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Last Thursday we held our first reader event of the year here at our offices and shop. This is one of the best parts of working here. We invite readers to come in for a free meal and an opportunity to take an up-close, hands-on look at tools and meet the makers. In the past, we’ve welcomed Bridge City Toolworks, Leigh Dovetail jigs and Bosch. This time we welcomed Kevin Drake, owner and founder of Glen-Drake Toolworks.
That’s Kevin on the right, preparing to turn a tool handle for us. He’ll be writing an article in an upcoming issue of Popular Woodworking on turning for “flat” woodworkers. Our ace photographer, Al Parrish, is getting set to take the opening shot for the article, and Senior Editor Glen D. Huey is taking video. When we were done, it was time to clean up the shop and get ready for company.
After a fine meal, more than 50 readers settled in to watch a demonstration of the tools made by Glen-Drake, and to listen to Kevin talk about his philosophy of woodworking and toolmaking. One of our all-time favorite tools is the Glen-Drake Tite-Mark cutting gauge, and Kevin is one of our favorite people. Not many people have the ability to improve on tools that have been around for hundreds of years, and he has done just that with his marking gauge, hammers, and his latest creation, the Wild West Joinery Saw seen in the photo above.
Kevin has developed a method for cutting dovetails that makes the process predictable and precise. Using the Kerf-Starter and Offset Gauge shown above, the fit can be fine-tuned before cutting. This is a great example of questioning processes most of us take for granted, and developing new solutions. After listening to Kevin and seeing the details on a video screen, it was time to head out to the shop.
There’s nothing like taking a tool in your hands and giving it a try, and it’s even better when you can get a lesson from the guy who dreamed it up. Here a few readers are getting a good look at the technique for the joinery saw before taking it for a test drive.
If you’d like more information on Glen-Drake tools, there is a DVD available that explains the theories behind them, and how to use them. You can get a copy for free by calling 800-961-1569. Kevin will be appearing with us at Woodworking in America next November in Berea, Ky. Editor Christopher Schwarz will have some posts over at the Woodworking Magazine blog, and we’ll have video of Kevin’s visit up on the Popular Woodworking video page in the near future.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
