Blue Spruce Toolsworks bevel edged chisels
I am not aware of any other bevel edge chisel on the market that arrives straight from the manufacturer ready for
dovetailing, more specifically, the removal of the waste between the 'tail' of a dovetail joint.
This one sure does and during the process of writing about cutting a dovetail by hand I will explain in detail why I
have come to this conclusion
Congratulations, a manufacturer designing a product that works straight out of the box.
www.bluesprucetoolworks.com
This is the list of tools that I use that work straight out of the box.
and I round over the end of the pencil using 240 grit wet
and dry paper. I use this grade because I have it in stock
for flattening my Japanese water stones.
Dial calipers
For fine cabinet making I need dial calipers, and my preference is for the analogue dial.
F cramps.
I use a variety of cramps, both ‘G’ and ‘f’ style. Both style work well.
Jeweller piercing saw
I use this saw to remove the waste between the pins. The blade has a very thin kerf.
Lamps
Although my workshop is well lit, I still find the need for a couple of adjustable lamps. They are actually essential The
one shown is fitted with a halogen bulb that does generate a fair bit of heat. I also use another style of lamp that is
fitted with a ‘day-light’ bulb. This gives off very little heat and allows me to position it close to the wood without causing
any problems.
Dovetail saw
For those people looking for guidance on purchasing a top of the range traditional dovetail saw I would suggest that
you really need to be able to sharpen one of these lovely tools yourself before you even consider purchasing one. My
top of the range saw arrived blunt!
It was only when I purchased some Eschenbach clip on magnifiers for my reading glasses that I could make a
reasonable attempt at doing this.
Sliding bevel
You will require one of these tools for making the angled dovetail template and other jigs.
Steel rules.
I possess a 150mm and 300mm Stanley Rathbone satin chrome finish steel rule, plus and old 24” steel rule that I use
for setting up my fences on the bandsaw.
Engineers try-square
I use a 150mm square for marking shoulder lines even on small pieces of timber.
Workbench.
Many years ago now I owed a rather nice Suzuki 850cc motor cycle, unfortunately the bad back put pay to using that.
I treated myself to a workbench that really is a pleasure to use. Having said that I have seen superb cabinet makers
use benches with flat tops made from medium density fibreboard or plywood fitted with a sturdy vice.
Having this model will enable me to explain visually how some of my jigs are set up.
Eschenbach ‘magnifiers’.
When I am carrying out some parts of the making process I use ‘clip-on’ magnifiers on my reading glasses. I simply
could not work to the standard I have achieved without them.
Wet & dry paper -double sided tape
I use the double sided tape to stick grit wet and dry paper to some of my jigs to prevent the timber slipping.
Glue
I use a variety of glues in my workshop. The outside of the competition box for example comprised of 11 dovetails on
each corner. For this I wanted a glue that had a long open time before it got sticky and started to grab the wood. I
used ‘Extramite’ for that part of the job and it worked a treat.
For the dovetails on the drawers I was happy to use ‘Evo-stick’ Resin W. I would not recommend a quick setting
glue.
Engineers straight edge
I own a Starrett two foot, nickel plated engineers straightedge no 386. For fine cabinet making you will require an
engineers straight edge for checking accuracy of various components.
The carpenters pencil
3 in 1 Oil
I use this oil for oiling my chisels and plane blades during the sharpening process.
Razor saw.
Very hand for getting right into the corners of joints during the
dovetailing process.
Japanese 115 gram hammer.
Used very occasionally for lightly tapping joints together as a dry fit. Used in conjunction with a piece of
scrap wood to prevent damaging the timber.
Saw bench
I carry out a large part of my timber preparation on this tool.