Sweet!!! I have absolutely no need for one now or in the foreseeable future so naturally I've already started looking for one.

The names for these things I think were most common are "hollow auger" for the tenon cutter, and "spoke pointer" for the cone cutter. Those might help a search.

This was a very helpful video. Just started researching chair making and tools that are needed. Thank you for sharing.

I just saw 3 of those tenon cutters at an antique store this morning and had not seen one before. Tomorrow morning I will be going back to pick one up for $30 seems like a good deal to me. I didn’t see the cone cutter it I wasn’t looking either.

Cutting circles on Pi day. Excellent!

I recently bought one of these, not because i build Windsor chairs but because I make a lot of handles for tools like tang chisels. It is easy to shape the handle itself, but I find forming the tenon that receives the tang so that it is centered and straight is fraught. I am making a set of handles for a set of chisels that had no handles as a Christmas gift and will see how well the tenon cutter works. I am also making a saw bench for myself and will use it in that application. There is not a lot of information on these vintage cutters, so this video is much appreciated. I also have the thought of making a Shaker bebch with round spidles.

Thank you very much for your video, James! I found a tool in my Grandfather's tool chest and it turns out to be the "cone cutter" that you describe in this video. In fact, yours seems to be identical to my Grandfather's. I plan to get into making stick and Windsor chairs and so I look forward to using the cone cutter. Now, I need a tenon cutter. I'll keep my eye out on ebay.

Would you believe my daughter has a giant pencil and I was looking for a sharpener.Ended up here...not that I mind...now I want it... the whole set ...sad sad sad. Excellent video thanks for sharing.

I have seen these used by a traditional wheelwright at a woodworking exhibition in Brisbane, Australia, near where I live. He used it to cut the tenons on the end of the spokes. Fascinating stuff. Almost as spellbinding as watching a cooper making barrels under the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland when I worked there. How he judged the complex angles on the staves so that they produced a watertight fit, I will never know. Thanks for the excellent video.

I never imagined I’d fall in love with a hand tool, but wow. That tenon cutter will be really hard to forget... great video, thanks for sharing!

This is fantastic and inspiring. Thank you! About two weeks ago, I had been looking on eBay for some vintage auger bits for a bit brace that I picked up a few years ago at a flea market but had never used, and then I ran across some of these devices and was fascinated, but mystified. This video explains them perfectly, and got me very excited to get some for myself. Drilling holes is a no-brainer, but this is the missing link for the other half of that equation, and was a revelation to me. I am really appreciating the ingenuity of the people who came up with these tools a century or two ago! Fast forward a week, and the first hollow auger (from the Bonney tool company, with the rotating dial/wheel) arrived, but unfortunately, something happened to it in shipment, and the top bit portion that connects into the brace had snapped off of the cast-iron body. I had another EC Stearns with the dial/wheel already ordered, so I was not too worried, but sad to see the tool damaged just as it was about to get a new life with me. The seller gave me a refund, which I put toward a third/replacement cutter, and I am now thinking about 3-D printing a carbon fiber snap-on part to replace the cast iron part that snapped off. (I like the idea of using 21st-century technology to repair 19th century technology. 🤓) Today I received a spoke pointer, and the third tenon cutter, which is another EC Stearns, and almost exactly the same model as you showcase in this video, except that it does not have the small wheel for fine adjustment of the blade depth. Thanks so much for this video! It has inspired me, and I am now starting to fill with ideas for things like chairs and other furniture made from local redwood branches that rain down in my yard, etc. 🤓

As we say here in Maine, "That is WICKED cool!" :)

Wow, the perfect tool for the job. Cuts nice and slow and the amazing clean tenons are lovely.

I got a tenon gutter yesterday!! An RC Stearnes with 8 hole diameter options. Perfect timing to learn more about the set up! Thanks James

An oldie but a great one!

Great video! The father of a friend of mine passed away and left behind a set of these bits and we had no idea what they were or how they were used. Your video solved the mystery. Thank you!

Nice job! This is just the video I needed to see. I have a hollow auger and (almost) had a spoke pointer. Now I have an idea how to use them. BUT, that is far from being ready to make a chair!!

I would love to get my hands on a set of these!

I just picked up an EC Stearns tenoner! I cannot wait to try it out. Will probably need to pick up the coner first. I’m glad you did this video.

