He made me another cutter! Saw type this time.

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I had no idea this was in the works. Wallah, there it was as a Christmas gift. I think he realized I wasn't replacing the broken strings on the harp cutter he made for me two years ago because sometimes I like cutting one bar at a time. So he replaced all of strings on the other one, then made me a single bar cutter. It's adjustable too!

It seems a little decadent to have two handmade cutters, but what's a gal to do?

Now if I could just get him to remodel the bathroom. :razz:

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I had no idea this was in the works. Wallah, there it was as a Christmas gift. I think he realized I wasn't replacing the broken strings on the harp cutter he made for me two years ago because sometimes I like cutting one bar at a time. So he replaced all of strings on the other one, then made me a single bar cutter. It's adjustable too!

It seems a little decadent to have two handmade cutters, but what's a gal to do?

Now if I could just get him to remodel the bathroom. :razz:

Wow! Lucky you. :)
 
What's a gal to do? You give one to a friend in need, that's what you do. Shall I send you my address? ;) Alright, perhaps you just lend him to me for however long it takes to make one of those lovely cutters.

PS. I love the use of the saw. Very clever.
 
Thanks you guys. It really is beautiful. The saw is antique, or at least "authentically used and old." I thought it might be a replica, but no he said, he found it at an antique store. I only recently realized he even had the interest to browse those kind of places, so this was a surprise too. The man has vision and patience along with his obvious wood working skills.

TEG, you bet -- he gets lots of hugs from me (probably more than he wants lol). He's been trying hard to show upsides of him not working. He has not found a job yet in Montana. We sold/packed/moved from Alaska in April but without work here, he retained his job there til it just got too hard, visiting me about once a month until then. We are both specialized in what we do, so it's not his fault. Dual careers are tough. But he has a lot of talents and interests, and has not been idle or bored since he joined me here full time in October. I jokingly jabbed about the bathroom remodel, but truth is he's taken care of just about everything around our new house that he can until we splurge for the big stuff (and when I can make a decision about exactly what I want lol). 2016 looks promising though, and when he goes back to work, I sure will miss dinners waiting for me when I get home. And the likelihood of new soaping presents!

Two years ago when he made the harp cutter (see here), he really wanted to make more. We talked about the prospect of selling them, but I discouraged it because the labor hours inhibit much of a true profit. But clearly he could make a lot of soapers very happy. So if his irons in the fire don't brand anything soon, maybe I'll post opportunities in the business section.
 
Thanks you guys. It really is beautiful. The saw is antique, or at least "authentically used and old." I thought it might be a replica, but no he said, he found it at an antique store. I only recently realized he even had the interest to browse those kind of places, so this was a surprise too. The man has vision and patience along with his obvious wood working skills.

TEG, you bet -- he gets lots of hugs from me (probably more than he wants lol). He's been trying hard to show upsides of him not working. He has not found a job yet in Montana. We sold/packed/moved from Alaska in April but without work here, he retained his job there til it just got too hard, visiting me about once a month until then. We are both specialized in what we do, so it's not his fault. Dual careers are tough. But he has a lot of talents and interests, and has not been idle or bored since he joined me here full time in October. I jokingly jabbed about the bathroom remodel, but truth is he's taken care of just about everything around our new house that he can until we splurge for the big stuff (and when I can make a decision about exactly what I want lol). 2016 looks promising though, and when he goes back to work, I sure will miss dinners waiting for me when I get home. And the likelihood of new soaping presents!

Two years ago when he made the harp cutter (see here), he really wanted to make more. We talked about the prospect of selling them, but I discouraged it because the labor hours inhibit much of a true profit. But clearly he could make a lot of soapers very happy. So if his irons in the fire don't brand anything soon, maybe I'll post opportunities in the business section.

I show the harp cutter, that is beautiful! I wouldnt main buying one of those.
 
Do you have trouble with the teeth leaving drag marks on the soap?

I used a mitre box and saw for a while, which worked okay, but the cuts weren't very clean.
 
Thanks Spice, it's nice to know there might be interest.

Songwind, I've only cut one batch and it did not have marks. The teeth are pretty small, though I imagine soap softness, oil profile and other variables could play a role. The biggest drawback I've seen so far is that the blade doesn't quite hit the bottom of the soap, so I have to pull up on it a titch to complete it. Also, I have to keep pressure on the main loaf as I cut because the blade (or perhaps differential pressure created by the cleave) pushes back a little on the soap, which could create uneven bars.

I do love the saw cutter but I suspect I'll end up using the harp more often. It almost seems to me the saw cutter is as much a piece of art as it is something functional (gee, where have I heard that before). I've been trying to dress up our new house; maybe I can find a place to set it out for more than just occasional admiration. I think in the right setting it could look pretty cool.
 
No I haven't Obsidian. And I wouldn't dare do that so soon after all of the work he put into this; plus a standard soap cutter is about 1/2" too short to reach the bottom. But I've literally only cut a few bars with this, so I need to use it more before I'm so quick to judge.

Do you have trouble with the teeth leaving drag marks on the soap?

I used a mitre box and saw for a while, which worked okay, but the cuts weren't very clean.
I looked at the blade teeth after typing my original response to this question. There actually aren't any teeth, DH ground them down. It's completely smooth. The man was thinking.

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Carabou,

Your man is totally brilliant. Ask him to make and sell some of those! I would buy in a heartbeat, specially the first cutter you showed!

Enjoy it and Happy New Year.

Sere
 
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