all UK orders, until the 14th of December.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Sticker Shock !
I recently read a post on a forum about the gold stickers on Ashley Iles chisels. The poster said that he thought them unnecessary and that if anything they cheapened the look of the chisels.
I'm not overly fond of them either and there didn't seem to be any dissenting voices from people who particularly liked them, so I thought I'd experiment by removing them from the chisels that we send out for a while and see what the reaction was. - Nothing, no complaints, grumbles or comments whatsoever.
I mentioned this little test whilst on the phone with Barry at the Ashley Iles factory the other day and he said:
"Good! I've never liked those blooming stickers."
So, henceforth the Ashley Iles Cabinetmaker's chisels, Butt chisels and Dovetail chisels made for Workshop Heaven will be produced without stickers.
Job done!
Footnote: The Ashley Iles Cabinetmaker's Chisels are also now available with beech handles if you prefer, I haven't had time to take photos but if you want them in beech just drop me an email.
Friday, 13 November 2009
Quangsheng Planes
Today we have made the final payment and received shipping information on an order of planes from Quangsheng Tools in China. We have been looking for an acceptable range of budget handplanes for a couple of years now, and after six months of intense questioning these guys seem to have come up with the right answers.
The planes were originally developed with the help of Woodcraft in the USA, where they are marketed as Wood River planes. Unusually they are cast from steel rather than iron, a very good but expensive way of doing things that I had previously thought to be the preserve of infill planes. I asked for a copy of the specs and it is a low carbon steel (anything under 2% carbon is steel) with a high chromium content so it should have reasonably good corrosion resistance too.
I also asked about their grinding and was told that they anneal the castings before grinding them and was sent this photo showing a nice big solid bed grinder - important as it acts as a heat sink as well as pretensioning the body and holding it absolutely rock steady as it passes under the grinding wheel. A steady flow of coolant again reduces the chance of the body being stressed by the introduction of heat.
For the handles I have opted for Chinese grasstree wood, they also offer rosewood handles which they apparently buy in from England. From an environmental perspective I couldn't justify using a far eastern timber that has been transported here, shaped, sent all the way back to China and then brought all the way back here again, it seems ludicrous. So the stuff that is local to the place of manufacture, and apparently grows like a weed seemed by far the best bet, I have used grasstree handled tools before and although somewhat plain, it is stout and perfectly acceptable.
The one thing that does concern me is the use of T10 (the Chinese equivalent of W1) for the irons, this can vary hugely depending on the heat treatment, specifically the hardness of the water that is quenched in. Soft water does lovely things to tool steel whilst hard water tends to do the opposite. I haven't been able to find any definite information on the hardness of the water where they are made so we shall just have to wait and see. If it comes to the crunch we can always replace the blades or re-do the heat treatment.
The big question now is how fast TNT can get them here. They rather unhelpfully quote 10 days plus, which could mean anything.
*Update* We have upgraded the shipping option so they should be here at the beginning of December, just in time for Free Shipping Fortnight!!!!
Monday, 9 November 2009
West Riding Woodcarvers Association
I was chatting with a customer from Yorkshire recently. He lives just down the road from Richmond, where the HQ and museum of my family regiment is housed in a beautiful old church, I was reminded of taking the train up there as a mustard keen 19 year old for an interview with the Regimental Secretary. Anyway, the conversation turned to carving clubs and he mentioned that he was a member of the West Riding Woodcarvers Association.
The club is currently working on a series of carved panels depicting scenes from the first and second world wars which will eventually be displayed at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Each member takes a pre-sized block of timber and a design and carves it in their own time, the whole is then assembled and displayed. The club have already created similar panels for several local hospices which are donated free of charge and have earned them royal recognition in the form of a Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
As well as providing an enjoyable project for the club members, the panels add warmth and interest to the environment in which they are displayed in a way that a two dimensional image couldn't match. They also serve to draw public attention to both the club and carving in general.
I believe this is a fantastic way for carvers to help their local communities and bring a touch of warmth to people who so desperately need it. Another amazing thing that we can all do at this time of year is fold up a donation, drop it in the tin, and 'wear your poppy with pride'.
By the way - a wee dab of superglue is all it takes to keep the leaf in the correct position and stop you looking like a politician.
Monday, 26 October 2009
It's all coming together!
I absolutely love this time of year, there is so much going on. It's like the point in a run where you have just broken through 'the wall' and seem to be pulled along by a wave of momentum.
