| Project by Mark A. DeCou | posted 1857 days ago | 4687 views | 1 time favorited | 9 comments | ![]() |
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If you’d like one, email me and we can discuss what tools I have on hand, or what the current delivery schedule will be for custom made tools.
email: mark@decoustudio.com
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Video: What does this thing do? Watch this video by California Custom Hat Maker Tom Gomez from Premier Panama Hats using one of my Rounding Jacks on a felt body Hat. Here is a link to Tom's ebay Store
To See More Hatmaking Tool Videos from Tom Gomez:- Foot Tollikers: click here to see
- Kettle Curling Tool: click here to see one
- Puller Downer: click here to see one:
- Pusher Downer: click here to see one
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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
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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
- Ebonized Walnut Clockwise with Laser Engraving
- Walnut Counter Clockwise w/Laser Engraving
- Walnut Uni-Directional Cutter
- Maple Deluxe Model, Counter Clockwise Cutter
- Maple Deluxe Model, Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Deluxe, Counter Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Deluxe, Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Hobbyist-Hatter Model, Counter Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Hobbyist-Hatter Model, Clockwise Cutter
- Walnut Bench-Top Display Stand
- Oak Bench-Top Display Stand
Click here to check inventory
- 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.
(Note:This project story, project design, and photos are protected by copyright in 2008-2010 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
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9 comments so far
Roger Strautman
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626 posts in 2302 days
#1 posted 1857 days ago
I’m sure the customers will come in time. Nice prototype!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
Karson
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34370 posts in 2568 days
#2 posted 1857 days ago
Great looking tool Mark. Good luck on the sales to follow.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
ChicoWoodnut
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904 posts in 1983 days
#3 posted 1857 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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10636 posts in 2415 days
#4 posted 1857 days ago
Go for it buddy. Build them and they will come. People still where a lot of custom hats out there. mike
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
Mark A. DeCou
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1947 posts in 2574 days
#5 posted 1857 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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17839 posts in 2019 days
#6 posted 1857 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'um Style
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10783 posts in 2151 days
#7 posted 1857 days ago
well done. looks like it was fun to make. good research.
-- keeping myself entertained
Obi
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2202 posts in 2405 days
#8 posted 1857 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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6494 posts in 2148 days
#9 posted 1857 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
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