This week I’ve thrown myself into production for Crucible Tool along with help from Megan Fitzpatrick and Brendan Gaffney. Today, Megan and I finished up 600 card scrapers and sent them to the warehouse. They should be for sale by the end of the week – so take this as fair warning.
We have a new jig for machining the scrapers in a CNC mill. This speeds the process and eliminates the abrasive polishing of the edges. That’s a win for everyone’s lungs (and fire suppression equipment). Abrading metal blows. And burns.
Speaking of abrasives, during the last month, we’ve redesigned the way we make hammer heads to reduce – and almost eliminate – the abrasive grinding processes to make the heads for our lump hammers.
I know that some of you simply want your hammers and don’t care about how they’re made. If that’s you, know that we should have a batch of hammers for sale next week. You can now go back to your cat videos.
For those interested in how your tools are made, here’s what we’ve been up to. When we started making the hammers we machined the heads and then had five abrasive processes to finish them. We used three grits on the flat faces and two on the striking faces.
With the magic of changing the tool paths, we’re down to one abrasive process. We’re hoping to eliminate that one as well and just have a little power buffing.
The heads won’t look different to the naked eye. All the facets are the same. The striking faces are the same dome shape. But the surfaces look a wee bit different under a loupe. I think they look better.
Note: After five minutes of hard use, all our hammers look about the same.
All these changes will make the heads easier to make. And it’s safer for the machine operators. So thanks for your patience (like you had a choice).
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. Before you email John and Meghan: No, we’re not working on dividers. That tool has been suspended until it can be redesigned.
Get that design team crankin”
Get that design team crankin’
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Nice. I wonder, perhaps, if the metal shavings are not scattered around artistically to perfect the photo? I know that’s done with some woodworking photography. Please don’t take my comment as unkind, because I don’t intend it that way. I would love to own a beautiful Crucible tool, but it’s not in the cards for me. Meanwhile, I will enjoy the fine photography and the equally fine prose.
Spoiler alert! I was picturing elves, sitting at a bench, draw filing away.
OK who else BARELY saw the picture in the tweet and just clicked the link to come buy a hammer as soon as possible? Like my adrenaline is PUMPING
Looking forward to the dividers . . . soon I hope 🙂
Is there/are there specific reasons the dividers are being redesigned? Sorry, dumb question. What are the reasons the dividers are being redesigned? I must have missed mention of that.
They are difficult to make. We were not making money at that price. And we don’t want to sell $300 dividers. So a redesign was necessary.
Is Rainy in charge of the redesign (and new found production efficiencies) of is it a group effort?
It’s Raney’s project, for sure.
At least you avoided using a ‘Fly Press’ for fitting the handles. Even thinking of using one makes my eyes water.
I absolutely love my lump hammer. I’m using it so much. The hammer feels perfect which makes it is so easy to deliver controlled amount of kinetic energy exactly where I want. I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for such a great tool.
I saw “Thanks for all the fish” in the headline and about had a panic. I assumed it was either the end of Crucible or your involvement. Glad it’s just a reference to the absent dividers, or so I think.
I want all the Crucible tools, but only the scraper is near the top of my list since I have functional alternatives to the rest. Okay, the lump hammer too, but that’s just because blunt striking tools seem to find me the way old saws find other people.
Well……..I see a new and different arbor press. Finally wore out the new HF hydraulic press already? Man, that’s a lot of hammers to wear one of those out. Congrats….
Yea, keep us woodnuts uptodate on the dividers :0
wow, that make #1 LUMP hammers more valueable
will the “the new ” one be marked series 2?
I can provide spectroscopic analysis at reasonable cost !
Why does the dividers need to be redesigned?