Category: Anarchist’s Gift Guide

Mr. Pen Circle Templates
I draw arcs all day long. You might be a fancy “irregular curve” person, but I am as cheap as a segment of a circle. Arcs are the foundation of the decoration of vernacular furniture. You might think peasants were channeling their squid god when they drew that shape on the chair’s hand, but really, it was just a segment of a circle, joined to a straight line.

If you want to explore arcs – the basic building block of furniture curvature, then you cannot do this for any less than the Mr. Pen Circle Templates. They are $8 for everything you need.

When I ordered mine (from Amazon, for shame), I was disappointed when they arrived. They were insanely thin and flimsy. How, I wondered, would these ever stand up to workshop use?

The answer: beautifully. The thin plastic material bends over curved surfaces and is just thick enough to catch the lead of your pencil. They are just translucent enough to be able to see the shape behind the template. And they are as flexible as hell. They are perfect.

I have the two-piece set hanging on a screw behind my bench, and I use them almost every day. They describe and mark circles in sizes from “mouse butt” up to 3-1/2″. In other words, perfect for furniture work.

These are indispensable to my work. And just $8.

Castile Soap Cream for Finishing
I advocate using Castile soap for finishing some pieces of furniture. It’s non-toxic, easy to repair and gives light-colored woods a whitish glow.

Never heard of soap finish? I’ve written and recorded a lot about it. Here’s an introduction.

The only problem people ever have with soap finish is making it. I use soap flakes from the Pure Soap Flake Co. plus boiling water. Different ratios of water:soap will give you a different finish. Sometimes I hear from people who just cannot get the soap to make anything other than a watery goo.

I’ve had that problem with really old soap flakes (those that are more than a year old). But some woodworkers have had the problem with fresh flakes. Weird, I know. I don’t know how to fix their problem from afar except by suggesting they buy the Castile Cream Soap, which is already mixed. It’s $10 for an 8-ounce jar, which will get you started on a single project.

It is mixed to have a consistency like hand soap. Scoop it out of the jar with a soft cloth and rub on a thin coat on the bare wood. When the water dries, buff it off with a clean, soft cloth. It will leave a matte and soft finish behind.

No, it’s not durable. It’s soap. But it is easily repaired and renewed.

If you need an introduction to this kind of finishing (the kind that doesn’t kill you and looks better with wear), please read this.

The Sharpie PRO (or the Fancy-pants Sharpie T.E.C.)
I feel like a fool for having used regular Sharpie markers in the shop. They are…OK. As long as you don’t expose them to water, alcohol, pretty much any solvent or even a stern look. Face it: The ink in regular Sharpies is not durable enough for workshop use.

I’ve used them for years to mark important settings on my machines, for marking glass and plastic bottles for mixing finishes, and for marking cutting edges while sharpening.

And pretty much, the regular Sharpie marker sucks at all these tasks. But I didn’t know there were other options.

Enter the Sharpie PRO. It sucks so much less. It makes a far more durable mark on plastics, metal and even wet wood. It even smells more dangerous and professional, like you shouldn’t sniff it for too long.

Mostly, however, it’s what a workshop marker should be – at baseline. The cap has a heavy-duty clip, so it clings to your shop apron and stays there. The marker has a rectangular cross-section, so it doesn’t roll off the bench. The ink takes a little longer to dry, but it stays put. Even if you wipe it with alcohol, you won’t lose all the ink on the surface.

Question: Is it available in an ultra-fine tip? If it is, I’m unaware of it and can’t find it. But the big Sharpie PRO works fine – as long as you aren’t trying to do calligraphy.

For the space nerds, check out the Sharpie T.E.C. (trace element certified). This one has ink that really sticks and smells completely dangerous.