2012 Tally Of Custom

It is time once again for the annual recap of where my woodworking money went in 2012.  The 2011 list can be found here.  The list for this year is considerably smaller; a reflection on my available time and money, for sure.  As before, no effort is made to quantify anything.  The annual list is more of a reflection than any kind of endorsement.


toolbarn.com The source for my Powermatic mortise chisels.

acmetools.com Supplied my Powermatic bench top mortiser.  "Supplied" is a nice way of saying I bought it with the aid of much saving and some gift cards.

Grace USA  I wrote at length about Grace USA screwdrivers.  I purchased custom drivers and packaged sets that I am very pleased with.

Lee Valley  My major, as in big deal, purchase from Veritas was the dual marking gauge.  I'm very happy with it so far, but have only had it for one project.  I may comment further as I really learn this tool.

Lie-Nielsen  My meager patronage consisted of only a chisel and some oil.

Lost Art Press  I bought several titles this year.  I reviewed two here and here.

shopwoodworking.com  F+W Media's woodwhoring, I mean woodworking, commerce site.  Yes it is run very much as a modern American corporation, but making money is not a sin, and they have a lot of good product to offer.

Woodcraft  I scored some great small pieces of Jatoba on clearance.  They will make great knife handles.

Rockler

Highland Woodworking  Be sure to enter their sweepstakes.  As of this writing they are giving away 1000 bux worth of Lie-Nielsen goodies.  I really like their newsletter, especially the feature on customer's shops.

Jim Bode tools  Picked up a sweet 1/2" paring chisel.  I've been looking for a good paring chisel ever since I saw Roy Underhill perform micro-surgery on a block of wood with one.

I'm going to give the 2012 Woody award to Grace USA for my custom screwdrivers.  Lee Valley's dual marking gauge is a close second, but I have not had enough time to play with it.  I'll return and update this list with forgotten vendors, if any.


My blessings to all for a healthy and productive new year.  Hopefully I can make a bigger dent in my project list in 2013.