Second completed project of the year?!

Quite obviously I can't, and won't, keep up this relentless pace, but for some reason w'shop activity has hit a bit of a high at the moment. It's not a conscious new year resolution of anything - I wouldn't be so daft; they never work. It's just happened. Long may it continue.

So a bit of background to this one. Way back in 2006, somehow or other, Mike Wenzloff and I got into an exchange of tools. I gathered together a selection of things; Preston shave, Madox plane, callipers, 5" sweep brace, coupla bits I made - and Mike, funnily enough, sent me a saw (curly bubinga, styled after a Moulson, custom fit, absolutely gorgeous in all respects). But also, unexpectedly, the blade and screw assembly for a sliding bevel.

Now maybe I got carried away with all the beautiful tools recently posted on various fora's Secret Santa threads and the Old Tools List "Galootaclause", but when I rediscovered the blade over Christmas the momentum to actually make the body for it came upon me all of a sudden. Electrons were sacrificed, and there's no WIP because I was, quite honestly, winging it.

Materials are imbuya, from my stash of handle-making exotics, and three layers of veneer to make up the "gap". That took considerable trial and error to get right and needed a second attempt. Turns out it worked best to make the spacer slightly wedge-shaped.

A certain amount of trial and error getting the clamping screw/bolt/brass lever assembly set up so the lever doesn't stick out when clamped.

The relief in the body for the lever to sit in, by comparison, went really easily.

My stamping technique could use some work (doesn't get much practice...), but at the very least there's something out there that I made this year, and has the date on to prove it.

It'll probably be all down here from now on...

And because I think it might end up being instructive, I shall continue the Tools Used listing:

#3 plane

3" double square

18" rule

Pencil

Thicknesser (Planer, if the reader dwells in North America)

Bandsaw

Bradawl

Vernier callipers

Drill press

3/8" and 1/2" Forstner bits

7mm brad point bit

Craft knife

6" rule

3" G-clamp

1 1/8" firmer chisel

3/16" bevel edge chisel

Scribe

3/8" in-canel gouge

6" fine cut half-round file

Mitre saw

Assorted abrasive papers, 180g and finer

Letter and number stamps

Sticking plaster (when the automatic punch device went critical)

Hammer (safer than automatic punch!)