| Project by Mark A. DeCou | posted 580 days ago | 1529 views | 0 times favorited | 9 comments | ![]() |
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This item is a Hat Making Tool that I designed and built.
Specifications:
Maple & Walnut Wood
Brass Adjustable Crown Shoe
Brass Under-Plate
Cutting Capacity: 1.25” – 8.0”
Abalone Shell Inlay
- Maple Deluxe, Clockwise Cutting, Rounding Jack, “SOLD”
- Maple Deluxe Counter Clockwise Cutting Rounding Jack, please visit this other project
- Walnut Bench-Top Display Stand, click here to buy this item
- Oak Bench-Top Display Stand, Click here to buy on Etsy
Email me for more information at:
mark@decoustudio.com
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Customer Testimony Printed w/ Permission:
Hi Mark,
I picked up the rounding jack from Customs yesterday, and just cut
the first brim with it. Thank you so much for this wonderful tool! I
never dreamed that it would be so easy to work with, almost cut the brim
itself! Thanks for this great piece of craftsmanship.
Have a nice weekend!
Best regards
Thomas Osygus – Germany
Website: ad Vintage Fedora
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Project Story:
Rounding Jacks are used to cut the brim felt to size on fedora, western hats, cowboy hats, and several other styles. The brass adjustable curve on the front is placed against the crown, and then the cutter is moved in a rotation around the hat, keep the pressure against the crown. Setting the blade to the proper size is done by adjusting the cutter to the desired cut size, and then tightening the brass knurled knobs.
Display Stand: The display stand is designed to sit on the hatmaker’s work bench and hold the cutter when it is not being used. The retractable blade can remain extended this way between uses. This particular stand shown in the photos is Black Walnut. This display stand is meant to make the whole project look like a functional-art sculpture, while it serves it’s functional purpose of the Rounding Jack safely.
To make the cut. The blade guard knurled nut is loosened, the blade dropped down and the nut retightened. The slider nuts are loosened and the desired cut width is indicated by the pointer, and the slider nuts are tightened. The hat is placed on a wood crown block to give a firm resistance to the pressure being applied with the cutter, and the brim is placed between the bottom brass plate and the bottom of the cutter. Then, depending on whether the hatmaker is a Clockwise, or a Counterclockwise cutter, the Rounding Jack is slowly moved around the contour of the crown while pushing the cutter toward the center (head). Felt Hat Blanks are very expensive, so after the cutting is complete, a big sigh of relief is heard from the hatmaker.

The Adjustable Brass Crown Band on the front of the cutter is used when the brim is to be cut wider on the sides, than on the front and back. By adjusting the curve of the brass band, the cutter is pushed away farther on the wider curve of the crown sides.
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Here is a Slideshow with more of my Rounding Jacks Shown
Click the “Speaker” icon for music
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Artisan Hat Tools by Mark DeCou Studio
(Do you want to see More? Just follow these links):
NOTE:
ALL HAT MAKING ITEMS THAT I HAVE IN STOCK
ARE LISTED IN MY ETSY.COM ONLINE SHOP, click here to check inventory
- Walnut Hobbyist-Hatter Model, Counter Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Hobbyist-Hatter Model, Clockwise Cutter
- Spradley Hats in Apline, TX
- Rachel Pollock of La Bricoleuse
- Brainpan Hat Shop in Sumner, WA
- Steve Delk's Adventurebilt Hat Co.
- Marc Kitter's Adventurebilt Hat Co.
- Pyrate Trading Co.
- Hatman Jack at Wichita Hat Works
- Inaaya Hat Co.
- Penman Hat Co.
- Complete Restoration of a Maillard Conformateur and Formillon
- New DeCou Formillion & Conformer, Prototypes #1 & #2
- Custom Designed Conformateur Carrying & Storage Case
- New Plot Base Board for the Maillard Allie Formillon
- Maple Wrench for Tightening Formillon Thumbnuts
- Left-Handed & Right-Handed Foot Tolliker
- Foot Tolliker: Elk Antler & Birch Wood, on a Display Stand
- Foot Tolliker: Walnut Wood, on a Display Stand
- Foot Tollikers: Three in White Birch Wood
- Foot Tollikers: Walnut Wood Set of Four
- Foot Tollikers, Birch Wood Double Set, on Display Stand
- Hinge-Shackle Curling Tool for the Homburg Hat
- Full Circle Shackle Curling Tool
- Half Circle Shacking Curling Tool
- Groove Tolliker Curing Tool
- “Coming Soon”, please check back.
My Website with other woodworking, including furniture, walking canes, scrimshaw artwork, custom knives, and other misc. items
(Note:This project story, project design, and photos are protected by copyright in 2008-2009 by the Author, M.A.DeCou., all rights reserved, no use allowed without expressed written permission.)
-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com



































9 comments so far
Roger Strautman
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534 posts in 1024 days
posted 580 days ago
I’m sure the customers will come in time. Nice prototype!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
Karson
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25787 posts in 1291 days
posted 580 days ago
Great looking tool Mark. Good luck on the sales to follow.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
ChicoWoodnut
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895 posts in 706 days
posted 580 days ago
It looks like you have found a niche that could at least keep you in wood for more ambitios projects (not that this isn’t abitious :)
-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net
jockmike2
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7296 posts in 1137 days
posted 580 days ago
Go for it buddy. Build them and they will come. People still where a lot of custom hats out there. mike
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
Mark A. DeCou
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1537 posts in 1296 days
posted 580 days ago
Now, Mike, if you want to help me, you just need to buy some hats. If you need any references on where to buy a good one, let me know. The more hat buyers there are, the more hatmakers there will be, and the more Brim Jacks I can build. See, the circle of life.
I hate to think of the skin cancer that is headed toward my generation who have only worn baseball caps with our ears exposed. I quit doing that several years ago, but it will be a hard lesson for the rest of us I fear.
Thanks for the comments everyone,
M
-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com
Grumpy
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14914 posts in 742 days
posted 580 days ago
Not onlt a useful tool Mark but a very presentable one as well.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
DAN
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6435 posts in 874 days
posted 580 days ago
well done. looks like it was fun to make. good research.
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
Obi
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2191 posts in 1128 days
posted 580 days ago
So… have you made any hats yet? I wanna see them when you do. Might not be a lumber thing, but the knives are bone and steel, so hey, work it.
My money guy has about 2 dozen hats of various shapes and styles, so I’ll pass the link on to him.
-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 870 days
posted 579 days ago
Hey Mark;
It is very good to see you’re finding new / old products to work on. This prototype you have shown here will work for cutting circular shapes in veneers.
It is somewhat like the cutter I made to cut veneer borders on table tops. (although mine were pretty simple in design and function, and were not adjustable).
Item number 7. Wouldn’t that be a Hat Puller Downer?
NIce stuff.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com