Christopher Schwarz, Editor of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking magazines, has written at least two reviews of the Czeck Edge Hand Tool layout tools. His most recent review, on the marking knives and bird cage awls, appeared in the August 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking.
The Czeck Edge (Bob Zajicek, Owner) display at Woodworking in America in St Charles, Ill., was colorful, and inviting. Bob “Zee” got help from Benchcrafted on the tool displays. Father John Abraham (Jameel Abraham’s brother) designed the marking knife holder, Bob designed the rest, and Jameel made them all; of course, Bob made all the tools:
I bought one of these burnishers during the Lie-Nielsen event in Cincinnati – there is no going back to less than the quality of this tool:
The display of marking knives:
The following is the arrangement of the bird cage awls:
Bob Zajicek stayed busy (Bob is on the right in the photo below):
As I have mentioned several times before, the quality of today’s tools is terrific. And, as others have pointed out correctly, the popularity of hand tools seems to be on the increase primarily due to the quality, pricing, and appeal of the new tools appearing almost every day.
Maybe The Schwarz has put it best (from the review I quoted above):
If you’re ready to put your Boy Scout knife away, the Czeck Edge tools will make it easier to scribe fine lines, and let you do it with class.
I would add only the following: My scrapers thank me, too, for I can now burnish their edges beautifully!
.
About Al Navas