Christmas present for yourself

The Grail, the Holy Grail, you've found it.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>

Re: Mark II power sharpener?

Paul M. in San Diego

>I have this and love it. Just yesterday, I was making square holes out of round ones in some Ipe. Ipe is a pretty tough abrasive wood, and my ancient Buck mortise chisel goes dull after squaring off about a dozen holes. Just walk over to the Mk II and 20 seconds later it's ready to go again.

I use this for all my plane and chisel blades. I usually use waterstones for touch-up, but only a few times. Then it's back to the Mk II for rehoning as I tend to free-hand the blades on the waterstone and the bevel angle gets steeper and steeper.

Re: The list is long and distinguished...

vlparisian - in rainy Houston

>Wrote that check just last month. Ouch.

Victor - preserving the marital bliss...

Either 13 or 15

jim reed @ tallahassee

>pieces to make it complete. Early models have 13 parts; later models have 15 by my count. Good luck.

Wiley!

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont.

>I feel my self slipping again...

:-)

Thanks Wiley..

:-)

I have been looking at his web site for a month....

Take care,

Jim

Ya gonna get it nickered?

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I would...

Re: Christmas present for yourself

Miles

>I bought one of those - my first (only, so far...) LN indulgence. Has proved very useful, the A2 blade stays sharp, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Miles

Re: Christmas present for yourself

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>A big slick!

My local rust dealer is holding it for me. I thought it was a steal at $75. The blade is IIRC two feet long and 2.5 inches wide, the handle close to 3 foot. I haven't seen now on two months, but it's sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Todd O.

Got me a lalthe

Steve Kubien

>I picked up a King mini lathe a couple of weeks ago. No, I haven't disconected the motor and rigged a treadle but I am sure having fun. There be a bunch of pens in stockings this year. Nova chuck will miraculously appear on the 25th so bowls, boxes and vases will be next.

Man, this is addictive!

Steve Kubien

Re: Mark II power sharpener?

thomd

>Thank you Paul!

Re: Second the Bernina!

thomd

>I'm an Elna Grashopper man myself. I just bought a sailrite with a big whacking handwheel on it for when the elctrons fail to be present.

thanks Pam, that is very very cool.

vlparisian - in rainy Houston

>

KMG grinder?

Frank D. in Montreal

>I'm really tempted by it too. But at that price you're almost half way to a KMG grinder. Or even around the same range you can get a decent belt/disc sander and use it for other stuff too. Decisions decisions...

You might want to start a new thread on it if you're thinking of picking one up...you'll probably get more feedback (talk about self-interested advice...) :0)

Re: The Cutting Edge

Dave Thompson

>I have these too... excellent excution on merging form and function.

Re: The Cutting Edge

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont.

>Hi Dave,

I think it was this picture that made me all loose control...sigh,

And Konrad had a marking knife of his as well.....slipping deeper....

Take care,

Jim

Steve, let me be the first to say.....

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Good-bye,it was nice knowing you. We may cross paths occasionally because I sometimes venture over to the round side, but not very often. Lathes are very addictive, I think mostly due to the instant gradification that they tend to provide. They are also reputed to be the biggest money sucking devise ever devised by Man.

I have a big homebuilt lathe, which I put together for probably $175 back in '95, than spent another $500 of accessories, and still don't have a bowl chuck!! I haven't used it years, mostly due to it being buried in junk, but it is well emerged from it now and I will soon be using it. I too desire to make some beautiful pens, light pulls, wine stoppers, etc, etc.

The suggested thing about lathe knives is to buy yourself a cheap set, use and sharpen them to nothing, buy a second set and repeat. After the second set is no more, THAN spend your coin your an expensive set, as by then you'll know how to properly sharpen them.

T.O.

Re: Big ripper

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Nice, very nice; but lately it seems you're selling/giving away lots of primo Japanese stuff and getting lots of primo western tools. Is this a trend for you? Why?

Pam

Good buy...

Dave Thompson

>#354?? that means you probably haven't even paid for it yet on your credit card. Not sure if you've followed these on e-bay. One closed yesterday at $636. If it weren't a christmas present to yourself, that would be a 60% return on money not yet spent. ;-) I can't remember that ever happening with any wood working tool I've ever bought.

Ha! You're on a cliff with skis.... Enjoy!

Dave Thompson

>

Re: Big ripper

Wiley Horne

>Hi Pam,

I admit to being all eaten up with CRS, but as I recall the only Japanese tool I've shed has been a Hiraide dovetail saw, and it was a real good saw. Meantime, some Yataiki saws have been welcomed aboard and smuggled past LOML. And some chisels from Imai-san.

You know what's changed about western tools? I finally woke up to this. You can buy them purpose-built now. This is the advantage Japanese tools have enjoyed in the past, at least in my opinion. You could get the exact saw, plane, or chisel that met the purpose.

But things are changing for western tools in the purpose-built direction: Mike's 28" rip saw has a heavy double taper combined with minimal set (like 4 thou per side); its got a pretty aggressive rake for a 5 tpi saw (4 degrees approx.); and its got a little fleam, say 3 degrees. The saw is made very smooth starting and running by making the rake and fleam progressive, plus breasting the saw. It's RC54, which is getting into Japanese territory. And sharp!

You can say the same sort of thing about folks like Clark & Williams, and Konrad Sauer, tools made one at a time, and all variables bent to a purpose. So yeah, I've turned back westward a bit, to go along with Yataiki, Imai, and Mosaku.

From a philosophical standpoint, I think custom manufacturing is where the west is headed. Away from commoditization, which is a losing game for us, cause you're competing always with the lowest paid workers on the planet, and as a consequence exporting jobs, losing our cadres of people who used to do those jobs, and devaluing our money. We need to go where commodity manufacturing can't go--and that's towards customization. I look for increasing amounts of customization and short-lead-time delivery as a coming business practice, whether it's in buying saws and planes, or blue jeans, automobiles, and boots.

By the way, you made a great acquisition with that Mosaku shooting plane. I was fortunate enough to acquire one from a friend about a year ago, and he had had it a couple of years. The sole was untouched, and yet the plane arrived still dead true right out of the packing, and I mean zero light between it and the straightedge, on any transect I tried. The red dai feels heavy as a brick. Congratulations!

Wiley

Re: Wiley!

Wiley Horne

>Jim,

I hear you. BUT, gotta ask yourself: Where else you gonna get a custom saw for those bucks? It can't last at these prices--word to the wise.

Wiley

Re: Good buy...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>I suppose that some sellers are trying to cash in on pre-Christmas buyers. A bit impulsive. It will be interesting to see the eBay prices in a year or so...

I bought one too. I told Lynndy it was an investment :) :) (hence I will not claim it as a Christmas present, which of course is a bit cheeky of me). Of course it will be a user. It already is.

Bookends in brass (the other side is a Marcou).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Dagnabbit!

Scott Burr in windy/rainy Ben Lomond, CA

>That's suppost under my tree!

Great looking saw Wiyle! What's the tip or ppi?

Shes a purdy saw for sure!

Scott Feeling very jelous in a cold nocal.town

Becarefull...

Scott Burr in windy/rainy Ben Lomond, CA

>The 4K grit is mighty soft. A little over the bevel and scrape! Just go easy with it and you'll be fine(ly) honed!

Sweet!

Scott Burr in windy/rainy Ben Lomond, CA

>I for myself would love to see one of your articles about the rehab and tuning of your little treasure.

Oh yea...YOU SUCK!

Happy Hollidays, Scott