Hat Making Tool: Custom Rounding Jack for the Brainpan Hat Shop in Sumner, WA with Scrimshaw Artwork

This Rounding Jack (Brim Cutter) was a commissioned piece, and so it has been sold.

If you would like something similar, please email me at

mark@decoustudio.com

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Customer Testimony Printed with Permission:

Hey Mark,

“Finally had a chance to use the rounding jack. It works perfectly, I set it at 2 1/2 for this particular hat and it cut smooth and dead on. Wonderful, well designed tool. Thanks again for the great work.”

Stacey
(Stacey Phelps – Brainpan Hats)

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Project Story:

With the World Premier of the new Spielberg-Indiana Jones adventure movie happening this weekend, hatshops around the world are gearing up for what they hope is a great summer. I hope that happens, as I just think the Fedora Hat style is cool looking with, or without Harrison Ford. Not all of us guys are as handsome, or talented as he is, but we can wear a hat like he does in the movie.

This project is a “brim cutter” that hatmakers use to cut the brims of Fedora and Western style hats. Actually, any style of hat can be cut, with a brim size ranging from 1.25”-8”.

The wood used on this project is Kansas Black Walnut. The rest of the parts are yellow brass. The inlay piece is synthetic ivory with the Customer’s Shop logo scratch with a knife by hand in a scrimshaw style artwork.

I enjoy mix-edia, and making things that are pretty and useful. 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 Quartersawn White Oak.

Stacey Phelps at Brainpan Hats found my posting of Tollikers here on lumberjocks and ordered them. Later, when he say my postings of the Rounding Jacks I was designing, he placed his order for one, serial number 2008-04.

Display Stand: This display stand is meant to make the whole project look like a functional-art sculpture, with the purpose of holding the Rounding Jack safely on the work bench when it is not being used. The stand holds the Rounding Jack when the blade is fully extended, or the adjustable crown band is fully extended.

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 (in the last photo) 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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Artisan Hat Tools by Mark DeCou Studio
(Do you want to see More? Just follow these links):

Rounding Jack – The Collector-Series Model w/ a Brass Blade Holder:

1. “Coming Soon”, Progress Photos posted here

Rounding Jack – The Economy-Priced Hobbyist-Hatter Model:

1. Walnut Rounding Jack w/ Bench Top Display Stand
2. Walnut Rounding Jack w/ Laser Engraved Ruler

Rounding Jacks – Custom Built:

1. “Custom Laser Engraved Rounding Jack for Charlie @ Gladdhatter”: coming soon, please check back
2. Rounding Jack, Maple Wood on a Walnut Bench-Top Display Stand
3. Custom Rounding Jack w/ Scrimshaw for the Brainpan Hat Shop in Sumner, WA
4. Custom Rounding Jack w/ Scrimshaw for Steve Delk's Adventurebilt Hat Co.
5. Custom Rounding Jack w/ Scrimshaw for Marc Kitter's Adventurebilt Hat Co.
6. Custom Rounding Jack w/ Scrimshaw for Pyrate Trading Co.
7. Custom Rounding Jack w/ Scrimshaw for the Infamous Hatman Jack at Wichita Hat Works
8. Custom Rounding Jack Laser Engraved for the Inaaya Hat Co.
9. Custom Rounding Jack Laser Engraved for The Penman Hat Co.
10. Prototype #2 Rounding Jack
11. Prototype #1 Rounding Jack

Formillion & Conformer:

1. Formillion & Conformer, Prototypes #1 & #2

Foot Tollikers:

1. Foot Tolliker: Elk Antler & Birch Wood, on a Display Stand
2. Foot Tolliker: Walnut Wood, on a Display Stand
3. Foot Tollikers: Three in White Birch Wood
4. Foot Tollikers: Walnut Wood Set of Four
5. Foot Tollikers, Birch Wood Double Set, on Display Stand

Brim Pencil Curl & Kettle Curl Wooden Shaping Tools:

1. Wooden Hinge-Shackle Curling Tool for the Homburg Hat
2. Wooden Curling Shackles, Various Sizes
3. Wooden Groove Tolliker

Hat Block Spinners:

1. Hard Rock Maple and Walnut Ornamentally Turned Hat Block Spinners

Puller Downers:

1. Puller Downers, made in Birch & Maple

Pusher Downers:

1. Pusher Downers, made in Walnut, Hard Rock Maple, & Poplar

Stainless Steel Slip Stick:

1. “Coming Soon”, please check back.

My Website with other woodworking, including furniture, walking canes, scrimshaw artwork, custom knives, and other misc. items

Mark DeCou Studio Website

(Note:This project story, project design, photos, text, spelling, everything I can possibly list is copyrighted in 2008 by the Author, M.A.DeCou. If you want to use any part of this posting or the photos, for any Feeds, or a book, or another website, or for any reason whatsoever, even ones that I could not have dreamed about you doing before you did it, you must ask for permission first. Please)

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan