The Toolmaker’s Apprentice?

Christopher Schwarz,
Oct. 14, 2024

Though Kale has started their second chair of the apprenticeship, progress is slow because we’ve been assembling Exeter hammers like mad. The hard part is that we are all training ourselves to do it, and no one knows exactly the best method to get the head on and things looking right.

So we are trying lots of different techniques, changing the order of operations to see if it helps. Adding steps. Removing them. Trying different tools to seat the wedge.

And then there’s “fit and finish.” This is the hardest thing to teach. This hammer has to look like a $133 hammer. What does that mean? It means even the tiniest molecule of glue has to be removed. The visible tenon above the head needs to look crisp and neat – but with no sharp edges. The head has to be free of any dings or scratches (even though this tool will see thousands of dings and scratches in its lifetime). The head has to be dead level on the handle.

So a lot of my day is looking at work, pointing out problems, then fixing them, usually with a sharp knife, to be honest.