Hey everybody, it’s that time of year again – it’s the Anarchist’s Gift Guide. We’ve been doing this for more than a decade now, people seem to like it, so I guess we’ll keep it up. Why? Unlike some other gift guides, ours isn’t sponsored. (In fact, if somebody asked us to write about their tool for the gift guide, our standard retort would be: “Why don’t you poop up your own butt?”) This is stuff we use and love. We have 11 offerings this year, and will publish one a day until we’re done. – Chris & Fitz
Kakuri Wooden Nails
For the first 20 years of my chairmaking, I pinned my combs and backrests using the bamboo skewers I also used for shish kebab. At one point a customer called me out on using bamboo instead of a native hardwood, so I started looking for a solution I could use on a mass scale during classes.
Enter the Kakuri wooden nails. These tapered pegs come in beech and birch and have a matching drill bit for installing them. The fit between the two tapers is so tight that you don’t really need glue – the joint locks up like using a Morse taper.
The nails come in eight sizes, from extra small (35mm long) to large (88mm long).
They are useful for more than just pegging tenons. Many people use them as a substitute for a steel nail in casework construction. We also use them to reinforce repairs and add extra shear strength to shelving joints.
And if you fall hard for the Kakuris (like I did) they also sell a nice flush-cut saw with extra fine teeth that is ideal for cutting the pegs flush after installing them. – CS