New Inventions - Old Tools

New Inventions Old Tools
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If you intend to patent something, the first part of the process is usually a patent search. You look at all the previous patents in the field to determine if your idea is new, or just new to you. The previous inventions are called "the prior art". Our patent attorney has told us that on several of our tools all of the prior art dated from the 1800's. Since we do so much work in the hand tool area, this could be expected, although it came as a surprise to us when it was first mentioned. We thought that we were a bit closer to the cutting edge of research, if you'll pardon the pun. For example, we have reached back into history for the basis of two new tools, a scraper holder and a beading tool.
Beading Tool In a world where everybody seems to have a router, why would anyone want a beading tool? The truth is that a beading tool can do many things that a router cannot; it can do them faster and it certainly can do them more quietly. Stanley Tools developed a beading tool in 1886 that they sold until 1941. It was designed much like a spokeshave but suffered from the limitation that it could be used in one direction only since the blades were bevelled. This caused more than a little difficulty when dealing with variable grain. Our new beading tool has very finely detailed blades with square-cut profiles; they will cut on either the push or pull stroke. The tops are formed by electro-discharge machining, which makes them extremely accurate. Some of you may have already used a hand beader. If so, you know that it is easy to set up and use and can do a number of things that a router cannot. Routers deal poorly with stop-cuts of any kind, but particularly the type often required in the reeding and fluting of furniture legs, stiles and rails. Also, multiple-beading cutters for fine work are not available for routers, since they tend to be fragile and do not have a long enough neck to reach the center of any leg more than about 1" wide. For all this type of work, a hand beader excels. But a beading tool is not only useful for all those jobs that a router cannot do; it is better than a router for many simple jobs such as putting a cock bead on a stile or along the edge of a bookshelf. Quick to set up, it makes extremely clean cuts and never burns the wood. This is particularly important in woods like cherry, which are prone to scorching. Does this paragon of virtue have any drawbacks? Yes, it does. It works extremely well in hard wood, but is more temperamental in soft wood. You can still get a good cut in soft wood but you are more likely to get a fuzzy finish if the blade is not well honed. Fortunately, the blades are easy to hone since they only need to be lapped flat on a honing stone.
Scraper Holder Cabinet scrapers give you about the greatest value for money of anything in the shop. They are versatile, inexpensive, easy to use, take up virtually no space, etc. I guess you could say that we have
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had a fixation on cabinet scrapers, since we have done substantial experimentation on the hardness of the scrapers and on a variety of thicknesses as well. We have also designed a jointer jig to use with them, and two types of burnishers - the versatile teardrop shape burnisher and the variable burnisher, which give completely predictable results every time. While all of this has led to scrapers that work better, with better shaped and longer lasting hooks, it did nothing for the tired (and sometimes burned!) thumbs that come from using cabinet scrapers extensively. Therefore, it seemed only natural that we develop a cabinet scraper holder. As with all developments, there were a few false starts and a number of prototypes before we were satisfied. These are shown in the photographs below. A good scraper holder should be rigid yet light; it should grip the scraper securely but it should not damage a sharp tool. Ideally, it should also hold every size of scraper on the market. We managed to get all of the attributes except the last one. Since the vast majority of cabinet scrapers are either 150mm long or 6" long, we could not see adding substantially to the price for a minor increase in utility. On the other hand, we were particularly pleased with the way we solved the problem of different thicknesses of cabinet scraper. The scraper is held in place at each end with a brass cone that has one side sliced off. As it is drawn up by the tightening screws, it grips across a broad section of the scraper regardless of thickness. Ergonomically, the tool is a delight. There are hollows where your thumbs fit and the top is smoothed so that it can be used one-handed in a draw stroke as well as the traditional two-handed push stroke. And, of course, the whole thing from brass screws to the injection molding is made right here in the frozen north. Development of the Veritas Scraper Holder ("Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again." - Henry Ford) Ever wondered what goes into the making of a new tool? How long the process takes? How many "solutions" are discovered and then discarded? The Veritas Scraper Holder evolved over a period of six months. Five prototypes were considered, and then abandoned, for the reasons outlined beneath. 1. Too small - does not fit the hand well. The scraper blade is held with a single thumb screw on each end. But there is not enough support for the blade on each end and consequently the blade chatters. 2. Lacks support behind the cutting edge. Blade can bow in or out (and you only want it to go out!). 3. Prototype 3 was designed for an extruded aluminum body. Blade projection is controlled by adjusting the small screw in the center of the round end pieces. 4. At this point, we introduced the slotted cylinder, which allowed the blade to pivot freely when bowed by the center screw. The extruded design has been abandoned - it did not allow a very comfortable grip 5. Thumb rests are built into prototypes 4 and 5. The problem with these? We couldn't get the round cylinders on the ends manufactured for a reasonable cost. The Ultimate Design
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To keep costs down, we had to come up with another way of holding the blade securely. The cone-shaped clamp (shown in the diagram at right) solved two problems. The round shape of the cones allows them to pivot (as the cylinders did). As well, the cone shape wedges itself along the taper in the body to clamp the scraper blade in place. Unlike the round cylinders, which had two slot sizes to accommodate four thicknesses of scrapers, the cones and body of the latest scraper holder work on a system of adjustment. As you tighten the cone, it is drawn up the taper, and is forced against a semicircular projection in the body. This design provides a much more solid hold on the scraper blade. The need for high strength and light weight led us to choose a rigid, glass-filled nylon injection molding.
Copyright 1998 to 2004 by Lee Valley Tools Ltd. and Veritas Tools Inc. All rights reserved.
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New Inventions Old Tools