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Dave Anderson, Chester Toolworks-Toolmaker of the Month, 1/2007
Woodworkers in the 21st century should
not have to settle for poor quality tools! A sentiment shared
by many, it was one of the driving forces behind the beginnings of
Dave Anderson’s Chester Toolworks. Like many, David went the
route from home improvement carpenter to power tool addict, and
finally became primarily a hand tool woodworker. Numerous
frustrations with ugly, poorly made and badly designed tools led him
to believe that he could make some tools for my own use that were
better
 than
the commercially available offerings. In the 18th and 19th
centuries there were literally hundreds of makers both in the US and
abroad who managed to be successful making well designed, effective,
and useful tools. Chester, New Hampshire
is a small town with a long tool making heritage. The prolific
John Sleeper of Chester worked making wooden hand planes locally
from 1814-1825 after moving from Newburyport Massachusetts.
The various Underhill tool companies also got their start here
during the early 1800s making chisels, axes, froes, cutlery, plane
irons, and other edge tools. Many of the attributions for
their tools made in Auburn and Manchester ignore the fact that much
of both towns were part of Chester during the time they worked.
With such a town tool making history, Dave wanted to honor the place
he lived.
 Frustrated
by awls which wouldn’t hold a point and bend during use, Dave’s awls
are designed for hand comfort and durability. The O-1 tool
steel blades are taper ground and hardened to Rockwell C 62-63 for
approximately 2 inches of their
length and terminate in a fine point. The handles are, like
the marking knives, made from exotic and figured domestic or
tropical hardwoods and are available to match the marking knives.
They are also available in customs sizes and woods by special order.
Marking knives need to hold an edge well, be stiff enough not to
flex, and they must be narrow enough to fit into confined areas such
as dovetails. CTW marking knives are made from 3/32" thick
precision ground O-1 tool steel and are 5/16" wide. The blades
are individually hardened to Rockwell C 62-63 so they will hold an
edge and they are shipped honed and ready to use. Knives are
roughly 7 1/2 " long overall and are shaped much like a pencil form.
Everyone uses pencils and pens and you should immediately feel
comfortable holding and using this knife.
My personal favorites are Dave’s bow saws. CTW bow saws are
based on an 18th century design used in the Hay cabinet shop at
Colonial Williamsburg. The larger saw uses a 12" blade and is
suitable for shaping seat blanks, general cutoff work, and the work
accomplished by a "turning saw". The small saw uses a standard
6" pin style coping saw blade and is effectively the antique
equivalent of a coping saw albeit with a stiffer and more effective
frame. Both saws are made from Tiger Maple with handles of
brass and Black Walnut. They are dyed and oiled to color and
finished with 8-10 coats of garnet shellac. An optional finish
of 3-4 coats of garnet shellac covered with 3-4 coats of Waterlox
Original Finish™ is available at no additional charge for heavy
users who want a more durable finish. I n a word, stunning.
 Many
of us ponder the storage and display of our tools nearly as much as
well actually do anything with them. And a few among us has been
known to give shelter to things in our shop that are there simply to
look at. (Dave, by the way, categorically denies having any sort of
tool addition!)
 If
this sounds like you, even once in a while, you’ll probably want to
stop by Dave’s web site. I was first drawn to the site during one my
periodic obsessions with saw tills. Between those bouts, I tend to
ponder shelving for my planes. Ideas abound browsing his site!
In addition to direct sales, Dave’s offerings are distributed by
names we know well, including Knight Toolworks (see December 2006),
The Best Things, Tools for Working Wood, and Dieter Schmid Fine
Tools (in Europe).
Jim Esten
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
January 2007 |
