Who has $4222 to spend on a Smoother?

[Hilton Ralphs]

The new SE Dual Angle Smoother from Bridge City Tool Works.

Not sure I even like it.

se2016_render_800_1.jpg

[Stew Hagerty]

Bridge City makes some of the best tools available. That said, they are as much pieces of art as they are efficient, effective, and fully functional tools.
I am the proud owner of one of their TS-1V2 Try Squares. It sits in my toolbox, I side of the box it came in. I pull it out every once in a while to check the setting of a tool before I carefully wipe it off and play e it back in its box. I live it because it is absolutely positively dead-end, and because I own a beautiful piece of art.

[Jim Koepke]

It is a beautiful piece of art.

It isn't practical for using as a shop tool unless you are producing extremely high end work. What happens years from now when it needs a replacement blade?

jtk

[Hilton Ralphs]

What happens years from now when it needs a replacement blade?

I wonder if anyone has actually needed a replacement blade for their BCTW plane(s)?

Still not convinced on the tote design.

[Jim Koepke]

I wonder if anyone has actually needed a replacement blade for their BCTW plane(s)?

Still not convinced on the tote design.

"If you can count to nine, you can convert to Metric"

I kind of agree with you on the tote design.

I kind of chuckle when I read the sig line at the bottom of your posts.

What comes to my sometimes warped mind, "If you can divide by fourths, eighths, sixteenths, thirty-secondths, sixtyfourths and convert them back and forth to decimal, you can work with inches."

Certainly the Metric system is so much easier but most Americans are likely still using a yardstick their father gave them.

jtk

[Andrew Pitonyak]

What comes to my sometimes warped mind, "If you can divide by fourths, eighths, sixteenths, thirty-secondths, sixtyfourths and convert them back and forth to decimal, you can work with inches."

Certainly the Metric system is so much easier but most Americans are likely still using a yardstick their father gave them.

You want to talk evil minds....

"If you can divide and multiply by 10, 100, and 1000 and convert them back and forth to fourths, sixteenths, thirty-secondths, and sixty-fourths, you can work metric".

[Prashun Patel]

I think we're missing the point.

This is clearly pushing an aesthetic envelope. It's appealing to a particular person, not a broad audience.

It's haute couture, not H and M. It's Marilyn Manson, not Marilyn Monroe.

Ironically, I think at $422, we'd be less out of line with criticisms than at $4222.

They might, however, take a page from Hermes' Birkin bag, and just list the price as 'unavailable'.

[William Adams]

We've discussed this before, if memory serves, and it was described as the "Terminator" plane.

In terms of a new and different aesthetic, it's interesting, though doesn't quite appeal to me. I'm far more interested in their JointMaker Pro table saw, but would love to have the occasion to try out all their tools.

One thing I'm surprised isn't advertised is that the skeletal tote affords one the option to make a custom handle in two halves which could then be joined together w/ Chicago screws or rivets --- if they'd include a pair of blanks for that (or sell blanks, or provide a CAD), it would be far more accessible, maybe even almost practical I'd think.

[Art Mann]

I own one hand plane and that is enough for me. However, I find the design and machining of this tool to be beautiful. If I had money to waste, I would buy one and build it a nice display case.

[William Adams]

There is also a bit of continuance of previous design language for woodworking tools --- see the skeletal instances of the STANLEY No. 610 Hand Drill SWEETHEART (there's currently one on Jimbodetools) for a previous example of this sort of thing.

[Kevin Groenke]

Beautiful design, engineering and production, I would definitely not leave it at the side of the road. Some of those making assumptions re:usability might be surprised if you ever got your hands on one of these (or not, I have no idea).

BCTW founder, president, CEO etc John Economacki gave his "too stupid to quit" talk at the Furniture Society conference a couple years ago. Interesting life story of a successful furniture designer/maker turned tool maker when he developed a severe wood allergy. BCTW is an obsession that has been on the verge of collapse on numerous occasions. It seems he's get a cultish collector following that should keep him afloat as long as he wants to be at this point.

My impression from Economacki's comments is that overall design is digital until enough pre-orders for a new product come in to start production (hence the renderings). There is little to no prototyping for many products - contact points/ergonomics are modeled, but a complete plane may not exist until it comes off the line. If it works in software, it is assumed that it will work in real life. They do not start production until they have a pre-determined % of the production run pre-sold and often sell out limited edition items.

http://www.opb.org/television/progra...ki-tool-maker/

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks for the link, Kevin. I had not seen that video before. I recommend others view it.

John mentions "stripping back the design to basics", which is what I noted earlier. Another way of describing this is the focus on negative space.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Pat Barry]

John mentions "stripping back the design to basics", which is what I noted earlier. Another way of describing this is the focus on negative space.

So all those extraneous and unnecessary holes in the plane are negative space! Very interesting. I still think he missed an opportunity by not making a skeleton front knob. That would fit the theme of negative space very nicely.

[Kirby Krieger]

http://www.opb.org/television/progra...ki-tool-maker/

Thanks for this. I echo Derek Cohen's recommendation: watch the video.

These words from John Economaki stood out to me, and I think sit well in this discussion and the space this forum creates:

"All objects should be worthy of the space they occupy. If you think of space as a treasure — something sacred — and you are going to put something in it, then it needs to be something special."

[William Adams]

“Have nothing in your home which you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” --- William Morris