Author: fitz

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

Dubuque Clamps

These lightweight aluminum, Iowa-made bar clamps are the cat’s pajamas for a lot of my work. No, they can’t exert the bone-crushing pressure of our handful of old iron Hargraves, and the clamping pad isn’t as deep as the K-bodies. But if my joints are well fit, I don’t need a lot of pressure. And because I’m almost always clamping dovetails, I’m right up at the edges, and I don’t need a deep throat.

I like that I can easily pick up my projects when they’re in clamps to stack them to dry, thereby clearing off some of my bench. These 24″-long ones weigh less than half as much as the Bessey K-body of the same length (2 lbs. vs. 5 lbs. 6 ou.). And they’re a lot easier for students to use. The ratcheting pad on one end is easy to slide into place, then it’s simply a matter of turning the screw on the other end to tighten things down. No pushing a handle toward a bar to get it to catch, as with the K-bodies.

I also like the price of these, compared to the K-bodies. The 24″ clamps ones start at around $40; the longest (48″) are only a few dollars more. They’re available from multiple sellers. – Fitz

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

CMT Formula 2050 Blade Cleaner

At first, I was taught to use oven cleaner to remove the gunk from sawblades and router bits. It works, of course, but the stuff is also nasty, corrosive and toxic. About 2001 or so, we started using CMT’s Formula 2050 blade cleaner, and I’ve never looked back.

It works, which is a surprise. Many non-toxic cleaning chemicals barely do the job. Formula 2050 is also non-toxic and biodegradable.

Using it is easy: Spray it on the blade, wait a few minutes, then wipe away the pitch and baked-on grime. Don’t wash the blade after treating it, however. The stuff has anti-corrosion properties.

I find that having a bottle of the 2050 on hand is a money-saver. Many times when I think our table saw’s blade is dull, I’ll first treat it with the Formula 2050. And then the blade is basically like new. So I don’t have to send the blade out for sharpening.

We also use it on our hand tools, especially after teaching a class that involves white pine, when every plane and chisel is coated in sticky sap. A few squirts and a wipe is all it takes to remove the junk. – CS

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

Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig K4

A pocket-hole joint is a time-honored tradition – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I have several antique pieces that employ this joint to attach the back and/or top, and the joints have lasted 150+ years. Sure, they were cut with a gouge instead of a Kreg jig, but they’re still holes inside a pocket, with a screw in them.

Which is to say that a Kreg K4 pocket hole jig is not only nothing to be ashamed of, but to be celebrated. It’s a fast way to join pieces of wood together for the long haul (kitchen cabinets, for example), or for the short term (Chris uses pocket hole screws as clamps when gluing up armbows for chairs, then removes the screws once the glue dries).

Kreg makes a number of pocket hole jig bundles, but we like the K4 kit because it’s easy to use without a lot of fuss. It’s less than $100 new, and can sometimes be found on eBay for less than $50. There are cheaper kits, but they require more fuss when clamping. Go for the K4. – Fitz

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