Christmas is a real make-or-break time for us and the work that began at the end of August is now coming close to fruition. Thankfully this year we have had a very strong third quarter, so cashflow for Christmas stock is much less of a concern than usual.
Around now we start receiving stock deliveries from our suppliers. All the new products have to be photographed and listed, the magazines need artwork for the Chistmas advertising campaign and in the warehouse there is lots of work to do pre-packaging kits and making room for new lines (including selling off all the odds and ends on ebay).
The C.I. Fall bevelled firmers are already up on the website and the first of the morticers will follow shortly. The new Famag carbide tipped augers and Forstner bits are up as well and we have just added new website sections for Christmas gift ideas and stocking stuffers.
A huge box arrived this afternoon from Mora of Sweden with lots of new knife blades and assorted goodies and we are eagerly awaiting a pallet of planes from Quangsheng Tools in China (don't worry we won't be trying to fob anyone off that they are American!). They have however been developed in close conjunction with Woodcraft, who are American, and are tipped to be reasonably good copies of early Stanleys made in cast steel, bronze and brass. Combined with a selection of optional upgrade blades by Ray Iles I think they could prove quite popular.
At the same time there are family traditions to keep up with as well - last weekend we got together with some mates and pressed a batch of cider for Christmas 2010, I reckon 80 gallons should be about enough to slake our thirst from next year's Christmas campaign!!!
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Stamjarns and Teardrops 2
At the end of last week two big parcels arrived from Sheffield full to the brim with beatifully turned beech teardrop handles. I have some wallets on order for the individual ones and our French suede tool roll supplier was finally able to make a delivery last week as well, so I've got something to put the sets in too. The latest batch of rolls are a tadge lighter in colour than the old ones but still a superb example of hand workmanship.
I wasn't happy with the grinding on the morticers, so I reground a sample and sent it off with a couple of originals to a very talented bladesmith in Scotland called Chris Grant. We'll see what he comes up with but I've got a feeling it will be rather good!
The finishing on the bevelled firmers is still not perfect but bevelled firmers were never intended to be used for fine joinery, they are supposed to be affordable general purpose chisels that can take a bit of stick.
With Chris sorting out the morticers and John sorting out the wallets, I can get on with the finish for the handles. I tried about a dozen different finishes but the winner by a country mile was oiling with sun bleached Swedish linseed oil, followed a couple of days later with pure beeswax polish. I use 25% first grade Cornish beeswax and 75% natural pine turpentine warmed in the sun until the two blend together. It brings a warm golden hue to the timber and a really comfortable feel in the hand. The turpentine is also Swedish - distilled from pine roots - so even the finishing has a strong Swedish element and reflects the Swede's passion for nature and aversion to unnecessary complexity.
Here's the first batch after handling and finishing, 120 down and about 500 to go!
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
New Mora 2010MG
Just in, news from Mora of Sweden that the military green version of the new 2010 is going into production. The 2010 uses the same stainless steel blade as the popular Mora 2000 but has a more ergonomic handle with a finger guard and small ridged areas for extra grip with a variety of holds. The handle is made from a similar material to our Gyokucho Eva grip saws - a hard plastic that feels soft to the touch and is amazingly grippy, even with wet hands.
As a general purpose knife I reckon they have got these just about spot on, the scalloped tip means you have a strong blade for heavier work but a fine, slightly flexible tip. We are be among the first companies in the world to stock the civilian version of this knife and will have the military version in stock as soon as the first batch are finished.
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Chop Chop!
In accordance with my policy of ‘if I wouldn’t use it in my own workshop then it doesn’t go on the website’, I thought I should treat myself to an Atkinson Walker industrial blade for my mitre saw - and a very satisfying piece of engineering it is too!
The industrial blades are all heat treated at the factory and cooled under pressure, forcing the crystalline structure of the steel to form flat. They are smithed and tensioned by hand (see picture above) to fine tune the internal tensions in the steel. The result is a blade that is not only very flat and very round to begin with, but stays that way when you generate frictional heat around the perimeter but not in the middle.
Huge chunks of carbide are then trifoil braized onto it and ground by some seriously clever machines to a tolerance of one hundreth of a millimetre, before it goes back to the Smithing shop for a final fettle and inspection.
The saw is listed as requiring a 254mm blade but Chris Walker informed me that almost without exception a 255mm will fit. The whole 254mm thing started out as a marketing ploy to try and restrict customers to buying blades from the equipment manufacturer. Sure enough the standard 255mm fits just fine and the performance is out of this world.
