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Thread: If you had $400 to spend on a hand tool, any hand tool, what would it be?

  1. #31
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    Fun idea, good to dream of a situation where I could be handed some tool tokens, only for use on tools. I'd go to a tool auction, try and fine a nice nineteenth century infill. A nice, non essential luxury.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel O'Connell View Post
    End grain in both cases, and I don't know what iron was in the LV, but if I was to hazard a guess it was the PM-V11 given that it was at Handworks. I also cannot say with any confidence the state of sharpness on either blade given that it was a public display and who knows how many people had messed around with them before I happened to get my turn.
    By "what iron" I also meant what tip angle. That and sharpness are the big determinants for end grain.

  3. Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Chase View Post
    By "what iron" I also meant what tip angle. That and sharpness are the big determinants for end grain.
    Ahh. I did not take the blade out and look at the angle of the blade.

  4. #34
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    I also cannot say with any confidence the state of sharpness on either blade given that it was a public display and who knows how many people had messed around with them before I happened to get my turn.
    It would surprise me if there wasn't a person monitoring the plane use and swapping out or sharpening the blade on a regular basis. The tool makers want to make a good impression on folks trying their tools, the want them to be on their 'A Game' for a show.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #35
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    The Veritas large plow plane. Or a bronze LN #4

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    Here is a picture of the Blue Spruce saw, which should say it all. It has molded graphite supports tied with graphite rod stringers. The handle and tensioner rotate in the frame even under tension. It was very easy to make cuts in the test piece he had at the show. I can't remember- roughly 3/4" thick and I seem to remember he had some maple and a softer wood. I made a lot of cuts and it performed flawlessly.

    Attachment 365105
    That's a very interesting design.

    The thing that most immediately catches my attention is how they minimized up-front costs, specifically molds. It appears to me that the two arms/ends are identical parts, and the rods in the middle are obviously off-the-shelf parts bonded to the arms. The upshot is that they have a grand total of one custom carbon part, with two copies per saw. That's exactly how I'd approach a low-volume design like this.

    The other thing that grabs my attention is that like the Knew Concepts saws this one is designed to be stiff in tension, not so much laterally or in twist. If they'd wanted it to be stiff in those directions then a single larger tube and "deeper" arms would be preferable. I doubt this design would do very well with 8" clearance, either, though the point appears to be moot.

    I notice that Knew Concepts still offers the Titanium "birdcage" fretsaw in 8" size. That one has a much deeper back cross-section, that would do a better job of resisting bending and twist than the "flat" Aluminum design, and probably better than the Blue Spruce as well. Stiffness goes with cross-section cubed for this stuff, so geometry is more important than material.
    Last edited by Patrick Chase; 08-01-2017 at 8:36 PM.

  7. #37
    Twin screw vise

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    It would surprise me if there wasn't a person monitoring the plane use and swapping out or sharpening the blade on a regular basis. The tool makers want to make a good impression on folks trying their tools, the want them to be on their 'A Game' for a show.

    jtk
    I was thinking the same thing Jim.

  9. #39
    Depends where I am at that point of time...... Project or upgrades. I would like benchcrafted vises. Or the new Veritas combination plane.
    But if I was starting of first. I would chose LV LAJ plane not the LV LA Rabbet plane. Not enough blade combinations and I use all of the blade combination for my work.

    There is always the danger of collecting tools I would never use that are expensive so best advise I learnt, buy what you need at that point of time.

  10. #40
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    I wouldn't spend it on just one item. Maybe some items from this list: New Concepts fret or coping saw, Veritas spoke shaves & Starrett Combination Squares; though I might spend it on sharpening stones as well. Do those qualify as hand tools?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe A Faulkner View Post
    I wouldn't spend it on just one item. Maybe some items from this list: New Concepts fret or coping saw, Veritas spoke shaves & Starrett Combination Squares; though I might spend it on sharpening stones as well. Do those qualify as hand tools?
    I'm with you Joe, why just one item?
    I still need a lot of stuff, or maybe I should say I think I need a lot of stuff for the future.

    But if someone gave me 400 bucks and said only buy one tool. It would probably be a combination plane. I don't have one and they looks super useful and imo there fairly expensive (even the vintage ones).

  12. #42
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    Forgot to answer the question.

    If a lump of money was handed to me for the use of buying tools only, my thoughts would be to buy the chisels missing to fill out my Buck Brothers and Witherby sets. Maybe hunt down a 3/4" mortise chisel, a few gouges to fill the gaps and possibly a quality riffler rasp or two.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe A Faulkner View Post
    I wouldn't spend it on just one item. Maybe some items from this list: New Concepts fret or coping saw, Veritas spoke shaves & Starrett Combination Squares; though I might spend it on sharpening stones as well. Do those qualify as hand tools?
    Sharpening stones before all the fancy tools. That is good investment there.

  14. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by Stewie Simpson View Post
    +1 on that idea Steven.
    I will add a third!

  15. #45
    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel O'Connell View Post
    Though its a bit beyond the $400 target, I sorta fell in love with the Lie-Nielsen shooting plane at Handworks. Thats the only hand tool of that price that really appeals to me right now.
    I lust after the same plane!

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