Wenzloff & Sons

There is a current trend concerning thinner and thinner saw plates. Why? Well, the first answer is there is a quest for speed of cut. It is an interesting exercise that yields demonstrable results: Everything else being equal about saws, a thin plate does saw faster than one with a thicker saw plate. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve done it—we’ve “completed” the move. Now the real work begins, that of rearranging tools, machines and hooking everything back up.

More to follow…Mike
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I was pretty tried last night when I began this post. Being one’s own rigger moving heavy stuff—and just a lot of stuff—does that. Not being smart enough to hire it done we did it ourselves.

We shut down parts of the shop last Wednesday and began packing up while a couple of us continued building and shipping orders through Friday morning. About noon on Friday we all began the move in earnest. Everything was palletized for shoving the 6′ long pallets off the loading dock into the 26′ truck.

Yesterday morning we unloaded the last load. Phew! we were so wore out that about 2 pm I sent everyone home to rest. We more or less know how the new space will be laid out and so today begins shoving things around. Friday the electrician arrives to wire up for the two 3-phase machines, adding some 220 single-phase drops and the machinery will begin whiz-banging again.

What’s all this mean for contacting us? The new phone lines and Internet connection will be added this Friday as well–so if you call before next Monday you will likely only hear ringing. Email will be the best means to contact me until Monday June 7. However, do note that without the Internet connection at the shop, I am using the home DSL line to receive emails and at that I am only able to check it in the mornings and evenings.

The servers are being set up temporarily at the house Thursday. Until then I cannot look up orders to check their status. So if you write us, please let us know as much as possible about your order (order number, pertinent details about it) and I’ll locate it to update you.

I apologize for any inconvenience the move may cause you. We are trying to make it as swift as possible.

Take care, Mike

After a couple years of putzing around learning PHP programming, I am nearly ready to replace our web site!

There will be the ubiquitous shopping cart and even stock to put into it…We are starting out with the Harvey Peace, Henry Disston and early Kenyon saws. As well there are the files and other tools to maintain your hand saws.

We also have some in-stock kits ready to go. There will be a limited offering as goes options at first and we will work on fleshing out the kit saws. nd we will have the parts-ala-carte section.

Here’s a first peek at a screen shot:

I am in the process of adding to the product database and tweaking the design and some of the features. If I can squeeze in the time, I believe the site will be up by the end of April—the week after my kit building class.

Please note: I have never done a web site of this complexity before. I am pretty certain the web site as a whole will be off-line for at least a day. There should be a readable page informing visitors to www.wenzloffandsons.com that we will be down for maintenance.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Mike

All lovers of quality hand tools–Listen up.

At least if you are within driving distance of Portland, Ore.

Gary Rogowski’s Northwest Woodworking Studio, in Portland Ore. will be the place to be on February 19^th and 20^th for the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event. This event will have notaries such as Ron Hock (need Ron’s latest book or have it signed?), Kevin Drake and Dave Jeske will be there set up to demonstrate.

These events that Thomas Lie-Nielsen began a few years ago have grown to be a very popular event. In fact, I believe they are the only place for a free, interactive chance to use hand tools. Need questions answered about the use or the care and feeding of hand tools? Go.

These LN Hand Tool Events are so much more than simply a place to purchase a tool. They are the opportunity to enhance your ability to sharpen any tool woodworking related, to learn to quickly and easily flatten a board (check out the use of a toothed blade in this regard), to mark out your work, to saw better–in short, to do any hand tool woodworking task.

While you are at it, check out Gary’s school. Top-rate instruction in the fine art of woodworking goes on there, taught by dedicated instructors. The address to the school is on the LN site and can be gotten to by clicking on the Lie-Nielsen link in the first paragraph.

I hope to see you there. I’ll might pop on down to Gary’s school on Friday afternoon, but probably will have to await Saturday instead depending on how Friday is shaping up at work.

And for y’all in northern Washington State, Lie-Nielsen will be at Seattle Central Community College on February 26^th and 27^th. For the address, see the announcement page on the Lie-Nielsen web site.

 Take care, Mike
(P.S., did I mention these events are free…?)

Hello Everyone,

I had intended to post this a few weeks ago. That was when we arrived to find a 1″ high-pressure overhead water line had burst in the shop sometime in the night. It’s been fun & games ever since.

I will be at the WIA in Valley Forge that starts this Friday–where does the time go? We made the decision to forego a booth this time around. I will have three talks about saw sharpening and be spending time at the hands-on area for anyone wanting to practice saw sharpening.

But I will be at a booth. Lee Richmond from The Best Things is going to have a booth. I will be demonstrating tools there when I am not speaking or in the hands-on area (well, I will also be slipping out for some other talks a couple times). So whether you would like to try out the W&S Kenyon saws TBT carries, or chisels, marking gauges, the recently added French rasps we have begun using, Japanese saws–whatever Lee is bringing–drop on by and give ‘em a whirl.

There might even be a new model of the Kenyon saws or two there.

Hope to meet you there.

Take care, Mike

Welcome to the Wenzloff & Sons blog.

A necessary change in web site hosts has afforded us the opportunity to begin a long overdue project–adding a blog.

From time to time, we will examine hand tool use, history and, well, simply update the world at large as to the doings around here.

We will be adding articles of interest, in particular sawing and sawing exercises that we think will be of interest.

Take care, Mike