It does take a little bit more grunt to get it spinning (it’s nearly twice the weight of the CMT blade I took off) but once it’s moving the blade runs soooo sweetly, it produces beautiful, almost planed, surfaces with barely a whisper of fluff left behind on the exit side, absolutely marvellous!
The thing that continues to astound me is how the Italians and Americans have managed to gain such a strong foothold in the UK market when we make sawblades of this quality in Sheffield. What's more, I can post it back to the factory to have it resharpened up to ten times for a fraction of the price of a throw-away blade.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
A Good Workman Never Blames His Tools
In one form or another, the proverb “A good workman never blames his tools” dates back at least as far as the 13th century but in recent times has often been misinterpreted as “if it goes wrong it can’t possibly be the tool’s fault.” Or worse, “if you think the tool is at fault, then you must be a bad workman.”
The real message is that a good workman wouldn’t have bought a shoddy tool or allowed a good tool to fall into a state of poor repair in the first place.
The market for ‘disposable’ tools has flourished in recent years, but the concept of buying a tool, using it for one job and then throwing it in the skip and buying another one remains utterly unfathomable to me. The souls I really pity are those who buy cheap tools that are designed for this market and then hold themselves accountable when the work isn’t up to standard “because a good workman doesn’t blame his tools, right?” Wrong. Digging back through the earlier incarnations of the expression I found this one, which is less open to misinterpretation:
“A bungler cannot find (or fit himselfe with) good tooles.”
R. Congrave, French-English Dictionary, 1611
And let’s face it, no-one wants to be thought of as a bungler do they?
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Custom Mora Kitchen Knives
Most knifemakers tend to focus on outdoor knives so this really is a stab in the dark (if you'll pardon the expression), but I've just taken a punt and ordered some food industry knife blades from Mora of Sweden.
I've tried out a sample set of the complete knives and my first impression was 'not really sure about these', I think it was the green handles that caused me to waver - those Swedes and their handles again! But after a week or so I got used to them and gradually started to use them more and more and leave the Wusthofs in the block.
They were designed by a famous Swedish Chef, and I must admit the ergonomics and blade shapes are absolutely spot on.
(OK you can get that image of Bork from the Muppets out of your mind now!!!)
The blades are made of 12C27 high carbon stainless which they carefully heat treat to avoid the formation of large carbides. The end product takes and holds an edge like carbon steel and yet still has high corrosion resistance.
In the end, my wife and I decided to give the Moras to my mother in law as her kitchen knives had seen better days, but by the time it came to actually hand them over we were both a little hesitant to part with them.
We will be getting some of the complete knives over in the next few months, but in the meantime it will be interesting to see whether the knifemaking fraternity show an interest in the blades.
I've tried out a sample set of the complete knives and my first impression was 'not really sure about these', I think it was the green handles that caused me to waver - those Swedes and their handles again! But after a week or so I got used to them and gradually started to use them more and more and leave the Wusthofs in the block.
They were designed by a famous Swedish Chef, and I must admit the ergonomics and blade shapes are absolutely spot on.
(OK you can get that image of Bork from the Muppets out of your mind now!!!)
The blades are made of 12C27 high carbon stainless which they carefully heat treat to avoid the formation of large carbides. The end product takes and holds an edge like carbon steel and yet still has high corrosion resistance.
In the end, my wife and I decided to give the Moras to my mother in law as her kitchen knives had seen better days, but by the time it came to actually hand them over we were both a little hesitant to part with them.
We will be getting some of the complete knives over in the next few months, but in the meantime it will be interesting to see whether the knifemaking fraternity show an interest in the blades.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Saws to make your mouth water!
I've just received a big pile of parcels from Gyokucho in Japan. I don't want to let too much out of the bag yet, but this little treasure was among them.
The Kuroko is an ultra lightweight yet incredibly fast pistol grip saw. The whole thing including the sheath weighs 10 ounces and the saw itself only five, but boy does it get through timber at a rate of knots! A mate popped round while I was taking pictures of them for the website, took one look and bought the one I was photographing on the spot.
Speaking of saws, I've also fixed a date next week to go up to Sheffield for product training with Atkinson Walker. Their range of circular saw blades is mind boggling to say the least, but if we are to list their full selection of hand smithered loveleyness, I am determined to understand every aspect of them in order to ensure that customers can get the best advice possible on which blade to choose.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Stamjarns and Teardrops (fixing a very old problem)
People sometimes ask me how I select products for Workshop Heaven and I have always had difficulty giving them a straight answer. Traditionally retailers look for shiny, nicely packaged products that are heavily marketed and available at the drop of a hat from the manufacturer or wholesaler. I will forgoe all the above for a product that is made right, or has fixable issues, and is preferably not widely available.
