Experience with AMT Taiwan?

Re: Experience with AMT Taiwan?

Barry Va Beach

>I have two hand tools from AMT - a small block plane in bronze and a small bullnose rabbit with a bronze sole. I am not sure but think that AMT stood for Awerican Machine and Tool, though they were actually made in Taiwan as I recall. From the catalogs I used to get, their main focus was power tools and they claimed they used more cast iron then the competitors. I would guess that their hand tools were in the range of new Stanley to Anant quality. Good luck with them. Barry

Re: Experience with AMT Taiwan?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>AMT is or was in Royersford, PA. and has long been a manufacturer of such power tools as radial drill presses. For a while at the end of the last century, they expanded into a broad range of woodworking tools and imported a bunch of stuff from Taiwan with their brand on them. I have one of their patternmakers vises and one of their scroll saws that I have used extensively for several years. Neither is top of the line quality-wise, but both work well, and have served me well for many years. I have no plans to replace the vise, but some day I hope to justify the expense of replacing the scroll saw with a DeWalt. You can still buy the same Taiwanese vise, an Emmert clone, with the AMT removed from the casting, from Woodcraft and other distributors.

Re: Experience with AMT Taiwan?

Greg Bétit, Crown Point NY

>My in-laws gave me a brass AMT knock-off of the Stanley 55 concave-soled spokeshave for Christmas a number of years back. I already had an older 55 and the Kuntz knock-off of it. Once I reground the blade's bevel, the AMT has become my go-to tool for following the draw knife when making spindles. This is partially out of deference to the 55's venerability, but also due to the fact that I don't worry about rust after working green wood- at least not on the spokeshave body. In quality I say it falls between the Stanley and the Kuntz.

BTW, I also own the LN and LV concave shaves. While they outclass the other three by a couple orders of magnitude, IMHO their throats are too tight for working green stock into spindles (LV's is actually wider & comes with shims for making it tighter. But I wish it came more open. Yes, I could file it, which I would if the radius were smaller, but since its radius is exactly the same as the three I have with open throats, there's no point.)

If the AMT tools you are considering match this spokeshave's quality, they will be adequate material-wise (stay sharp reasonably long), and mediocre in fit & finish (You won't be putting them in the glass doored cabinet).

Greg -waiting for LV to make a second concave soled spokeshave with a radius as tight as a forkstaff plane, or smaller. I can dream, can't I?

Excellent, thanks.

Jay Samuels

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Re: Experience with AMT Taiwan?

Paul M. in San Diego

>LV used to make a spokeshave in conjunction with Brian Boggs that had a much tighter radius. My buddy has one of these. I wish I had one too, as I like this smaller radius. But neither LV or Boggs have any remainders they can toss my way. That little gem is going to be a collectors item someday.