WRANGLERSTAR was trying to figure out the one with all the holes lol.

I found a tenon cutter similar to yours several years ago. Mine doesn't have the knob adjustment for the blade. I never used a cone cutter because I simply use a draw knife or spoke shave (depending on the wood and my mood) to create a cone. Then I run the tenon cutter in my brace like you and get perfect tenons. Nice video.

Nice thanks

James thanks for sharing. I have the A.A.Wood & Sons adjustable hollow auger similar to what you showed in the video and also a Sterns with the dial a tendon fixed diameters.

I have one of these :D my granddad was a wheelwright and used it for cutting the spokes' tenons. Mine is a bit different, it has 2 handles wich you have to turn to close it, while you cutting it closes until it hits a screw wich is set to the apropriate depth. its so cool. If you want i can send some pictures and a video :D have a good day and congrats for the great great content :)

Such a beautiful tool! I saw a modern version for a power drill in a different video and was amazed but, thought it was a new invention

Wow! Cool! Never saw that kind. Thank you very much ! More versatile I think than the veritas.

Been around tools all my life and you somehow continue to show me new ones !

This looks very fun to use ! I would really like you to try chairmaking and demystify it for us.

I’ve never seen a hand powered one before yours. Cool device.

Ok. This tool is amazing!

Hi Jim! I just picked up a AA Woods and sons dowel maker ( similar to yours) at an antique store today. Had my eye on it for about 6 mos. Little pricey though ($70), but looks like it was hardly used and unique? So, I finally grabbed it, brought it home and it worked fantastic. It will definitely be useful to make dowels or tendons when needed! So I watched your great video “again” and I concur....great ( and cool) accessory tool that is a must for the toolbox and collection! Also, when are you heading out to Massachusetts area? It would great to meet you and chat a bit? Keep the videos coming! .... and tell the bride she does a great job as well!

dang it, now i need one of those

Thanks for the great video! Always learn lots from your videos. I was wondering if there is such as thing as a hand tool like this that will cut a taper (like for the end of a hoe handle), that would either have a long blade for the taper or maybe two adjustable blades? Thanks!

Very useful and pertinent video for me. Thanks much. If you get a chance maybe a video with the multiple hole version. Thats the one I have but havent had a chance to use it yet. A series on making a windsor chair would be great. Thanks again for all you do for us.

Very nice

thank you James . it is amazing what or how things get done

Amazing tool, can't imagine the person thinking about designing such a tool.

Well explained and great demo. I don’t have any use right now but am now tempted since it really looks like fun. I’d love to see you do a chair or two for your great live edge table you built!

Good

I’ve got a stearns hollow auger. So much fun to use

such a cool hand tool

Ooooh something else to put in my braces that I had no idea I needed! Wait...no, I dont need this...do I? Hmmm Maybe...

Long long time since I used one, as a teenager

Liked it very much

I think a Windsor chair in the Wright style would be an excellent project

I bought my first brace and bits on Tuesday but it needs cleaning and oiling yet. I've been wondering why people have several of them, now I know. Thank you for this one because I've been wondering how to do this without a lathe, but somehow I think they won’t be common in the UK. This video has been extremely helpful, thank you very much indeed. As a total aside, I got some chisel bit with my augers (hope I’m using the correct terminology). They don’t look too sharp at all and I have absolutely no idea what to do with them. I’ve sussed my coachmakers auger, my counter sinks and my spade bits but I can’t find anything about the chisel things. I’m assuming they are chisels as that’s what they look like. As always I will be immensely grateful for any help please.

Any tips for making sure it's centered on the stock? I'd imagine a small pin/needle that's centered on the depth stop might help with that, as long as it could extend down and get pushed up as the tool came down.

James, this was informative and showed me how to use both tools which I've just purchased. Just two questions. With the conical tenon chamfer tool I noticed that when you adjusted the iron you tapped it without loosening the 2 screws at all. Also, I wonder if you're not concerned about any mushrooming by using that metal hammer?

Very nice cool tools and excellent explanation on how they work thanks for sharing

I really like the video. I was able to kick up a cone cutter. It took me a long time to flatten the back but it still doesn’t cut smooth. Is the bevel up towards the outside or down towards the inside of the cone?

