Blue Spruce Toolworks

Precisely Made Jewels
Jeske’s attention to detail and his passion for handwork are evident in every one of the tools I’ve purchased from him. It started with a marking knife I purchased from him before he went full-time. Compared to all the other spear-point marking knives on the market, Jeske’s has the thinnest blade – just 1/32”. Yet despite its long length (about 1”) it was as stiff as the other knives I tried because of the double-nested ferrules Jeske adds to his tools. It’s an ingenious way to improve a knife and it allows the tool to sneak into the tightest dovetails.

Rows of deadblow mallets ready for delivery to Bridge City.

The handle is cocobolo, Jeske’s standard handle stock, and it is finished only with wax applied on a buffer; but it has remained smooth and lusterous during years of work. The butt end of the knife ends in the shape of an acorn. I thought it was purely decorative at first but my ring finger rests there when I use the knife like a pencil.

Soon after receiving the knife, I ordered a scratch awl with an ebony handle. This tool also has the double ferrule, but the handle is decidedly untraditional. Instead of the traditional lightbulb shape, my Blue Spruce scratch awl has a pencil-like handle that ends with a detail that resembles a Shaker peg.

At first I was unsure of the design, but the tool ended up in my hand constantly. For marking, the handle shape is ideal when held like a pencil. For starting holes, the peg-like end is a perfect home for your thumb to apply downward pressure. This is not the shape I’d want for a birdcage awl, but scratch awls aren’t designed for boring holes.

New to the Line: Dovetail and Skew Chisels
Recently, Jeske has started producing dovetail and skew chisels that are as well-made and thoughtfully designed as his marking tools. The side bevels of the tools are hair-thin-to-non-existant, almost like a Japanese dovetail chisel. The tang of the tool fits smartly into its ferrule without hardly any gap, and the ferrule flows neatly into the rosewood handles.

A sample of the chisel handles Jeske made for Bridge City

The chisels aren’t based on any historical design; they are clearly from the same DNA as the knives and awls. They are well-suited to be pushed by hand, either horizontally or vertically, thanks to the handle’s thin waist near the ferrule.

The steel is A2, which holds an edge longer than high-carbon steel. But A2 has a peculiarity you have to deal with when you use it for some operations. When A2 is groud at a standard or low angle (25° or less), the edge tends to crumble quickly. So it’s not suited for low planing angles or low paring operations with chisels.

However, when you sharpen it at 30° or higher, its edge-holding properties shine.

Jeske’s first round of A2 chisels were ground at a low angle with the inevitable result. The new ones are ground steeper and are excellent workers. That is typical of Jeske, who is constantly making small improvements to the designs or the manufacturing process.

Recently I bought another marking knife from Blue Spruce for my toolbox at work and I was surprised at how different it was from my original knife. It has more dramatic lines and crisper details, yet both tools are equally charming to my eye.

So what is next for Blue Spruce? Jeske says he is going to continue to work with Bridge City and other toolmakers (he also makes sawnuts for sawmaker Mike Wenzloff, another local toolmaker), yet he is intent on building a strong brand image for Blue Spruce Toolworks. So he’s finishing development of a marking gauge/mortising gauge and some other tools he’s not ready to discuss.

“I don’t know exactly what the future holds,” Jeske says. “I’m trying to build a foundation for the company right now. I still do everything. I manufacture. I market. I run to the dump. I do deliveries.”

But what is clear from Jeske’s tone is that he’s not tired or frustrated by that fact. It seems instead that he’s simply trying to find some way to top his production output for the last two years. It seems a bit impossible (6,000 tools in two years is about one tool an hour if you worked seven days a week with eight-hour days). But if anyone can do it, it has to be the guy who turned his first knife handle on a drill press only a few years ago and turned that into a full-bore toolmaking enterprise.

This article originally appeared  in The Fine Tool Journal.

Chris is the editor of Popular Woodworking.