Colen Clenton

[Escudo]

Hello fellas,

Stumbled on this interesting clip of Colen Clenton the celebrated tool maker. 8)

http://www.skillsone.com.au/industry/5/manufacturing/video/210/the-toolmaker/

I liked his beard, and the look of his way of life.

Tony.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Very interesting, Tony.

Lovely tools; great lifestyle - awful beard :lol:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[dickm]

Yeah, dreadful beard!
Intrigued by one item, which appeared to be the stock of one of his squares, but with some sort of threaded brass adjusting rods set into the stock? Or were they something entirely different?

 

[xy mosian]

I too was intrigued by those. However a search on 't net brought up the Colen Clenton adjustable square. Sorry I didn't keep the link. It would appear that the angle of the blade to the stock, square of course, can be adjusted by turning a couple of screws. These pass through the brass inserts and engage on the lower edge of the blade. The blade has a pivot point visible in some images.

HTH xy

 

[condeesteso]

Excellent find, enjoyed. Looks a bit like Bridge City down under?? Interesting I think is the building momentum of small makers supplying a specialist market with high-end core products done very well. Witness Blue Spruce, Glenn Drake, Bridge City, Gramercy (all U.S. of course) then Two Lawyers saws, and a few very small makers here in the UK.
For years I wanted to see the names we know in the UK 'raise their game', but it may be that new and quite cottage-industry makers will win through.
I am certain there is demand for this excellence and care, and I hope in time that the Uk will re-emerge as one of the great places to source fine tools.
(rant over) - a fine and inspiring film though. And no problem at all with the beard... part of the "lifestyle".

 

[jimi43]

Wonderful stuff indeed!

Very very inspirational.....

Jim

 

[adidat]

a nice watch thanks

adidat

 

[Max Power]

Very interesting, I've had one of his squares for a while so it was nice to see where it started life
His stuff is superb and can stand alongside any in terms of quality

 

[Blister]

One looks quite content with life :lol: 8)

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Colen has been the preeminent toolmaker for squares and mortice/cutting gauges for many years now. I have several of his tools and they are just wonderful to use. He is as friendly a person as his tools are beautiful.

One of his mitre squares I have is very special to me. A few years ago Colen asked me to swap the square for a set of my marking knives. I know I got the better deal.

Oz has some really top class toolmakers. Colen is a close friend of Terry Gordon (HNT Gordon planes). Then there are Harold & Saxon chisels, Michael Connor's shooting boards, and not least of all, the rising star of Chris Vesper, who makes amazing squares and the absolute best sliding bevels around. Above all, these are some of the nicest blokes around.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[jimi43]

And whilst we are talking about superb Australian craftsmen...let's not forget a certain "Derek Cohen" of Perth! 8)

Jim

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

OK Jim my friend ... you're buttering me up again ... what is it this time ... more slabs of Jarrah :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the rose-tinted thought ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[jimi43]

OK Jim my friend ... you're buttering me up again ... what is it this time ... more slabs of Jarrah :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the rose-tinted thought ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Not at all my dear friend! I say nothing I don't mean!

Mind you...a cube of Jarrah...mmmm....

Wonder if one of the old boats would consider using it a ballast again...just for historical reasons you understand! :wink:

Jim

 

[jimi43]

oops

 

[Tom K]

Quite funny Jim lusting over Jarrah pretty sure our floorboards were made out of the stuff when I was a kid in Kalamunda :lol:

 

[jimi43]

Quite funny Jim lusting over Jarrah pretty sure our floorboards were made out of the stuff when I was a kid in Kalamunda :lol:

Oh indeed it probably was...which was why most of the only rain forest in Australia is now almost gone...but that wasn't the only use for it...here in UK it was used to support our rail network!!

I just find it a most pleasing wood visually...and I love working it...but then I like a lot of the rarer exotics which sadly are no longer available in any quantity.

I tend to jump from one "flavour of the month" to the next quite often but Jarrah is always one of the few that I will forever love.

Jim

 

[Tom K]

Quite funny Jim lusting over Jarrah pretty sure our floorboards were made out of the stuff when I was a kid in Kalamunda :lol:

Oh indeed it probably was...which was why most of the only rain forest in Australia is now almost gone...but that wasn't the only use for it...here in UK it was used to support our rail network!!

I just find it a most pleasing wood visually...and I love working it...but then I like a lot of the rarer exotics which sadly are no longer available in any quantity.

I tend to jump from one "flavour of the month" to the next quite often but Jarrah is always one of the few that I will forever love.

Jim

Agree wholeheartedley Jim don't know what they use now but any softwood got munched in no time. Dad tried to grow some veg up softwood sticks that he would whack ten inches into the ground. Kept finding them on the floor and couldnt understand why until the old Aussie bloke next door told him about the ants.

 

[jimi43]

Yes....

I spent 3 years in Bermuda and they used Bermuda cedar for the same reason...and the fact that it was stunningly beautiful and the smell...from the gods!

But...20 square miles of island is very finite and so...it's all gone bar a few precious examples...no doubt it will be replanted somewhere where it can thrive again and I know that all the other exotics like Jarrah will now be protected enough to possibly survive also...but back in the "old days"...it was just there to be used.

I am not particularly evangelistic about endangered species...it's only logic after all...but I feel that the world will be poorer without them.

Jim

 

[Max Power]

Those Harold & Saxon chisels Dereck mentioned look very nice (hammer)

 

[condeesteso]

Harold & Saxon... wow! Not really scary prices either (Aus $ being about 65p roughly). Reassuring when you are buying from the maker (like Pedder's saws)... fewer mark-ups along the line, I feel like more of what I spend is going into product, and the maker's pocket (which I am very happy with). Re rare woods Jim, I agree as always and we will be poorer. But if a fine tree is felled at least we should make something worthwhile and lasting with it. Am I imagining this or did I read years ago that back in the 60's they raised an old trainline in Sri-Lanka (I think) and discovered about half the sleepers were solid Indian ebony...