The Swedes are naturally blessed with some of the purest iron ore on the planet, they make excellent high carbon steel from it, which they forge into really solid chisels that will last a lifetime. Then they put atrocious uncomfortable handles on to deter rational people from buying them. It has always been so, whether its a 90 year old A.E. Berg or a new C.I Fall, the handles let the side down every time.
I asked C.I Fall if they would consider having a redesigned handle made, similar to their (surprisingly good) turning handles, a very polite 'not at the moment' came back from Anders Fall - one of the most down to earth guys you could ever want to meet by the way. Much to Anders' dismay a purchase order for tangs followed and my quest began to find the perfect handle.
The original handles are assymetric and I wanted to retain this feature as it would mean the handle could be rotated 90 degrees and used for the morticers as well - matching set sir? Very nice.
I liked the knurled ferrule on the originals so that will be staying although the square section, clarty dipped finish and the hoop are all deeply and profoundly wrong so all of those concepts have been binned. That left me with:
*an oval section,
*a rounded top,
*something that would be suitable for heavy malleting
*would work with bench chisels and moticers.
Then it clicked, teardrops! Mouthwateringly comfortable, directional, very traditional, sold!
A couple of calls with Colin in Sheffield and the deal was done. They will be double turned from beech, which fits with the best bits of the Scaninavian ethos. Carefully sanded, fitted with thick knurled brass ferrules, given a good soak in tung oil and then hand rubbed to a soft sheen. I've bought a thumping great cast iron Victorian lever press by W.B. Haigh of Oldham to fit them, which reminds me, I must remember to get Len Cooper to machine me a new part for it.
All in all, not too much effort to fix something that has dogged Swedish chisel manufacturers for well over a century. The grinding is still miles off from cabinetmakers chisels but good quality bevelled firmers that can take a thwacking are a surprisingly rare treat these days, so with a bit of a marketing to let folks know about them, they should be quite popular.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Now THAT'S a tenon saw!
14 inches of best CS80 high carbon spring steel, toothed for hardwoods, with a hand polished, folded brass back and a hand finished, closed handle in selected elm.
I commisioned these saws in response to a request from a customer for a pair of big saws with closed handles, specifically for cutting tenons in hardwoods. Whist doing my research I soon discovered that over the last 100 years or so, tenon saws have evolved to meet the needs of joiners as this has historically been the bigger market. It hasn't been sudden, just a gentle process of allowing cabinetmaking saws to drift out of the catalogue pages, but process has now evolved to the point where people think that a tenon saw is 'wrong' if it doesn't conform to the joiners standard of a fast cutting aggressive saw that is rarely, if ever, actually used for cutting tenons.
By all accounts, a proper cabinetmakers tenon saw is a finer toothed beast that relies on a long stroke for its efficiency. It should start easily and flow smoothly and accurately through the cut, leaving a perfectly square edge and a barely repressable urge to go and cut another one right now! (handy if you've got several to do).
I was on the point of making the commercial decision whether to just have the two made for the customer, or to go the whole hog, put in a proper production order and stock them, when I read this in an article by David Savage:
"It will be a sad day when a cabinet maker can't actually pick up a saw and cut a piece of wood dead straight, trim the end of a tenon or cut a mitre just shy of the line. But sometimes it feels like that day isn't too far away"
Well sod that, I thought, and promptly put my money where my heart was and ordered the first batch.
Christian Ellis has been an absolute pleasure to work with on this project. Even with my "sorry but the handles are not quite right, can you re-do them please" shenanigins, he has been a consummate professional throughout, and should be more widely recognised as one of the rising stars of proper English toolmaking. The first batch arrived last week and the rest are trickling in as and when Christian can get hold of elm that is of an acceptable quality for the handles.
So here it was, the moment, the first test cut! I selected a nice piece of oak, stood it up in the end vice and....judder. All that effort and I've managed to come up with a saw that flippin' judders!!! Then it hit me, new saws need a run in period of slow feed rates and thinner workpieces, they are too sharp to begin with and that is why they grab at the timber. Switching to the front vice, I made a series of perpendicular cuts through the narrow section, every one getting progressively smoother than the last. Finally I gave the blade a coat of Shield Technology ProtecTool wax, including the teeth, and switched to a piece of english walnut. What a world of difference, the saw started well and continued to cut smoothly right down the cheek. Back to the oak, same thing again, and it was making much better progress through the timber than before.
