Olive Awl

[Ron Brese]

Olive Awl using Czeck Edge blade and ferrule. Working Olive is more like wood funning, as compared to woodworking. Smells great, works well, finishes well, unlike some tropical woods it doesn't try to kill me.

Ron


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-seYGPwQFa_M/XYT3F9BHxQI/AAAAAAAACtk/xG22ixLtsPgWuQcXM0oWXLAHpPS45577ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/awlolive.jpg

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Ron

Nice turnings. Very clean! The Olive is striking.

I am fascinated how form and function come together. This is a simple tool, and yet there are a number of variations. I am interested in the design you have chosen, how its form meets its function. The round shaft tapering to a low angle point says to me that this is a scratch awl. If that what this is, how do you use (hold) it? Can you explain the design?

The reason I ask is that I have used a similar shape for a birdcage awl (also from a kit by Czeck Edge). This has cutting edges. The purpose of a birdcage awl is to start a hole for drilling. Downforce aids here. The purpose of a scratch awl - as I understand - is to scratch a line. The design you have is a traditional one in this regard, however I prefer to shape one as a pencil, since that is how I use it. I am sure that there are many ways to skin a cat, and I am curious to learn other ways.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Ron Brese]

Hello Derek,

This is a smaller than average sized awl and it's intended use is for locating holes for hardware. I prefer a smaller awl for this task so the intention was to make a tool that served this particular purpose and use a form that allowed for comfortable hand pressure from the top. Otherwise I also wanted it to delight my eye.

Ron

[Dave Woodham]

Ron,
You better take care of you Olive Awl, or Popeye will come lookin' for you :)

[John K Jordan]

Very nice! That looks like high quality hardware too. (I just ordered one, thanks)

I love turning olive - cuts like butter and looks (and smells!) so good. I often get it from Big Monk lumber in spindle turning and bowl size blanks, brought some back from Italy (that took a trick), and got a slab from a friend maybe 50"x16"x1.5" - so glad to get a piece that unbelievably big! So far I've used about 1/2 of it.

JKJ

[Phil Mueller]

That’s beautiful, Ron.

[Frederick Skelly]

That looks great Ron!

[Derek Cohen]

Hello Derek,

This is a smaller than average sized awl and it's intended use is for locating holes for hardware. I prefer a smaller awl for this task so the intention was to make a tool that served this particular purpose and use a form that allowed for comfortable hand pressure from the top. Otherwise I also wanted it to delight my eye.

Ron

Ron, using a scratch awl to locate holes makes sense to me. As does the handle shape for making small indents. The advantages of a “dot” from a scratch awl, when marking off a rule, is that it is so much more accurate than the mark from a point of a knife. I recommend a scratch awl to all (awl) for this task. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Nice work Ron.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Beautiful work, Ron!

[lowell holmes]

When I see olive awl I think of the Popeye and Olive comic strip.

https://www.google.com/search?q=popeye+cartoon&oq=popeye+&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0l4.7421j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[Ron Brese]

Thanks for the kind comments. I never thought about the Popeye, Olive Awl thing, funny!

Ron

[Eric Danstrom]

Nice work! I hadn't heard of those kits until now. Very reasonably priced...so a few are in-the-mail...projects!