New Toys aka Tools

A couple of things came into play with my recent tool purchases.

First off let me say I have been putting off buying these tools as I am very frugal anymore with the economy, my wife tells me I’m cheap! Whatever…

Here’s what justified the purchase in my mind:

First on my list is the upcoming Hawaiian Lap Steel Guitar I’ve been yearning to build! It calls mostly for hand tools vs. power tools. There are some angles and cuts that are simply better made by hand. From the early days of my woodworking I’ve always enjoyed working with hand tools anyway. Yes, I’m moving myself toward the sale!

I have a small shop in my basement so space is limited. In deciding which power tools to purchase size was a determining motive. So the router table, lathe, table saw, sanders, jointer/planer and band saw all needed to be bench top models in order to maximize my space.

Secondly, and this is the deciding factor, the straw that broke the camels back. After rough shaping the neck of my Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino cigar box guitar on the router table I next moved to the band saw to slice the headstock with the grain lengthwise in order to prepare it for a scalloping effect I like.

All is going well and then it happens. The band saw blade wanders of off its mark! This happens sometimes because the blade on a bench top model is narrower than a larger floor model. Not wanting to ruin my work I stopped and made a choice right then and there to rethink my budget. I had the blade wander on a couple of other occassions and had finally had enough!

I went online to Hartville Tools http://www.hartvilletool.com/ and found the tools I wanted. Having a question I called in on their 800# got my answer and ended up placing my order over the phone.

I purchased the Crown 12” Bow saw which is a traditional English bow saw style. Before the invention of band saws and jig saws this was the saw used for cutting everything from curves to furniture joints. It works on both the push and pull stroke. The blade can be turned to cut at any angle simply by rotation of the handles. The blade is tensioned by tightening a cord. Old School!



This next purchase was a Silky Kenzo 270 Medium 12TPI (Teeth Per Inch) will be used, in my case, for the headstock work. It is a double edged Ryoba-type saw. It has both a rip-cut edge and a cross-cut edge. It has all the advantages of a Japanese saw: fine kerfs thanks to the pull-cut teeth; precise, controlled cutting; and durability from electrical induction impulse hardened teeth.





Last but not least a set of Pax Curved Cabinet Scrapers. They can smooth wood to an unbelievably fine finish. The shapes contained in this set can take care of a wide range of flat or contoured surfaces.

Needless to say these are quality tools, will last many years and are sure to turn out some fine instruments.

I am excited about getting my hands on them and putting them to good use!