The cone cutter makes me think of the Pilgrim muskets .

Fantastic video James, thank you for sharing

Very useful tool.

Ahh, the ol' Paul Jackman Pencil Sharpener™

Way cool! I WANT ONE!

Fantástico este recurso. Não conhecia

I wood 😊 like to see more done with the cutter

cool

looks like supplies are somewhat limited on Ebay with prices averaging around 50 dollars shipped in the USA. Most seems to be fixed diameter. I'd read the phrase "hollow auger" a long time ago and didn't think anything of it. I kind wish I'd paid more attention because it seems like more and more people are getting interested in traditional woodworking and it seems to be driving up the cost and down the availability of tools haha

Very interesting and informative. Thanks. Best wishes. Mark

Wow

Do some wood spoke wheels

Would like to see Windsor chairs

Really cool James! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

As usual great video, thank you James. Is it hard to keep it stright? I mean the final tenon might be twisted on one side as when boring a hole.

Thanks for sharing that

Hi James. My tenon cutter is very similar to the one you're using. Do you have any tips on keeping everything straight? Sometimes my cutter drifts and the tenon ends up skewed a bit. Love your vids.

James, I have a followup to my last message. I have recently bought 2 tenon cutters, one of which is identical to yours except for the iron's micro adjustment. Mine doesn't have it. And I also bought a cone cutter from my "tool guy". That always sounds like a drug dealer, but I suppose it kind of is. Anyhow, the cone cutter was basically free because the iron on it has a crack that goes from the top hole, to the edge. The iron seems strong and so far doesn't seem to affect it, but do you know of anyone who currently makes irons for these old cone cutters? Veritas shows their own cone cutters and replacement irons, but nothing that seems to be the same as what I have. Thanks

I picked up one of the ones with the circular dowl tenon cutters in it but it seems to jam like crazy. Any tips? I've got the chiseling edge above the plate, but the area where the chisel and the round plate are jams up after a few turns of the brace.

Where can I buy these? I want to make custom tipi poles and don't have a lathe. All I need to do is cut a 4 inch tenon into some 2x2s. The lumberjack tenon cutters are too expensive and more importantly don't cut a square shoulder and only go at most 2 inches deep.

I tried to use my multi-sized tenon maker (like you described at 3:44 mark) today with a little success. Glad I found this video! I don't remember the brand of my tool off the top of my head. It does not (currently) have a double bevel. Is that bevel unique to your style of cutter? Thanks for sharing!

James, if you don't mind, what angle is the bevel approximately on each side of the blade on the tenon cutter? Thank you very much!

interesting tools .🤔

Never heard of these before today. Sure look nice! Have you ever tried sharpening/ stropping to even higher grits with something like this or a plane blade? You could go to 0.1 micron but I'm wondering if that's going too far and starts taking up too much time/ effort. Any thoughts?

Does anyone know any more terms for the "cone cutter"? The only ones I'm finding on Ebay are large modern ones for rustic log furniture.

This is really interesting. Never seen either a vintage tenon cutter before nor a cone cutter. Are these hard to come by? I'm familiar with the new tenon cutters from i.e. Veritas, but these are set to a specific diameter. I'd really like to get my hands on one like you've got there. Any brand or model you can share with me? Oh, and I'd love to see you do a Windsor, or more preferably a Welsh Stick Chair!

Really cool video James! Thanks...rr Normandy

That was quite riveting, wood riveting that is. LOL

Where can I get a tennon cutter with flat shoulder ?

Who is the manufacture of your Tenon Cutter. Its awesome

Fascinating. How hard is it to find these?

Are cone shaped tenons and mortises any better or worse? Right angled shoulders aren't proper for legs with any rake and splay, are they?

And the price of these on Ebay just tripled. Lol.

Off topic question, James. What brand diamond plates are the best to get??

1:44 - why don't you use the adjustment screws 😂

Where can I get a set and will they deliver to Australia? For that matter, where can I buy these hand tools from and will they deliver to Australia? As they are hard to find here in Australia.

Where can one buy t he cutter?

Do you have any idea where i can get these tools? The old ones like yours

amazing tool , looks pricey

It's not a tenon joint it cuts though is it. It's a dowel A saw will do the trick.

Not really tools for green wood.