A week or so later I am loving this saw more and more every time I use it, it just gets better and better! After correcting the set for my cutting style with a single stroke down the left side of the teeth with 3M 40 micron PSA lapping film it cuts absolutely square and true and we have developed a comfortable smooth working rhythm.
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with how these saws have worked out, and I hope that with them we will be able to fend off David's sad day for another generation.
Clifton Prices
Just a quick heads up that the new Clico pricelist is due out at the end of the month. They are normally pretty reasonable, just normal inflationary corrections, but if you want to grab a nice new Cliffie at the 2008/9 prices, now's the time!
I have put in an order to top up our stock at the old prices. I will show the new prices as soon as we get them, but then put everything on special at the old prices until we run out. This seems like the fairest way of doing it for all concerned.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Scary Sharp
We have had a lot of interest in our 3M scary sharp kits recently, mainly thanks to an article by Marc Fish in Furniture and Cabinetmaking Magazine and various referrals from alumni of the Barnsley Workshop.
For the benefit of those who would like to learn more about it, here is a pdf of the instructions that we send out with the kit. I wrote these back when we only offered the non PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) backed versions of the film, as soon as I update them I will upload the new version.
The PSA backing does make life a lot easier, it's like a heavy duty version of the stuff used on post it notes, so you just peel off the backing and stick it down rather than having to spray aerosol adhesive onto the film. Sticking it down is a one hit deal though, it will come off cleanly when you've finished with it, but it's worth taking your time to get it in the right spot when you apply it and roll it down onto the glass to avoid trapping any air bubbles.
I recently had the good fortune to meet up with Rob Stoakley, better known as woodbloke (check out his blog here) and demonstrate the system to him. Rob has had an interest in the scary sharpening for some time, along with a healthy dollop of caution. Given the number of 'revolutionary new must-have universal sharpening systems' that have been touted in recent years I don't blame him one bit. The only difference I can see with scary sharp is that it evolved naturally, no one seems to have invented it, it just happened. The lapping film was originally developed for polishing fibre optics, float glass was developed for making windows and Richard Kell designed his honing guides long before it became popular. All I have done is procure the best kit for doing it with and put it in a box.
Rob had tried scary sharp before but couldn't get on with it, but the moment that I pointed out to him that it works best if you touch the blade to the abrasive on the pull stroke, and then lift it to return to the start position, everything suddenly 'clicked'. After a few minutes he had the whole thing cracked and was starting to come up with his own modifications and solutions. I'll leave Rob to finish the story on his blog, that way you'll get it straight from the horses mouth.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Phew what a scorcher!
Today's flawless blue skies from horizon to horizon, along with a beautifully timed and completely unexpected delivery of a 4 pack of assorted Badger Ales from my neighbour (in return for what I thought was a fairly modest favour), have put me in a particularly good mood this evening. To celebrate I have decided knock 10% off all Shield Technology products and Ashley Iles Registered Firmer Chisels, until such time as I feel grumpy enough to reverse the decison.
Monday, 10 August 2009
Shiny Treats!
There is something deeply attractive about using tools that have been made with care and passion by highly skilled craftsmen in small workshops.
Each time you use them there is a subtle appreciation of the fact that this object was created with skill and judgement by a human being. They make you quietly receptive to the mindblowing concept of human skill and craftsmanship, which is precisely the right emotional plane to be on when you are working.
Given the ongoing (and rapidly growing) popularity of Richard Kell's outstanding honing guides, I thought it was high time we started stocking some of his other products.
Richard's adjustable bevels, plate squares, centre finders and dovetail markers are all are carefully made in solid brass to a standard working tolerance of one thousandth of an inch.
The elegance and simplicity of Richard Kell's designs, combined with their functional accuracy make them a true pleasure to work with.
Each time you use them there is a subtle appreciation of the fact that this object was created with skill and judgement by a human being. They make you quietly receptive to the mindblowing concept of human skill and craftsmanship, which is precisely the right emotional plane to be on when you are working.
Given the ongoing (and rapidly growing) popularity of Richard Kell's outstanding honing guides, I thought it was high time we started stocking some of his other products.
Richard's adjustable bevels, plate squares, centre finders and dovetail markers are all are carefully made in solid brass to a standard working tolerance of one thousandth of an inch.
The elegance and simplicity of Richard Kell's designs, combined with their functional accuracy make them a true pleasure to work with.
