Trials by Fire

The new Drillsharps are being assembled as we speak and I hope to be ready for preorders soon. I’ve enlisted the help of Jeff Lefkowitz to help write and design the instructions. A moment comes for each tool where you have to let it go out into the world and the hands of other makers. It’s an exciting and informative time. I don’t know if you’ve ever met anyone, but people can be hard to predict. I try to anticipate the needs and experiences of the end user, but it’s tough to know what they might come up with. I imagine the range of expectations run from curing depression to opening paint cans.

I sent Jeff one of the tools so he could try it out and help me find the best ways to explain its use to folks. He only had the old posts with the wooden version and some text I sent him. So I made this video with him in mind to clarify the process.

Besides his design and process skills, Jeff is a great test case because he demands something totally different than me in the holes he makes. Jeff wants a level of perfection in his holes higher than most. No tearout at all on the endgrain and smooth unburnished walls. Unlike me, he doesn’t care about exit holes because he doesn’t make them. Jeff made a couple of brad points and a Bismarck. He noted some tearout on the endgrain in the hole with the brad point and said the Bismark was better. I gave him some tips that might make a better brad point, but it sent me back to the shop to think like Jeff.

Here are some results. The brad point you see above made a beautiful hole and a clean exit (Jeff doesn’t care), but it did leave a slightly rougher surface on the endgrain of the maple.

The Bismarck I made in the video left this surface on the endgrain. Much improved. I do think the Bismarck is a better bit, but the bradpoints (I’ll show how I make them soon) are easy to make and leave a great hole. I enjoy thinking like Jeff and then backing off a bit to my own standards.

I am very interested in other makers priorities and ideas, I have a feeling there are many bits that could be made with the Drillsharp and I’m curious to see what folks come up with.

The other big happening today is the arrival of the new bench tops I bought from Alexander brothers. They will add two feet to each of the class benches and a full inch and a half of thickness. I’ve very excited to be retiring the old benchtops.

These tops have seen lots of action in their day. Now I just have to craft my speech about not drilling into the new benchtops. I know it will happen, but I can’t help but try to come up with a protective spell (or more likely curse) to cast upon the users.

Good thing I have a bunch of razor sharp 3/4” bits to drill new dog holes…