Our newest tool, the Crucible Pinch Rods, are now available for sale in our store. The price is $48.
We have been quietly selling these in the store for the last month in an effort to ramp up production and build up inventory before mentioning them here on the blog.
Pinch rods are our favorite way to check an assembled carcase for square. They also help you square up any out-of-square box, and they can be used for transferring measurements from one place to another.
Yes, we know that you can make your pinch rods from two sticks plus blue tape or a squeeze clamp. (You can also make a chisel from a screwdriver.) We decided we wanted to make something nicer.
Our pinch rods are based on an antique example we saw at Roy Underhill’s shop more than a decade ago. After seeing those, I immediately built steel versions for myself. But I always thought it would be nice to have a tool that didn’t look like it was scavenged from home center parts (which mine was).
Our pinch rods are made in Kentucky from brass and feature a custom-milled thumbscrew. The pinch rods come with two No. 6 screws for securing the hardware to the wood, which you supply.
The thumbscrew applies pressure in a concentrated point when you cinch it down. This makes a small indent in the wood, locking the setting, even if you drop the tool to the floor. (We experimented with versions with pressure plates. They didn’t dent the wood but they would easily lose their setting.) We are still using our first pair of sticks from the pinch rods I made 10 years ago with absolutely no problems. But if the wood ever becomes too chewed up in about 100 years, someone can easily replace it.
— Christopher Schwarz
Excellent! I too have been using some of my own creation. Yours are much, much prettier. Love the Crucible Card Scraper by the way.
I saw the ones Roy made out of copper, Then I thought I need one of those. So I made two out of brass. them look nice , but yours are much nicer. keep up the good work. P.S. love that scraper.
I got the card scraper last year, and find it far superior to any other I’ve tried before, both for ease of turning a hook and, more important, for how much more relaxed and controlled scraping becomes when nu thumb pressure is required. And although I’ve only had my Crucible lump hammer for the last few weeks, I already find myself reaching for it two times out of three when there’s a mole to whack, no matter whether the blow required is of the feather duster or the lead cosh variety.
So, with nowt but positive experience of the highest order with Crucible products, I’ve only been waiting for the pinch rods to come back in stock, and have just now ordered a set of those, too.
Cheers,
Mattias
LAP, Chris anything in the works for making other shapes of scrapers?? Concave, convex?
For people that are interested Roy’s video is Season 34 Episode 2.
Ralph
Probably not. Other people make those shapes. I think the mildly convex shape is the best for all-around use.
So that’s a no on the “Animal Crackers” series of scrapers?