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Sharpening and Using English Backsaws
A couple of weeks ago I put together a set of guidelines on how to sharpen, care for and use English Backsaws. Sharpening is easy enough once you know how, but can be an onerous task the first time around, similarly people often have problems starting a cut, but with a little explanation the problem is easily solved. We now send out a paper copy of this with both our PAX and Atkinson Walker ranges of backsaws and backsaw kits.
For people who are not yet customers and those who have bought these products from us in the past but didn't receive a copy with their order, a pdf version is available here.
Speaking of backsaws, I have just finished carving some lambs tongues into the handles on the prototypes for the gorgeous new PAX 1776 heavy tenon saws, which will be available shortly. One final prototype has gone down to Mark Baker of Furniture and Cabinetmaking to be reviewed in a forthcoming round up of all the top tenon saws on the market. The other is on its way up to Sheffield to be used as the sample so that Christian can carve and sand the production ones to the same spec.
Peter Benson's detail selection carving tools were an absolute godsend for this job, so I've included some in the package going to Sheffield.
Prices for the new saws will be £125 each or £225 for a pair, including VAT and carriage.
Bessey Clamps Range Extended
Just finished adding another 9 lines to our range of Bessey clamps including:
Pipe Clamps
Compatible with standard 3/4" steel gas pipe so you can make a heavy duty clamp as long or as short as you need. Although I am far from being a fan of the bearded one, there was a New Yankee Workshop show a few years back where he made a tablesaw fence using this type of clamp.
Vice Clamps
Portable Vices that can be attached to any surface up to 50mm thick. The jaws can be used with guide bars to keep the jaws square, or without for clamping oddly shaped objects. Ideal for site work.
Table Clamps
Designed for fixing KR body clamps to the worksurface, these dinky little clamps can also be used anywhere where an 8mm hole can be drilled. The obvious job that springs to mind is making forms and jigs for gluing up laminates or steam bent components, where you need a large number of inexpensive clamps that can be pre-arranged or slid into place after the workpiece has been initially secured to the form.
Wooden Klemmy Clamps
Inexpensive wooden clamps, designed for protecting delicate, easily damaged workpieces. Ideal for restoration work, they are available in decent bar lengths of 40cm, 80cm and 100cm.
and the new longer Kliklamps
These tick all the right boxes, featherlight, powerful, controllable and now available in much more useful 30cm and 40cm bar lengths.
Having a brief surf around, all of these products are either not currently available in the UK yet or we are better on price than anyone currently offering them, so they should be quite polular!
Pipe Clamps
Compatible with standard 3/4" steel gas pipe so you can make a heavy duty clamp as long or as short as you need. Although I am far from being a fan of the bearded one, there was a New Yankee Workshop show a few years back where he made a tablesaw fence using this type of clamp.
Vice Clamps
Portable Vices that can be attached to any surface up to 50mm thick. The jaws can be used with guide bars to keep the jaws square, or without for clamping oddly shaped objects. Ideal for site work.
Table Clamps
Designed for fixing KR body clamps to the worksurface, these dinky little clamps can also be used anywhere where an 8mm hole can be drilled. The obvious job that springs to mind is making forms and jigs for gluing up laminates or steam bent components, where you need a large number of inexpensive clamps that can be pre-arranged or slid into place after the workpiece has been initially secured to the form.
Wooden Klemmy Clamps
Inexpensive wooden clamps, designed for protecting delicate, easily damaged workpieces. Ideal for restoration work, they are available in decent bar lengths of 40cm, 80cm and 100cm.
and the new longer Kliklamps
These tick all the right boxes, featherlight, powerful, controllable and now available in much more useful 30cm and 40cm bar lengths.
Having a brief surf around, all of these products are either not currently available in the UK yet or we are better on price than anyone currently offering them, so they should be quite polular!
Welcome to Matthew's Blog!
Hello, thanks for stopping by.
This is my new blog and gives me a little more space to burble on about woodworking tools and other related topics than our main website www.workshopheaven.com.
I will be covering topics like how to use, care for and get the best from your tools and giving some extra background info on how our products are designed and made. I will also be offering sneak previews of new product ranges.
I hope it will be interesting and fun, please feel free to add your own comments.
All the best,
Matthew
This is my new blog and gives me a little more space to burble on about woodworking tools and other related topics than our main website www.workshopheaven.com.
I will be covering topics like how to use, care for and get the best from your tools and giving some extra background info on how our products are designed and made. I will also be offering sneak previews of new product ranges.
I hope it will be interesting and fun, please feel free to add your own comments.
All the best,
Matthew
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