| Project by Mark A. DeCou | posted 545 days ago | 1767 views | 0 times favorited | 7 comments | ![]() |
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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:
”I’ve received my rounding jack together with the tolliker a few days ago and I cannot believe how I have managed to work with other tools in the past. Aside from being a piece of art and a pleasure to look at, both tools are a TREMENDOUES ease when it comes to professional hatmaking. The angle of the blade on the rounding jack, the exactness of the cut, the easyness of adjusting the width of the cut and the overall superb craftmanship and construction, combined with the ergonomics that went into the design, makes this rounding jack the best available – vintage or modern – by far. Thanks for making these available.”
Marc Kitter
The Adventurebilt Hat Co.
www.adventurebilt.com
Kind regards,
Marc
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Project Story:
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” in width.
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 Marc Kitter’s business logo scratched with a knife by hand in a scrimshaw style artwork.
I enjoy mixed-media work, and making things that are pretty (handsome) and useful.
Project Story:
Few custom hatmakers can say they made history, but Marc Kitter and his business partner Steve Delk are two that can. After spending months of hard work researching and studying the old Indiana Jones hats from the early 1980’s movie trilogy, they designed and built all of the Fedoras for the new ”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Spielberg movie.
They told me that they made 48 hats in all for the movie, some were souvenirs that the production staff kept, as well as the ones used in the filming.
Now, they are selling copies of the exact hat that they made for the new movie. If you would like to order one of Steve & Marc’s Indiana Jones’ hats, you can contact them at their website. This is a popular item this summer to order, and so do it quickly to get on their project list:
www.adventurebilt.com
Steve Delk found my Rounding Jacks on the lumberjock postings a few weeks ago and placed his order for the first of my production models. His Rounding Jack is serial number 2008-03 (the first two serial numbers are my protypes). A few days later, his partner in Germany Marc Kitter ordered one, serial number 2008-05.
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 Kansas 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


































7 comments so far
Roger Strautman
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534 posts in 1024 days
posted 545 days ago
Great description on how this works. A beauty once again!
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
TomFran
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2509 posts in 885 days
posted 545 days ago
Looks like a beautifully crafted and accurate instrument. Nice work, Mark.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
Bob A in NJ
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521 posts in 890 days
posted 545 days ago
Wow, very nice project and post. Thanks for all the details. I love all your work, you are a true craftsman!! Go Indiana Jones!
-- Bob A in NJ
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 870 days
posted 544 days ago
Nice work Mark.
Very good photography work as well.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Karson
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25787 posts in 1291 days
posted 544 days ago
Great job Mark.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Roger Strautman
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534 posts in 1024 days
posted 544 days ago
Am I mistaken or is this rule you used in tenths of an inch? Thanks.
-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"
PurpLev
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2726 posts in 539 days
posted 311 days ago
awesome, nice to see that it works magic for the customer! it all boils down to that.
-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.