Dear Drivel Starved Nation;
The first production prototype came in last Thursday and I thought I would share with you a sneak peek. As mentioned, this item will be made completely in China and I think you will be thrilled with the quality.
Before we move on to the pictures, I want to thank all who commented on the logo – all my teachers in my life and my deceased parents would be pleased to learn that I do indeed listen.
Here is the new copyrighted logo for the box and the Chopstick Master;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The logo for the ChopstickMaster.com splash page is a little different for reasons that I am too lazy to explain;
Image may be NSFW.
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As previously mentioned, the production prototype was hand delivered last week and I could not be more thrilled with the results. For those of you worried about quality, I assure you this tool will be as good, or better than if we produced it here in U.S.
Over the last 6 months, over 1,000 pair of chopsticks have been produced with various CSM prototypes and I would like to share the changes that occurred from not only my own mistakes as a designer but from the observations I have made watching complete beginners make their very first project from wood.
Here’s an overall view of the Chopstick Master from China;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
One huge improvement are the purple adjusting knobs; the settings are now visible from the top. Why I did not think of this out of the box is really rather stupid.
The HP-8 with acetal depth skids;
Image may be NSFW.
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The CSM has the ability to make chopsticks with a 5mm octagon working end, or a 2mm octagon. Here’s a pic of the 5mm arm;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The “V” groove down the center is how we transition the square rear end of the chopstick to a perfect octagon at the narrow end.
Here’s the 2mm counterpart;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
This tool was designed for absolute complete newbies. As such, we needed a way to address a dull plane iron. Here’s a pic of the small little honing guide that guarantees a perfect 30 degree micro bevel;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
What makes the CSM so much fun is the pyramidal finial. That is cut with this specially designed crosscut saw blade made in Japan;
Image may be NSFW.
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This pic, courtesy of Konrad Sauer who has a beta unit, shows how cool this cut is in rosewood – it takes about 15 seconds to make all four cuts;
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To hold the chopstick dead in place while making these four cuts, we needed to make a mini-Jointmaker Pro. Here’s a pic of the sliding table and the adjustable length stop;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
For those of you who participated in the beta-testing, you can see several improvements. The stop bar is robust, and the entire sliding table has been redesigned. There is much more “purchase” for the chopstick and fingers; the thumb cut-out removes all doubt as how to hold the chopstick in place, and we added set screws to the gib so the sliding table does not “wiggle” itself loose. Here’s a close-up;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The CSM with blade and sliding table attached, the counter hook is now indexed to the body. Here is what it looks like for making the chopsticks;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Here’s what it looks like when you flip it 180 degrees for sharpening (the grit is 8000 grit sandpaper from 3M). The strips are custom made with self-adhesive and can be replaced when worn. DSN members will likely use their own stones. At least I do.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Again, thanks for the logo feedback, it was really helpful. We will open this for pre-orders real soon! The first production run for 2015 has some manufacturing constraints that should be addressed in 2016 so we have a fixed allotment for BCTW this year. FYI.
The only changes that will differ from what you see here are logos added to the counter hook and honing guide.
Here’s a pic of the very attractive box;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There’s more to this box that what you see, but that will be a surprise.
If you are going to host a chopstick making dinner (they are a blast by the way) you will want to wear one of these to make it official;
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(Yes, that pic is me… 40 years ago)
Again, thanks for the logo feedback, it was really helpful. We will open this for pre-orders real soon! The first production run for 2015 has some manufacturing constraints that should be addressed in 2016 so we have a fixed allotment for BCTW this year. FYI.
-John
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